A History of Safety Helmet Development
Track riding accidents in the late 1970′s left two of Ron Maund’s stable hands in comas. This prompted Ron, the founder of Equine Science and himself a horse trainer and ex-jockey, to look into helmet safety for horse riders. What he found world-wide dismayed him. So he set about designing better helmets for horse riders.
In 1985, Allen McMillan (part time trainer) joined Ron and in 1986 the AUSSIE RIDER® and THE NEW DERBY® were approved to Australian Standard – Helmets for Horse Riders were released (the first to do so). These brand names are now household names in Australia riding.
In 1992, Equine Science received certification to USA horse riding helmet standard SEI/ASTM F1163 and exports to the USA began. We now export regularly to such other countries as South Africa, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Ireland, China etc. In 1996 the AUSSIE OUTBACK™ – with improved ventilation, dynamic fit and reduced weight was released.
In the late 90′s Equine Science recognized that while riders liked the better ventilation, improved fit and the reduced weight of microshell type helmets, they also wanted helmets to be strong and durable.
After considerable research, Equine Science found, in another first, the best way to achieve the riders’ needs was by using 21st Century technology to in-mould both the top and bottom microshells to the EPS inner. This means that the top and bottom shells are fused to, and cocoon, the inner shell, and the result is a significantly stronger and more durable helmet. The AUSSIE 21™ was released in August 2002 and won the Beta 2003 Best New Product Award – Safety & Security in Birmingham in February 2003.
In 2006, Allen McMillan played a major role in the revision of AS/NZS 3838. This revision resulted in a substantial increase in the test area of the helmet, particularly in the front and temple regions. The equestrian hazard anvil test was also introduced at this time. This meant that instead of only impacting the helmet onto a flat anvil (meant to simulate flat ground), that helmets were also impacted onto a sharp edge, like those found on star post fences or horse shoes etc.
In 2007, Aussie Rider Safety Pty ltd bought out Equine Science in a management buyout by Allen McMillan, who now has almost 30 years experience in equestrian and other helmets.
Due to the success of the Aussie 21, a new version was released in late 2012. It featured, another first, a co-mould visor, which enables the visor to retain its shape as well having a very flexible end. Its shape also provides much better sun protection for the rider.
In 2013, the Australian Racing Board, the top racing authority in Australia, published ARB HS 2012 which is a high performance standard for jockeys and trackriders. Aussie Rider Safety is again the first company to apply for Certification to this new standard.
