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Beginning immediately, helmet-mounted cameras will not be allowed at any competitions that are licensed and/or endorsed by the United States Equestrian Federation. This decision follows similar bans by British Eventing and by some individual competitions in the U.S. The reasoning behind the bans, though not precisely stated by the USEF, is based on a concern for the safety of riders wearing helmets equipped with the small video cameras.

Horse owners use the cameras to record training sessions and competitions from a rider’s viewpoint. However, questions have been raised as to whether mounting a camera on a helmet could weaken the helmet, causing it to shatter on impact. Another concern is that a rigidly mounted camera could affect the way the helmet rolls as it hits the ground. If a camera stopped the motion of a helmet in such a way as to stop a rider’s head from moving as the rest of the body continued to move, the twisting motion could injure the rider’s neck.

The ban has been instituted by the USEF pending a safety study to be conducted by an independent expert.

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