Falling off a horse at high-speed changes the impact to the rider's head and the parameters for a quality helmet, according to new research from the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab.
Published on April 28 in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering , the findings from researchers Steve Rowson and Lauren Duma indicate that head impacts during falls at high speed generate unique head rotation, which in turn, directly affects helmet behavior.
"Rotational motion of the head is very important," said Rowson, helmet lab director. "While our testing already incorporated rotational head motion, falling off a horse at high speed can put a large force across the helmet and generate rotation in a different way than our previous testing. This means that the helmets behave a little differently during low-speed and high-speed impact scenarios."
Lauren Duma, a Ph.D. student and member of the lab, was the lead author of the study.
The new study builds on the lab's previous work that documented video-captured falls in a wide array of equestrian disciplines, where riders fell from varying heights on the front, side, and back of the helmet. Horse racing and other high-speed accidents were not included with the initial research project.
The testing now includes impact scenarios where the horse and rider are moving with horizontal velocity, which typically occurs in racing and cross-country events.
The additional testing criteria were motivated by the Federation Equestre Internationale's (FEI) technical report on new testing protocols for improved equestrian helmet performance, which included horse racing accidents. The added tests were used to update the lab's original helmet ratings, which were released in December 2022 .
"FEI suggested a new testing standard where the head is dropped on an angled surface, which is very similar to how we already test bicycle helmets in the lab," Rowson said. "This test does a great job of simulating high-speed falls, so we worked to include tests similar to the FEI specification to have a more comprehensive test protocol."
In addition to various fall scenarios, the lab also performed a large computational modeling analysis of the head impacts to identify the best method for quantifying injury risk to the rider.
Previously, the lab's STAR ratings only incorporated one method of testing – either the pendulum impactor used for football helmets or the oblique drop tower used for bike and snow sport helmets. This was the first time ratings have been generated using both tests and with 49 helmets tested, the lab's largest study on equestrian helmets to date.
Ratings reflect the concussion risk associated with each model and are meant to inform consumer decisions about helmet purchasing. Helmets are rated on a scale of one to five stars, with a one-star helmet offering the least head protection, making it more likely for an individual to develop a concussion, and a five-star helmet offering the most protection and reducing concussion risk.
Updated ratings are available on the helmet lab website. Early research was funded by Jacqueline Mars, the United States Hunter Jumper Association, the United States Equestrian Federation, the United States Eventing Association, and an anonymous private donor.
Original Study DOI: 10.1007/s10439-025-03723-0
