Air Jackets - who has one, why do we use them, are they worth it?

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charlotte_crabtree

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Hi Everyone,

I'm writing a dissertation about the safety regulations applied to Eventing in the UK - mainly with regard to the cross country phase.

A lot of the reading I've done has led me to believe that rotational falls in cross country are the most serious (although not the most common), and so I'm focusing my research on the areas of course & jump design, and rider equipment (concentrating on body protectors)

Does anyone have any stories/opinions/experiences to share regarding air jackets? Do you own one, has it come in useful, is it worth the money..etc!

Thanks,
Charlotte
 
I was at a BSJA competition last summer when a rider competing in the ring who was wearing an air jacket fell off when the horse napped at the entry gate. There were 4/5 horses around the gate waiting for their turn as well as several onlookers on foot. The sound that the jacket made when it filled with air was so loud that it caused the horses to panic leaping sideways on to the people watching, bumping into each other and generally causing mayhem. I honestly believe that on this occasion the air jacket may have saved the rider from injury however it caused several accidents outside the arena!

Are they worth it, maybe in the right discipline!!
 
Thanks Judith, that's a really interesting example! (sounds like a nightmare..)

Do you think they are more necessary in one discipline than another, in terms of the rider's safety, or is it just as far as the scare factor to other people and horses when they're in a surrounded environment?
 
ha, one of my chosen specialised subjects, how long have you got? ;) ;)
essentially, the only 'proof' that airjackets are of any use at all in a rotational lies in anecdotal evidence. no proper testing has been done. or, if it has, it hasn't been released.
i've seen rotationals (pre-airjackets, or without an airjacket) where you'd have sworn the rider would have been badly hurt. they've been landed on, rolled over... and fine. their t-shirt, or whatever else they were wearing, 'saved' them - or, they were lucky.
the basic physics of it (that there is nothing preventing the front of an inflated airjacket from touching the back of it, apart from the rider's ribcage and body) should suffice...
the airjacket, like soft ground, in certain circumstances, might, just might, allow a tiny bit of squish before ribs start breaking and body starts being crushed. that's all. air under pressure is HARD and it will not prevent the force of the falling horse landing from impacting on the rider's body. it won't dissipate that force.
the only body protectors which can be guaranteed to protect from crushing are cage-type bps (in effect, an additional 'ribcage' around you, to transfer the horse's weight around your body and avoid crushing, such as the Exo and the planned Reiterprotektor (which seems to have gone very quiet unfortunately) or ones which, by their design and the semi-rigidity of their shaped panels, do not allow the front to touch the back easily - the Kan, imho. I'm NOT saying one would protect against any rotational + falling horse scenario but I think one would give far more protection than most non-cage bps.
 
Judith01 said:
I was at a BSJA competition last summer when a rider competing in the ring who was wearing an air jacket fell off when the horse napped at the entry gate. There were 4/5 horses around the gate waiting for their turn as well as several onlookers on foot. The sound that the jacket made when it filled with air was so loud that it caused the horses to panic leaping sideways on to the people watching, bumping into each other and generally causing mayhem. I honestly believe that on this occasion the air jacket may have saved the rider from injury however it caused several accidents outside the arena!

Are they worth it, maybe in the right discipline!!
Click to expand...

that's interesting, considering that the owner of the most prominent airjacket company assured me, in public (BE regional meeting a few years ago, lots of witnesses!) that the sound of a P2 going off would NEVER scare a horse. This was after an Event Organiser had queried whether just such a situation as you describe above could ever happen, say in the xc warm-up or something, and whether it would affect his Insurance.
i have a flighty one who'd probably end up in the next county if one went off next to her. I offered her for testing his theory but strangely he never took me up on it...
 
