Happy US Equestrian Safety Awareness Week! This seemed like the perfect time to finally publish my ARRO helmet review, which I’ve been promising for a while now. Really this is the story of how I went looking for a new XC helmet and ended up with an Every Ride helmet instead. Before we dive into it, let’s back all the way up to why ARRO snagged my attention in the first place.

First confession: my XC skull cap was actually due for replacement last year. It hadn’t taken any bumps, but it was 5 years old, and I’m generally pretty paranoid about replacing my safety equipment when it’s supposed to be replaced. I’d dragged my feet a little bit on this replacement because 1) it’s not cheap 2) I was still kind of waffling on what to get. I was riding previously in a Champion SNELL skull cap, which I liked a lot, but before I ordered another of the same helmet I really really really wanted to try an ARRO.

I was first introduced to ARRO at Kentucky in 2023, at which point they were still waiting for their main supply, but they had some at the trade fair and were there talking about them and fitting people. The owner/developer Rhys was one of the people in the booth, and seemed to have some really interesting insight. However, every time we found ourselves by their booth it was absolutely packed. We elbowed our way in there a couple times to get a closer look, but as someone who feels like they’re being suffocated by crowds, I ended up not really staying for long. Still though, I was very very intrigued by what they had shown us, and made a mental note to check them out more the next time I was helmet shopping.

For those who aren’t familiar with them, there are a few things about ARRO helmets that make them unlike anything else on the market. First and foremost, the Kevlar and carbon fiber shell is very strong… like… as in they legit have videos of them driving cars over the helmet. One hell of a marketing technique, you gotta admit. ARRO also has more protection around the back of the skull, and a liner system with a ton of shim options to customize the fit. And, probably the biggest selling point to me personally: they’re currently the only helmet with MIPS technology that is also SNELL certified.

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SNELL certification has been an absolute non-negotiable for me when it comes to a XC helmet ever since I first learned what SNELL is. If you’re unfamiliar with the different helmet standards and what they test for, here’s a handy dandy chart with some (but not all) of the differences.

As you can see, the SNELL standard tests for a wider range of impacts than any other standard, and also requires more crush protection. I think this is pretty crucial component for a XC helmet, where a horse landing on your head is a real possibility (ok that’s a possibility for anyone and everyone, but probably more so when you’re galloping over solid fences). We’ve seen that happen several times this year to upper level riders alone, so as much crush protection as possible is important to me, as is a helmet that can take secondary impacts (unlike others we know, like KEP, that are designed to fall apart upon impact).

SNELL certification is a rigorous testing process that very few equestrian helmets meet. In addition to the various impact and crush tests, SNELL helmets are also required to have a steel buckle because plastic can break too easily, causing your helmet to come off of your head during a hard or repeated impact (there is video of a jockey whose helmet popped off upon impact due to a broken plastic buckle and then their bare head was stepped on… you DO NOT want to see this video). The SNELL standard requires more skull coverage, particularly over the occipital bone on the back of your head. Their testing also covers a range of conditions – hot, cold, wet, and ambient.

Basically, the TLDR version: the SNELL testing process is far more rigorous than other safety certifications, making SNELL certification the “gold standard” for helmet safety. Currently there are only a handful of equestrian helmets that carry the SNELL certification, and only 3 that meet the latest 2021 standard.

You can see more details about the SNELL certification on their website, including their testing procedures as well as some handy dandy videos and powerpoint presentations. Best of luck finding specific details on any of the other safety standards. The lack of transparency with most of them is laughable at best. You’d be shocked at how little some of them actually test.

Anyway, It’s important to note that anything with a fixed brim (ie Samshield) will never meet SNELL certification either, due to how a fixed brim can modify the trajectory of impact (it’s really not good). Of the SNELL-approved helmets, though, ARRO is the only one with a brim that can be snapped on or off, giving you the option of wearing it as a skull cap without a brim or as a regular brimmed helmet (where the brim easily pops off in case of impact). The ARRO also has two brim styles: regular or wide brim.

So, all of the above info is really just my very long-winded way to explain why I was looking for a SNELL helmet in particular. Now let’s get into the nitty gritty about why I ultimately ended up picking ARRO.

First, before I can get into the features, we have to discuss the price. It’s all well and good to say “safety has no dollar value” and that’s true, but it’s also true that most of us aren’t oozing tons of extra money. Ya girl here majorly included. And let’s just say it: at $650, ARRO is not among the cheapest options on the market. Definitely not the most expensive, either, to be fair, but it’s not cheap. However, it’s also not significantly more than the Champion, which rings in at $520. The Charles Owen 4 Star is among the cheaper SNELL options at around $375, but I used to have one of those before the Champion and my god… it was hot and heavy and not super comfortable, so it was never in the running for me. If I’m going to spend money, I’m going to buy one I don’t hate wearing. Helmets are one of those things I don’t really want to compromise on for the sake of saving a little money.

