Air bag jackets with shoulder protection..do they exist?

[MrsNorris]

As title really, I've had surgery to my shoulder, now post op 9 weeks, and I'm desperate to ride, but if I come off on said shoulder, I will probably destroy the repair.
I have had a little ride today but my family and friends have gone nuts, and I need some way to pacify them!
I'm quite capable of riding my own horse, had him for years and know him like the back of my hand, and the chances of me coming off him are very slim, but I suppose it could happen.
If I could find an air bag jacket with shoulder protection I think I could convince them to back off a bit, anyone have any ideas? Have looked on line without success.

 

[Happy Ponies]

You can get an air vest built into a jacket, I think they sell them on treehouse eventing or whatever it's called, not too sure on their shoulder protection but may be worth a look. There's always bubble wrap!

 

[willowblack]

Following I had shoulder surgery a couple of years ago and am now petrified of falling off incase I have to have it done again!! At the moment I have just got a race safe but would be interested in an air jacket with shoulders of they are available!! Mrs Norris, did you have your collarbone repaired?

 

[MrsNorris]

Haha yes, bubble wrap, why didn't I think of that! Will check out field house.

Hi willowblack, no I had a large full thickness rotator cuff tear anchored back onto the bone, plus a partial thickness tear in another tendon repaired, plus my long head biceps tendon was knackered and had to be cut, along with a bit of bone remodelling. Very painful recovery and all too easy to re-tear the tendons if you're not careful, hence all the fuss!

 

[Shay]

The best you can do is likely to be the shoulder pads that fit onto your BP intended to protect the point of the shoulder and the clavicle. And not even that is going to protect the deep musculature that you need to. Open to being wrong here - but I'm not aware of any air jacket which protect the shoulder; sven from the Motorbike sector who are more advanced in this than we are. But you could try giving someone like Treehouse a call?

 

[LeannePip]

I think it depends what part of the shoulder you need to protect?

I came off onto my side the other week with my air jacket on, i have a hit air, and didn't have any pain in my shoulder atall. whilst it doesn't have dedicated shoulder protection the neck support covers a good area of the top of the shoulder;

 

[MrsNorris]

Thanks all, it's the point of my shoulder that needs protecting, where my arm joins on, if that makes sense.
I've looked at motorbike sites and everywhere else I can think of now, can't find anything
Looks like it will have to be bubblewrap and secrecy!!

 

[willowblack]

See that even sounds painful!! I tore the ligaments resulting in AC shoulder separation....after 8 glorious months of pain and lack of mobility they reattached them all and cut the end of my collar bone off to stop it sticking up....I am still considering taking up yoga or knitting instead 😜

 

[Regandal]

I think you'd be mad to even consider it. The likelihood of a second repair being effective is remote.

 

[old hand]

The answer is no I suffered a Stage Three dislocation in a Point Two, I landed on my head and shoulder. The surgeon refused to mend it as "he hates horses". I snapped all three ligaments and the shoulder is now detached from the collar bone and about two inches lower, hence I am very lop sided, and have pelvic twist problems which I never had before. As they have mended yours please wait and let it heal, time will soon pass and then you will be in one piece. I have to exercise, see chiropractors and put up with pain in my pelvis as I am now lop sided so please do not risk detaching your collar bone again. I doubt anything could hold your shoulder in if you landed on it.

 

[MrsNorris]

Thanks everyone, feeling quite downhearted now , haven't ridden properly since January 17th, seems like a lifetime ago. Had a 40 minute hack yesterday, it was fantastic, but perhaps I should re-think....

 

[Regandal]

I would like to add - hell hath no fury compared to a surgeon who's work has been wrecked. He/she will self-combust.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I am going to buy my hit air tomorrow at the RHS, I hope anyway, only stockist I found attending isn't bringing any 🙄

I broke my ribs 9 weeks ago so you have my sympathy but I had a near miss yesterday when my totally safe cob decided to leap 10 ft in the air when a small piece of polythene made some dangerous manoeuvres. This is the sort of cob you could wrap in a tarpaulin with no reaction so it was an unlikely reaction but I so nearly came off the back and would have landed on my back / ribs on the road had I done so... So that's taken the edge off my phased return slightly and I think with your shoulder you should be really much more careful and not risk it.

I've only fallen off this cob once since I bought her 18 months ago when I did my ribs, and only fallen 4 times in 20 years, 2 of them landing on my feet but the chance is increased when you've not been riding I suppose. Sorry. Boring I know

 

[MrsNorris]

It's a pain being injured, I'm 4.5 months post op now and have to admit I carried on riding regardless, trouble is my horse has EMS and desperately needed the work, and I just missed it too much. Shoulder is healing well albeit slowly, and touch wood, no accidents or near misses so far! My old boy is about as predictable as they come, but I won't risk riding anything else for another 6 months. Hope you heal up quick and find the right jacket.