kerilli said:
ha, one of my chosen specialised subjects, how long have you got? ;) ;)
essentially, the only 'proof' that airjackets are of any use at all in a rotational lies in anecdotal evidence. no proper testing has been done. or, if it has, it hasn't been released.
i've seen rotationals (pre-airjackets, or without an airjacket) where you'd have sworn the rider would have been badly hurt. they've been landed on, rolled over... and fine. their t-shirt, or whatever else they were wearing, 'saved' them - or, they were lucky.
the basic physics of it (that there is nothing preventing the front of an inflated airjacket from touching the back of it, apart from the rider's ribcage and body) should suffice...
the airjacket, like soft ground, in certain circumstances, might, just might, allow a tiny bit of squish before ribs start breaking and body starts being crushed. that's all. air under pressure is HARD and it will not prevent the force of the falling horse landing from impacting on the rider's body. it won't dissipate that force.
the only body protectors which can be guaranteed to protect from crushing are cage-type bps (in effect, an additional 'ribcage' around you, to transfer the horse's weight around your body and avoid crushing, such as the Exo and the planned Reiterprotektor (which seems to have gone very quiet unfortunately) or ones which, by their design and the semi-rigidity of their shaped panels, do not allow the front to touch the back easily - the Kan, imho. I'm NOT saying one would protect against any rotational + falling horse scenario but I think one would give far more protection than most non-cage bps.
Click to expand...
Hi kerilli,

Thanks very much, I'll look into the Exo and Reiterprotektor bps!

What do you think of the air jackets in the case of a non-rotational fall, where the rider isn't crushed under the horse's weight?
 
I wear one for hunting - have an arthritic condition that means that any fall can do lasting damage - so rather than give up hunting, I invest in the best protection I can buy (so air jacket + Kan BP)
 
I think if your study is on rotational falls then you will struggle for data and as already said, the air jacket, will in all likelyhood, not go off in a true rotational.

Saying that, I do own one and am happy with the extra protection I feel it offers in 'standard' falls.
 
I bought a point 2 a year and a half ago with the idea of using it for xc. After a nasty accident out hacking (not my horse but horse I was on stumbled and went completely down and I was left with bad cuts across my chest and had fallen awkwardly on my head so had 3 weeks off work unable to move my neck) I started wearing it for hacking out (without BP underneath). I always wear it jumping and hacking now as I still have problems with my neck and can't take more chances. I've fallen off once jumping with it on since and was very glad I had it on. So in my opinion for me it's definitely worth buying.
 
hi millitiger, thanks for the comment.

my research is into the regulations and rules applied to eventing in the uk that limit the risk of and extent of injury to riders.
the focal areas of my particular project are on course design and protective equipment (so from the perspectives of fall prevention and injury limitation in the case of a fall) - rotational falls came up as being the most severe of accidents in xc but I am looking at validating air jackets' value in general protection - so any experiences or comments on air jackets and their value in general is great!
 
Unfortunately not, and i wish i had been as im sure it would have helped to some extent. Afterwards I decided that it was silly having such an expensive piece of safety wear in my wardrobe at home when a bad fall can happen any time. My fall since then with it on showed me just how secure it holds your neck.

A friend of mine had a rotational fall xc a couple of weeks (at RC rather than BE) before I bought mine (and thats what promoted me to buy mine). She was jumping an offset double of pheasant feeders at South of England.
 
Ok heres my two pence worth as Ive finished nights and struggling to sleep to get back onto 'days' routine!

Previously I have had a rotational fall - on a 5yo doing an upright helsinki steps thing on the side of a hill, the horse was a youngster and was too busy looking about to focus on the fence properly - he did a full on headstand (on the landing side of the fence) and came down directly on top of me. I ended up concussed and feeling sick in a and e with a black eye to boot but that was it. Horse was unharmed too. How both of us emerged from it unscathed god only knows - my poor mother was stood by that fence and thought we were both dead.

I now have a point two jacket. I am fully aware that in the type of fall described above it wont offer me any protection as you never actually really leave the horse in a proper rotational that would set the air jacket off. I have been fortunate so far not to set my jacket off whilst riding but have done at the companys trade stand and was very impressed with the feel it gave me. I have also spoken to my consultant colleauges in intensive care and a&e who all feel these jackets are a good thing.

with regards modern day course design you may find it interesting to google burghleytv and watch some of the burghley horse trials from the early 90's to compare course designs with modern day ones. Far less technical (although there are technical questions but to me the fences appear kinder eg brush) and more rider frightener type fences instead. The horses seem to jump far more out of a rhythm too without as much setting up when compared to todays horses (although again this is my untrained opinion here!)

