# Patey vs Safety Hat



## LKWilliams (31 October 2019)

Having just gone to Honri hats to be measured I'm ever so excited for it to arrive. However I understand that it is becoming a bit of a taboo topic. Would you wear a patey? or do you stick to the skull cap and silk?


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## milliepops (31 October 2019)

I opt to wear a top hat sometimes for dressage on my advanced horse but nothing would persuade me to not wear a proper safety hat to go hunting.  I always wore a velvet hat which looked just as nice.


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## ycbm (31 October 2019)

Â£700 for a hat with no harness?

I can't think of one sensible reason why anyone would.

.


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## Amymay (31 October 2019)

They look incredibly smart, but thatâ€™s about it.  I would _never _wear one for hunting.  I value my life too much.

Sorry op ðŸ˜”


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## sbloom (31 October 2019)

I have a beautiful Thomas Townsend hat from 1985 when the PC rules demanded safety helmets.  It fits all the Patey rules, it won't come off, but I haven't worn it in twenty year, even then only for lower level dressage, and it's now a memento.  Madness not to protect your most valuable asset.


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## Red-1 (31 October 2019)

To be fair, I would be looking to buy one of the new MIPS helmets if I were going to buy another.

Fashion be blowed where safety is concerned.


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## Follysmum (31 October 2019)

After not long having a serious fall I wouldnâ€™t be here if I hadnâ€™t of been wearing a decent hat.  This was a fall from my well behaved horse at a walk
So please everyone always wear a safety hat


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## Nicnac (31 October 2019)

If you've been to Honri it's not a Patey?  And no, I wouldn't wear either.  Ridiculous amount of money for something completely useless imo.


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## Goldenstar (31 October 2019)

My Patey is beautiful and I treasure the memory of the day I went to factory and wore the nail hat thingy to get measured .
Now and again I take it out of the box and stroke it .
The world changes and things move on I would never wear it now .


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## spacefaer (31 October 2019)

@LKWilliams you will get lambasted for your post and your choice of hat on here.  There are very few people who will put their heads above the parapet on this forum and admit they wear a Patey (*other hats are available â˜º)


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## Rowreach (31 October 2019)

spacefaer said:



@LKWilliams you will get lambasted for your post and your choice of hat on here.  There are very few people who will put their heads above the parapet on this forum and admit they wear a Patey (*other hats are available â˜º)
		
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The OP asked for opinions, and I suspect the majority of posters on here are more concerned about the state of their head rather than its appearance.

I was practically ostracised when I started wearing a crash helmet back in the early 90s - until our lady master had a terrible fall and had her head (and her lovely Patey) squashed.  Suddenly all the elegant ladies of the hunt were sporting crash helmets ...

On a more trivial note, I went to primary school with Paul Honri ...


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## Tiddlypom (31 October 2019)

If I was going to put my head above a parapet I certainly wouldnâ€™t expect a Honri or a Patey to effectively deflect any flak that might come my way !


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## Rowreach (31 October 2019)

Nicnac said:



			If you've been to Honri it's not a Patey?  And no, I wouldn't wear either.  Ridiculous amount of money for something completely useless imo.
		
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Same thing, same bloke, different company name.


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## Meredith (31 October 2019)

Rowreach said:



			The OP asked for opinions, and I suspect the majority of posters on here are more concerned about the state of their head rather than its appearance.

I was practically ostracised when I started wearing a crash helmet back in the early 90s - until our lady master had a terrible fall and had her head (and her lovely Patey) squashed.  Suddenly all the elegant ladies of the hunt were sporting crash helmets ...
		
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I started wearing a crash helmet when my children joined The Pony Club. ( late â€˜80â€™s?) There couldnâ€™t be one rule for me and another for them. Some older riders were heard to say they would not be seen dead in one. Answers on a postcard supplying the comments they received.


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## spacefaer (31 October 2019)

Rowreach said:



			The OP asked for opinions, and I suspect the majority of posters on here are more concerned about the state of their head rather than its appearance.
		