When I laid it out logically and did a little pros and cons list, ARRO just kept having advantages that the Champion skull cap didn’t. The fact that the ARRO is considerably more attractive than the utilitarian skull cap style of the Champion and can be worn with a brim really changes the whole game entirely. Mostly because it meant that, realistically, I could use it as my all-the-time helmet rather than just for XC. It looks like a “normal” helmet, has sun protection with the wide brim option, a removeable/washable liner, and has more/better ventilation. These features meant that truly I had no excuse to not be riding in a SNELL helmet every single day, and for every phase at a show, rather than just when I’m on XC.

Let’s be real, I’m at the point where I realize that riding is mega dangerous no matter what we’re doing, so the idea of being able to wear a SNELL+MIPS helmet every single day for every single ride and still have it look nice and feel comfortable to wear… to me that was an inarguable selling point. It’s also hard to deny the fact that the materials of the ARRO are just superior. Kevlar and carbon fiber? A quick release magnetized buckle? Yas and yas, please and thank you. The design gives you a lot of options and makes a lot of sense.

And once I actually tried an ARRO helmet on my head, it was a foregone conclusion anyway. I truly expected it to look and feel like a giant mushroom helmet, which I wouldn’t have loved but could have probably come to accept. In reality, it looks a lot nicer than I would expect, and most importantly it felt like a “normal” helmet. Comfortable, nicely padded, and while I could tell that it covered more of my head, it wasn’t in an uncomfortable way. To be honest, it feels more secure having that coverage. ARRO also has a shim system within their liner to allow you to really tweak the fit to the exact shape of your head, which I love, as someone with an oval head that can be a little harder to fit.

I was fitted by Jeanie (who also does their remote fittings, for those of you who aren’t near a retailer!) and my helmet truly fits very very well, has from day 1, and I love knowing that if I do need to play with the fit a little bit for whatever reason, I have that option thanks to the shims.

I was most skeptical about the ventilation factor, because it’s REAL HARD for a helmet to have decent vents and still pass SNELL, due to the nature of their spike test. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the ARRO though, even wearing it all summer in Florida. It’s not super breezy, but I can definitely feel air flowing in and I’m not getting crazy sweaty.

In addition to the high-end materials and superior safety standards, what you’re also getting for your money with ARRO is extensive R&D and continued testing and development. Having gotten a bit of an inside look into the company, I can attest that no one at ARRO is sitting back on their laurels and lining their own pockets. They pay for their own ongoing testing from independent labs and are continually putting funding towards research and an increased range of products. They also publish actual data – REAL NUMBERS – on their website. Transparency, what an incredibly rare treat in this industry.

The owner of ARRO, Rhys, is really fascinating to talk to, incredibly smart and innovative and dedicated to thinking outside the box. It’s a breath of fresh air in a sport where we are often lagging way behind, especially when it comes to safety technology (we got MIPS, what, like a decade after cycling helmets?). ARRO is currently in development for a body protector, which I’m really excited to see.

In case you can’t tell, I’m relatively obsessed with my ARRO. This hunt started out as me looking for a new XC helmet, yes, but I feel like it ended with me getting not just that, but a major helmet upgrade in general. Having worn my ARRO for several months now, I’m a huge fan. Like I’m probably annoying the shit out of everyone, but I’m not sorry.

Overall, the ARRO looks nice, it’s comfortable, I can wear it at home or at shows, I can wash the liner, it’s not hot, and most of all – I feel like I’m wearing the safest possible helmet every single time I swing a leg over a horse. I can’t mitigate every risk, but I can try my best to protect my noggin day in and day out, and with this helmet I feel like I’m doing that to the best of my ability. That truly is worth every penny.

And if you need me to Horse Girl Math it for you, just divide the purchase price by how many times you’re gonna ride in it. For me, riding 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for the helmet’s life span of 5 years… that’s like 41 cents a ride. You’re telling me increased safety isn’t worth that amount? People will spend double the cost of an ARRO for a significantly less safe helmet just because it has Swarovski’s on it or whatever. Safety isn’t sparkly, but neither are brain injuries.

Two additional footnotes because I know people will ask:

First – does ARRO have a replacement policy? Yes they do! “If your ARRO helmet has been involved in an accident, you may be eligible for a 50% discount on a new ARRO replacement helmet depending on the helmets age and nature of the fall.” I can also confirm that they follow through on that, because I know someone that just had a bad fall (whacked her head real good but no concussion) and got the 50% off replacement in her hands within days.

Second – the thing I’ve heard most commonly from our Patreon group is that they need the helmet in larger sizes than are currently being offered. According to the ARRO website they’ll have more stock of larger sizes around October, so if you’ve got a big noggin, don’t give up on ARRO yet. It sounds like they’re coming!