Best helmet for trail? Most flattering?

My thoughts exactly. This is why last week I ordered this in shocking pink and one of these in black to go with it.

I can't wait to decorate it and see the looks on the faces of all my anti-helmet horse friends.

Oh, but to answer your original question, I think the Tip Sportage is the most flattering helmet I've tried on. It's not nearly as comfortable as the Troxel, though, because they're not shaped the same. I'm told Troxel fits people with round heads better and Tipperary is a better fit for people with oval-shaped heads. I have both, though, since once you come off you need to replace your helmet, and I live in suburban East Jesus and have to wait days for a new helmet to come in the mail. So I always have two around the house.

LOL Suburban East Jesus! Those brims are a great idea!

That's interesting that the Troxel is more for round heads and the Tipp is more for oval. I don't know what kind of head I have. I would think round.
We'll see tomorrow. I'll do my helmet fashion show and she what looks and feels good.

Flattering? Helmets? They look dorky to me.....just saying....

I had a little time so I just went to the tack shop now. They had no Tipperary at all only Troxel and the rest were English black velvet.

I ended up with black Troxel sport. I had my husband with me and he said that gave me the least mushroom head, lol.

I loved the look of the Troxel Sierra and the one Endiku has, the Spirit but they looked so bad on me :( I must have a funny shaped head.
Endiku your helmet looks great! I don't know why the same helmet on me gave me a huge mushroom head. Plus they didn't even have the purple or the hot pink anyway.
I swear if they could come up with more flattering helmets for women western riders, I think they could win some people over! Maybe? Lol.
I hate the look of them. Especially since I never rode in one until I started English lessons. The trail riders here seem to be 50-50 with wearing them. Even though people will say they don't care how they look I can't help but think if they designed them a little better they could win over some western people.

Oh well, I have to say, the Troxel sport is light as a feather. When I picked the box up, I thought it was empty. So that's good.

Our tack shops are the same. We have a Tractor Supply that only stocks a couple of models made by Troxel (usually the Legacy and the Sport), and a tack shop called Wild West which has a "english corner" with breeches and show shirts and show bows. They stock IRH schooling helmets (the original mushroom head, at least on me) and the velvet show helmets.

So I order my helmets out of the catalogs. It's kind of a pain, but less so than ordering breeches. There's little to no consistency as to sizing and cut on breeches but the helmets are a little more nearly standardized.

I don't mind the way helmets look, but I'm in SC where we have five fox hunts and several steeplechases every year so maybe it's what one gets used to seeing. To me, someone riding in a cowboy hat looks kind of dorky although (were it not for gunslinger's post above) I'd normally never say such a thing.

ETA: I just noticed you're in Virginia, so I'm surprised you haven't more choice when it comes to helmets!

This is my first go around with a helmet. I had to get one to ride in a Limited Distance ride and I have rode it every time that I have rode since getting it a month ago so I can get used to it. Other than it seems to somewhat interfere with my sunglasses I hardly know I have it on and I generally can't stand something around my neck!! It drives me batty and it is a short trip!

If I was doing anything like this, I'd have the biggest mushroom head helmet I could find! That is serious riding.

When I'm in lessons I have to wear a helmet. If I ride by myself and it's hot, I tend to not wear one, but I'm also a slower rider, poking down a fairly flat only somewhat hilly trail in the woods.
If I go out with other riders, I definitely wear the helmet. You just never know what kind of bunch is going to show up that day for riding. Might be my favorite group- The Baby Boomer women who ride slow and yap the whole way. Or it could be the Yahoos who insist on galloping at every open spot they can find, riding up along side you, no manners at all. So I am grateful for my helmet in cases like that.

I need to try another tack shop. This one is one is mostly Western so very little choice of helmets. I honestly don't think there is much choice with flattering helmets anyway. I saw one site where they had a helmet inside a cowboy hat but I don't know how that would fit. Kind of the best of both worlds, or maybe the worst, lol

I started in a International (back when the company was just called international, not IRH) and I loved it. Alas, after many many years, and thousands of miles, I felt it was no longer really safe and retired it.




Wound up with a Tipperary Sportage, which is light and comfy.. but I just hate how it looks. No idea why, but every ride pic I saw, I hated it even more. And other people noticed too, commenting on my new helmet. Maybe I am just too used to looking like I have a mushroom on my head to like the look of anything else.




Now I have an IRH again, an air-lite dura soft touch (what a mouthful of a name). Its not exactly like the old one, but its as close as I am going to get I figure.

Troxel and flattering do not belong in the same sentence.

Every one I've seen makes you look like this:


My votes goes to the Tipperary Sportage

Phantom I love the horse in your first pic!
Okay I see what you mean. The first helmet is more round and the 2nd pic looks more oblong. On you the round helmet looks better. I love the last IRH one.

Mildot I swear I was going to post the Great Gazoo from the Jetsons! That is who I was thinking of yesterday doing my helmet fashion show. I said it this was green, I'd look like that little alien guy from the Jetsons, lol.

I guess head shape does come into play. I see some girls at the barn and they look adorable with their helmets. I have a really round face and I think the helmet just adds to the roundness.
Oh well. I'll just use my new helmet until something better comes along. It was only $30 so that's a plus!