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That was my point ....... 

I think the Patey vs crash hat conversation has been somewhat done to death on here, with one side weighing in with its somewhat forceful and sometimes sanctimonious opinions


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## Rowreach (31 October 2019)

Meredith said:



			I started wearing a crash helmet when my children joined The Pony Club. ( late â€˜80â€™s?) There couldnâ€™t be one rule for me and another for them. Some older riders were heard to say they would not be seen dead in one. Answers on a postcard supplying the comments they received.
		
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A friend and I were qualifying two rather wayward point to pointers at the time, and were told we looked "stupid" and weren't properly turned out


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## spacefaer (31 October 2019)

As a side note, one of our lady masters has three very keen hunting children who have always worn crash hats, while she wears a Patey. The oldest daughter turned 18 this summer. I saw her out the other day sporting a brand new Patey.


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## Rowreach (31 October 2019)

spacefaer said:



			That was my point .......

I think the Patey vs crash hat conversation has been somewhat done to death on here, with one side weighing in with its somewhat forceful and sometimes sanctimonious opinions 

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Clearly the OP wants to start another thread on the topic?

I suspect if someone posted about the merits of seatbelt wearing, the responses would be equally "forceful and sanctimonious" .


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## The Fuzzy Furry (31 October 2019)

I dug out my Patey this summer,  1st time in years it had come out. Purely because I COULD....
.....To do an in hand class.

I'd not wear one to ride in now, the last time I wore it mounted was, I think, in 92 at Olympia, then only for in hand classes after that. It's been in the hat box since the start of this century.


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## Ditchjumper2 (5 November 2019)

OK I will  be brave ðŸ™„ I hunt in a Patey as does my OH. However, due to various circumstances ,not least our hunts change of direction ,we have  not hunted this season. I have a new horse and will be wearing a crash hat this season when we eventually get going. It is personal choice I would not criticise OP how can I? I hate chin straps and permanently keep sticking chin out.  I will see how it goes.


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## Mule (5 November 2019)

I don't have a patey or an equivalent. If I did I'd have no problem doing dressage in it. I have, on occasion jumped small fences without a helmet but I hadn't planned to in advance. I wouldn't hunt without a helmet because my seat isn't that sticky but each to their own.


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## Kat (5 November 2019)

I wear a skull cap with a velvet cover to hunt. 

On an average day with our pack you might see 3 pateys, about 50% skull caps and 50% velvet safety hats with a chin strap. Various types, the smartest are the show hats with flesh coloured leather harnesses.

One of the pateys is our master huntsman. Our lady master, wears a velvet safety hat and an air jacket in custom colours to match her hunt coat, she always looks immaculate as do many others who wear safety hats. In fact we even have a lady who hunts side-saddle and she wears her bowler at the meet and swaps to a safety hat before we move off.


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## Charles.Young (23 February 2020)

LKWilliams said:



			Having just gone to Honri hats to be measured I'm ever so excited for it to arrive. However I understand that it is becoming a bit of a taboo topic. Would you wear a patey? or do you stick to the skull cap and silk?
		
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As a whipper in I think that all hunt servants should wear them as they are traditional and smart. Please do not but second hand get it made to measure or it will extremely unsafe if you do not even if it is you head size all heads are different shapes.


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## ycbm (23 February 2020)

If whippers in are employees,  then I think the HSE would have quite a bit to say about failing to provide workers with proper safety headgear. I'd go so far as to say that if they are employees it would almost certainly be a criminal offence not to require them to wear a hat with a proper harness.

.


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## Pinkvboots (24 February 2020)

I used to do ridden showing in mine but no one wears them that much in the show ring anymore, I just tend to use it for in hand showing now or if I groom for someone.


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## LKWilliams (25 February 2020)

ycbm said:



			If whippers in are employees,  then I think the HSE would have quite a bit to say about failing to provide workers with proper safety headgear. I'd go so far as to say that if they are employees it would almost certainly be a criminal offence not to require them to wear a hat with a proper harness.

