USHJA Supports Virginia Tech Helmet Lab and Equestrian Helmet Research

New Equestrian Helmet STAR Ratings will be Unveiled Later this Year

Blacksburg, Va.—Aug. 12, 2022—Today, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab unveiled research for the equestrian helmet STAR-rating system during the Virginia Tech Equestrian Research Symposium on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia.

"I get dozens of people and parents asking me which helmet is the safest," said Joe Dotoli, USHJA board member and Safety Committee chair. "This is the next big step. This tells us the ones that perform better. There are no rule changes here; this is information only. This is being able to go on to the Virginia Tech website, look at the rating and see how your helmet performed for linear and rotational force. The stars are not random, they translate to numbers. The higher the number in the star rating, the better the helmet."

Passionate about safety in the equestrian sport, USHJA Board Member and Safety Committee Chair Joe Dotoli and the USHJA spearheaded the Equestrian Helmet Safety Initiative, which helped fund research to create this new rating system for equestrian helmets. As part of fundraising efforts, the USHJA Board of Directors donated $100,000 towards the initiative and helped raise enough funds alongside other equestrian organizations and individuals to reach Virginia Tech’s $450,000 goal in just six months.

"Joe Dotoli has been a long-time advocate for safety in our sport," said Kevin Price, USHJA executive director. "His passion and commitment have been instrumental in helping to make this helmet research possible."

The Equestrian Research Symposium unveiled data collected that will be used to develop the Equestrian STAR-rating system (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk). Research was specific to the Hunter/Jumper discipline and included video analysis of equestrian falls, laboratory system comparison, on-site field testing and a comparison of the impact on different surfaces such as dirt and sand.

Once developed, the STAR-rating system will compare equestrian helmets based on their performance to inform consumers of relative concussion risk and differences between helmets. The rating system will also provide helmet manufacturers the ability to optimize helmet design to reduce concussion risk. The new equestrian helmet STAR ratings will be unveiled later this year. In addition to their work to develop a STAR-rating system for equestrian sport, Virginia Tech has also developed testing and STAR-rating systems for hockey, cycling, football and other sports.

"The result is we are going to have a lot more information so we can make better-informed purchases and helmet makers can make better helmets," said Dotoli.

USHJA thanks Safety Committee members Penelope Ayers, Dr. Laurel Blakemore, Joseph Dotoli (chair), Sheila Murphy, Cheryl Rubenstein, Danielle Santos, Lynn Seithel, Tracy Weinberg, Sissy Wickes, Katlynn Wilbers and Terri Young for their continued work to advance safety within the sport.