The label "ASTM/SEI certified" has become commonplace in safety
helmets over the years, but few riders know what the acronyms
stand for, let alone what's required to earn this seal of
approval. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
is a century-old organization that writes safety standards for
everything from artificial playground surfaces to firefighters'
suits. The ASTM draws up testing procedures and safety
requirements for each item, standards that can then be adopted
by individual organizations, such as USA Equestrian. Once the
standards are in place, the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI)
ensures that they are followed by manufacturers, who do their
own in-house testing or contract the testing out to other
laboratories. SEI representatives periodically visit labs to
audit procedures, and twice in the first year (and annually
thereafter), the organization sends batches of helmets to an
independent certified testing lab. To earn certification, all
protective helmets (including bike, hockey a