TIPPERARY EQUESTRIAN Equestrian-Helmets Sportage

Arrived in a nice box with a storage bag. I tried the helmet on and it fit snug, but not so snug that it gave me a headache. I have not put the helmet to a crash test, but so far the fit is great and it is a beautifully made helmet

Was a great fit and just what l expected.

Tipperary is a great helmet be aware it is normal to feel tight when you first try on it will loosen up with wear and especially with sweat here in Arizona. My older helmet was M/L which had been fitted in a tack store but became very loose and I had to pad it so it didn't slip. I finally ordered a Medium which fits much better. I love the white color which must be popular as it was hard to get hold of. I believe it helps reflect the heat and every little helps.

Great Helmet. Great quality, features, and and function. Bought it for hubby. He has one on black but needed one in white for volunteer ranger work.

This thing has already saved me from a concussion, of that I am sure. I was never made to wear a helmet as I grew up riding Western, but when I started riding English at my mother-in-law's farm back in the Spring, I had to start wearing one. She recommended the Tipperary Sportage 8500, so I bought it in the carbon gray houndstooth, which looks really slick btw. I had it about a month or two before I fell off a horse. It was a perfect storm: he was already feisty that day, then it started to drizzle, and my husband dropped a bunch of metal shelving in the barn, which was exactly what I needed for my horse to go from a downhill canter into a spook, a stumble, then a full-on gallop. When he stumbled, he jerked his head which ripped the reins from my hands (although I was already sitting up really high in a plantation saddle with probably too-short stirrups), which pulled me off to the left. I at least had the presence of mind to jump "away" from the horse as I came off. I did what my husband swears was a perfect tuck-and-roll over my left shoulder. My head hit the ground pretty hard, but the helmet never made a "crack" sound as if it had been damaged. Other than landing in two piles of poop and getting a few grass burns, I was fine. Honestly I've been hit to the head and body way harder than that when I was a boxer, so this was nothing. A very mild headache the rest of the day, and my neck was slightly tight the next day, but that was the worst of it. I brushed myself off, marched back to the barn, and got back on that SOB. Can't let him think he's getting away with something ;-)I mentioned it to my mother-in-law (who is anal retentive about safety), and she is confident that I don't even need to replace my helmet. My dad (who is anti-helmet) is now looking to buy one after this LOLThese fit true to the size chart, so make sure you're going by your actual head measurement. I was certain that I was buying a size too big when I bought my husband's, but it actually fit him perfectly. I got him the navy houndstooth, and he loves it. My anti-helmet dad came out to ride one day, and he even found the Sportage 8500 to be pretty comfy.My mother-in-law replaces all her helmets after 5 years (or when someone has a fall and the helmet is likely damaged). Hers all stay in a metal locker in the barn, so they are subjected to thermal cycling. I keep mine with me, so it doesn't see the hot and cold temperatures. I believe I can get a couple more years life out of mine by keeping it climate controlled. When it comes time to replace, I will be getting another Sportage 8500 (and hopefully Tipperary will still be making them by then).