I think the OP was just putting foreward an alternative point.I like the gear and I love the hats but I'd feel safer in a safety hat of some sort.I do find the usual hard hat hot and uncomfortable so have gone for the Troxel like the Endurance people but I think they might not come up to British Standards.
I don't do Western yet as Malaga is still waiting to be backed but I do drive my little mule Blue and if people think Western looks odd you ought to see the outfit drivers get done up in!--Me just being awkward drives a small mule Bitless,blinkerless,barefoot and in a saddlechariot without a groom! Enough to send "them what does it proper" into a fit of applexy!!!!
I would fancy riding my mule western in cullotes as I haven't worn a skirt for years,I'd love to know if anyone does it presuming its allowed

In WES and the ApHC and BAPS you do not need to ware a Stetson.New rules came into action last year for WES after there was an accident in the showmanship class, something to do with a stalion missbehaving. and you no longer need to wear a stetson on the ground or on board.

There are more ridiculous looking western shirts and tack than hats.

Being present at the incident, the horse inquestion chinned the handler. Hat stetson or hard would not have helped.
Hard hats are very sensible and I would encourage all to wear them.

I guess I feel obliged to add my piece too! I rode 'English' for over 20 years before converting to western. For some reason I never saw the hats as 'silly', I just accepted them as part of the style of riding. Any english riders that we've shared yards with have been more interested in the horses and tack than our headgear. I've attended many english shows where, in general, competitors are not overly approachable and are keen to find fault with one another. I'm guessing that they wouldn't be so understanding even at my local gymkana if I wanted to make their dress code more appealing to myself by wearing some nice pressed Wranglers and a shirt instead of jods and a jacket!!! They have a traditional dress style but likewise so do we and I'm not sure it would be a wise move to adapt our style to suit 'would be converts'. Competitors are more than welcome to wear hard hats if they wish to in the show pen and I'm pretty positive that not one other competitor would pick fault with them or make them any less welcome.

I only bought a quarter horse so that I would have an excuse to buy a stetson!!!!!!

As a newbie to both western and showing this year, I've competed more in a hard hat than in a stetson - and wouldn't dream of not wearing a hard hat for warming up/schooling or hacking out. And no instructor has ever allowed me to get on for a lesson, even with my own horse, without a hard hat on.

At shows I've not once been made to feel either stupid or novice for not wearing a stetson; my decision on which hat to wear has been governed by how confident I am on each occasion, on how settled my horse is and - not least this year(!) by what the weather's doing!! And whether I've worn a stetson or hard hat has made not a jot of difference to results - when I've done better it's because I've ridden better, not because I've looked any better!

That said, I love the fact that here is an equestrian discipline where you can really express yourself through your attire and your approach to grooming, and the care that western riders take with their gear and their horses does put most English competitors to shame. It really does look fabulous (or am I biased now??! )