.
		
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I was told by someone who whipped in that actually the hunts insurance covers people to ride in a patey! I was pretty shocked at this myself


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## Ditchjumper2 (25 February 2020)

Yes this is correct.


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## Ditchjumper2 (25 February 2020)

_ď_


LKWilliams said:



			I was told by someone who whipped in that actually the hunts insurance covers people to ride in a patey! I was pretty shocked at this myself[/QUOT
		
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Yes this is correct.


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## Queenrig (27 February 2020)

I have been using skull cap, I tried using Honri hats once but its uncomfortable for me. Maybe I'm just not used to it.


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## LKWilliams (28 February 2020)

I absolutely love my Honri hunt cap! At first it’s “tight” but this is because they do give a bit! Now I wear it all the time for riding because my skull cap seems so uncomfortable


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## ycbm (28 February 2020)

Come back and tell us how it works when you fall off onto your head, or get kicked. If you can. 

.



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## SpringArising (28 February 2020)

The Honri hunt caps and top hats have always looked really ugly IMO.

You know what's even more ugly? A bashed in skull and the view of your arse as someone else wipes it for you.


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## Meredith (28 February 2020)

So glad I was wearing this skull cap when my horse bucked.


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## Rosemary28 (28 February 2020)

Meredith said:



			So glad I was wearing this skull cap when my horse bucked.
		
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My Mum's hat looked similar when she fell off after her pony spooked and spun on the lane. I'm glad she was wearing her skull cap too.


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## SpringArising (28 February 2020)

Meredith said:



			So glad I was wearing this skull cap when my horse bucked.
		
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Holy crap, that's scary.


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## Meredith (28 February 2020)

SpringArising said:



			Holy crap, that's scary.
		
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Yes, it was.
I landed on a stone road, was briefly knocked out and had concussion which affected me for a month. The shell of the skull cap was scuffed away beyond the black rough coating and the next layer. When I wiped the mud off you could see the layers.  It could have been a lot worse even with the skull cap. I don’t like to think about the consequences if I had not been wearing it.


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## Tiddlypom (28 February 2020)

Enjoy your very expensive and useless toy hat, OP.

Darwinism in action.


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## View (28 February 2020)

I know it's personal preference, but I have no idea why anyone would buy a hat that isn't to any recognised safety standard.


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## Tiddlypom (28 February 2020)

For an additional £30 you can have a leather harness fitted, though the manufacturer declares that ‘_This does not make the cap a BSI standard cap’ 🤔.

All Hunt Caps finished in Velvet cost £685.00_

_For Caps finished in tweed or leather please ask for a price_
_Caps finished with a leather harness cost £715.00_
You pays your money...


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## Goldenstar (28 February 2020)

I would never wear my Patey now it lives in its box .In the past the safety hats where really not that good and wearing a Patey or similar was really not quite as silly as I think it is now .
The current standard hats can made a huge difference in an accident this was not always the case technology is much better as is the testing which can prove which hats protect the most  .
while I support the right of people to take their own choices I do think it’s a stupid choice to wear such a hats while sitting on a horses back .


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## Winters100 (3 March 2020)

They look lovely. I have to say that they would not be my choice as I have had a few bad falls, including one which resulted in a concussion that lasted more than 6 months, and I suppose without a good helmet it would have been worse.  You are an adult and you know the risks - *do make sure that you fully consider the risks in advance* - but if for you the risk/reward ratio is ok then enjoy.

Interestingly where I am based I am one of the few on the yard who consistently wears a helmet.  I would never criticise anyone for their choice, and the only time I said anything was when one of the other owners asked if she could give a small child a ride on one of mine - since it was my horse who was to be used I simply told them that I would not be comfortable without the child wearing a helmet.  I cannot say that I do not sometimes think to myself that some of the other owners and the pros are taking huge risks, but saying something seems pointless since they must already know this.


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