Samshield Helmets... Yes/No?

Hi There,

I have been looking around for a new helmet for the hunter/equitation ring. I have an Antares helmet which is amazing, but it is shiny and a little bit sparkly so it's not something that would be my first choice for the judged arenas. I have been looking at the Samshield helmets and I really love the look of them! I have tried one on and they are very comfortable. Now that show season approaches I need a helmet. *My head gets hot when ride so I need the ventilation. I was wondering if anyone has had experiences with this helmet. Any advice or comments would be helpful.*
I have attached a link of what I would like mine to look like. The link is from Dover Saddlery's website and the helmet's options in that picture are Black Shell, Black lizard skin middle, and black matte trim/logo. Those are the options I would like to purchase and I was wondering if this is fine for hunter/equitation.
Thanks so much.*

http://www.doversaddlery.com/samshie...1-36281/cn/39/

I haven't ridden in one so I can't say for sure but they don't look like they offer a particularly high amount of ventilation. Have you looked into the SpeerAirs or CO AYR8s? Not as customizable but might be cooler.

I've actually ridden in both. The speed air had pretty good ventilation, but it didn't fit me very well. It was given to me as a gift so I ended up selling it to my trainer. The AYR8, I have considered, but the Charles Owens give me a mushroom head haha. When I tried on the Samshield, the man who was fitting it to my head held a handheld fan up the front vent and I could feel a lot of air flow, but obvisously that would be different while actually riding. Do you think that the lizard skin option would be an okay choice in hunter/equitation?

I would definitely not use it in the eq ring. IMO classic is best.

Hunters? Eh. Possibly at more local level shows but I probably wouldn't use it at the bigger shows unless the lizard skin is really subtle.

I tend to err along the side of conservative.

Yea, what about full suede like material? I think the helmet itself in plain black or navy would be acceptable. Is navy ok for those rings?

The suede material sounds much more conservative. Black would be completely acceptable. I don't see a lot of navy and it wouldn't be my personal choice but I don't see why it'd be a huge problem as long as it's dark. Like I said, when it comes to the eq ring I like my students in traditional colors/equipment. If you see the upper level classes/medals just about every single rider is in a navy coat/white shirt/beige breeches/black helmet. There might be some more variation in the hunter ring but it's still a pretty conservative discipline. GM always hounds on the fact that your dress and your tack should always be very conservative so that you can highlight your horse as the star. While my GPA has the silver stripe down the middle I tend to err on the side of conservative and leave my fun stuff for schooling or local shows. That's just my opinion though! If you love the lizard skin I'd ask your trainer and see what she thinks. If she's ok with it, go for it!

Thank you very much for your input, I really appreciate it :) I'll look into it some more.

WOW they have a ton of different options! I don't think the lizard skin would be too noticeable. But I don't show in the Eq ring, so I really wouldn't know =/ Is it offering REAL lizard/python/sting ray skin??? That's crazy!! Lol

It is crazy! And yes it's all real. Haha it's like a designer helmet brand lol. Sting ray skin would be cool. The also offer full swarovski crystals, although that wouldn't be my first choice haha.