After I had my unplanned dismount (aka, a crash) off of a horse last month, I went shopping for a new riding helmet--as you should do after smacking your helmet into the ground with your head still in it. The old one sports an interesting sunburst pattern on the lower right side of the back of the helmet now, and if you push on it, it yields a bit, displaying its new squishy spot.
I had actually been toying with the idea of a new helmet for several months before having that unfortunate ride that ended badly. So when I went to purchase a new helmet, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to get. Not, as my previous two helmets had been, a cheapy schooling helmet. It wasn't just that I'd sustained a nasty concussion in my schooling helmet (although, honestly, that fact did come to mind being as I'd had other crashes, in my younger years, wearing my sturdy black velveteen helmet from my 4-H days without every being concussed). No, I have been thinking, more than once or twice, about the possibility of getting back into showing in the next few years, and if I was going to buy a new helmet, I wanted one that was show worthy. That way, if I did decide to dip my riding boots back into a show arena, I wouldn't have to get another new helmet first.
So, what I was shopping for was a matte black riding helmet, in the $150 range. Quite a bit more cash than the colorful, shiny schooling helmets available for about $50 at the nearby farm supply and feed stores. And, since I was changing style and most likely brand, I needed to go try on a helmet before buying one (because each brand and style all fit slightly differently). I wanted something 1. matte black and show worthy, 2. comfy and well fitting, 3. that was within my predetermined budget (ironically, I had received $$ from my kids for Christmas with the instructions that I was to put it toward the new riding helmet I'd mentioned wanting to buy back in November.)
On January 2nd, I traveled 45 minutes away to the reputable English riding tack shop to make my purchase. There, I explained to the clerk what I was looking for, and after asking me a couple of questions, he took me to the helmet display and handed me one to try on. Just as soon as that helmet settled on my head, I was in love. With the helmet, not the good looking young clerk, LOL. It felt so natural, like a part of my head, rather than how I was used to helmets feeling (a little heavy, a little awkward, and perhaps a little confining if they weren't too big). I tried on a couple of others, as the first one was a bit more than I had planned to spend, but kept coming back to that first one. It just felt so right.
I ended up buying it. Since I'd been paid for working that horse over Christmas, I justified the slight extra cost by using some of my pay to make up the difference between what I'd planned to spend, and what the helmet cost. The first time I rode in my new helmet, I knew I'd made the right decision. It's hard to explain, but having a helmet that I didn't really feel, that wasn't subconsciously taking up some of my thinking, just made the ride all that much better, easier.
I also knew that I'd just acquired another expensive taste. Just like wearing a pair of full seat breeches for the first time after knowing nothing but knee patch breeches, after wearing my new helmet I knew I could never go back to the cheaper option.
(For those who are curious, what I bought was the One K Defender.)
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