Skull cap or normal helmet?

So I am getting a new project horse when Junior finds a new home. He is a 16yo OTTB who doesn't have a whole lot of training (though he is a good boy undersaddle). I am going to try to turn him into a low level eventer. For the first few months he will just be doing a lot of arena jumping, but hopefully by summer I will be taking him to go XC schooling.

What I want to know, would be is a better idea to get a skull cap over a normal helmet (like an IRH or something)? I will be getting a new helmet sometime this month and I am just curious... I feel like skull caps are a lot safer, but I have been riding in an IRH for the last five+ years.

Opinions?

SKULL CAP! I love mine. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I will be doing schooling jumpers and will be doing a lot of dressage-y flat work with him and will probably show both. They will just be schooling shows though. Do you think that it will be okay to have a skull cap?

Wouldnt skull caps have to meet the same ratings that a helmet would? So how would they be any safer then a helmet? (Not 100% on this, but it makes sense that they would have to have the same ratings.....)

To me, the only difference in them is that the skull cap does not have the brim on it, but comes on the helmet cover and is more upturned for better vision.

Because if you fall face first, you would have the brim on the helmet, which could push into your head or break (at least that is what I have been told). I don't know, I have smacked my face on my horses necks a few times and the brim has pushed into my head before and it has given me some pretty bad headaches. I could be totally wrong though... "/

Eventer - I do Jumper shows in my Skull Cap, and Dressage Shows in my Skull Cap, and I've been just fine. The only thing is, is that everyone knows I'm an Eventer...lol.

Skull Caps are just as ASTM approved as any other helmet, BUT the difference is, is that the reason why Skulls do not have the SOLID visor, is for safety reasons among others.

I learnt this from an Olympic Eventer - The reason why Skull Caps have covers with visors that are not solid, is incase of a fall, it's to help prevent your neck from craning too far back, causing long term damage to your spine. Where if you have a helmet with a solid visor that comes strait out from the helmet, that can cause your neck to crane back too far. *shrugs shoulders*

And, also when you are out on a CC course, you do not want a visor that limits your line of vision. You need to see your surroundings without anything hindering your line of sight, like a visor that comes strait out from your helmet.

So - if you are going to Event, use a Skull Cap :)

Don't most helmets these days have very flexible or collapsable brims now for that reason? I know my GPA's brim is practically cardboard....

I think they are plastic. BTW, I can't ride without one because of my eyes... Even when it's cloudy...

The speedairs are plastic... and apparently they weren't flexible enough because they just updated the models last year to have an even more breakable brim. (which is crazy to think they made something on a $500+ helmet MORE breakable) And I remember picking up an IRH and being surprised at how very flexible the brim was. I suppose it's not as good as having NO brim but I've never worried about mine!

Alright people... I am still having a hard time deciding. I really like skull caps because I like the thought of having the flexible brim and I really like that you can see better. I really like to be able to see my surroundings. At the same time, if I ever wanted to show hunters, I would have to go get another helmet.... Though unless the horse I am working with decides he REALLY wants to be a hunter, I will be doing jumpers. Arg.