That said I think it would be quite interesting to tally up serious/fatal falls and find out at what type of fence they occured at? eg was it a spread/upright/combination/skinny/on a gradient/were there any distracting factors etc etc.

I do think there is a serious gap in the market for something which will help protect specifically against rotational falls like the exo bodycage etc and its a shame they didt really take off or have the funding put in to develop them further. Anyone want to club in with me and we'll go on dragons den? :)
 
I had a classic slow rotational fall this Sunday (at the wonderfully wet & windy Isleham!!)

The fence was a a pallisade on top of a steep mound, meaning a virtually "blind" take-off, with the water 3 strides away down a steep slope with a biggish step drop in.

The horse suddenly saw what was beyond the fence as he went to take off, half put down (& I think the jump judge said he slipped in the rain-soaked ground), then tried to continue (brave boy!!), but was too close to the fence & hit it above the knee causing him to rotate left.

The inevitable fall happened....during the course of which (time seems to slow when this happens!) I was able to twist my shoulders slightly so that the impact was on the back of my left shoulder & left hip. The horse landed on my left leg below the knee.

I was wearing a Kan body protector, & both of us walked away without any more than a few minor bruises/pullled muscles.

I deliberately do not wear an air jacket because in this kind of fall I have 2 concerns:

1 : If I had separated enough from the horse to trigger the airbag, I may not have been able to turn in the air to minimise the impact as I did, due to the rigidity of the air bags.

or 2 : If the attachment of the airbag to the saddle had even slightly kept me closer to the horse, I could have been landed on by much more of the horse, with inevitably greater injuries.

I too (Kerilli...) have asked about testing to disprove my concerns, but so far nothing....
 
Questions I'd want answered before I'd wear one.

1. What is the fail rate of the canister? What would happen if it failed during a fall?
2. The effect of the kinetic force from the canister on your trajectory?
3. Does being attached to your horse prior to release affect the trajectory? Eg are you less likely to be thrown clear.

I have suffered a rotational fall and I believe the air jacket would have made it worse! I was thrown clear as the horse did a headstand and flip over. Horrible fall. The air jacket would possibly have changed my trajectory making the fall worse as I wouldn't have been thrown clear as effectively!
 
kerilli said:
that's interesting, considering that the owner of the most prominent airjacket company assured me, in public (BE regional meeting a few years ago, lots of witnesses!) that the sound of a P2 going off would NEVER scare a horse. This was after an Event Organiser had queried whether just such a situation as you describe above could ever happen, say in the xc warm-up or something, and whether it would affect his Insurance.
i have a flighty one who'd probably end up in the next county if one went off next to her. I offered her for testing his theory but strangely he never took me up on it...
Click to expand...

A prominent PC trainer was telling me a few weeks ago of a similar incident at a Pony Club rally :(

One of my horses freaks if another rider at the opposite end of an arena undoes the velcro on their glove etc :D
 
Ok so forgive me for being cynical but I am fed up with dissertation requests becoming hidden market research being done from companies. Apologies to OP if you are a genuine student but you haven't mentioned which uni/college or which course you are on.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forum...d.php?t=476040

You seem to be new to the forum so i am just drawing your attention the this link.
 
Hi arcticfox, that link won't open on my phone for some reason, but apologies for my lack of introduction!
I'm a final year student at Sheffield Hallam University, my degree is in event management and my dissertation is a 6000 word research project on a subject of my choice (I've chosen eventing as I'm a horse fanatic myself) - the reason I'm focussing so much on the air jackets and the course design issues (see cross country safety thread) is because of the word limit, ideally I'd like to cover a lot more issues because I understand there are many many issues about h&s when it comes to eventing!
Hope that puts your mind at rest I'm definitely not trying to trick anyone, just genuinely interested in people's opinions on the subject :)
 
kerilli said:
that's interesting, considering that the owner of the most prominent airjacket company assured me, in public (BE regional meeting a few years ago, lots of witnesses!) that the sound of a P2 going off would NEVER scare a horse. This was after an Event Organiser had queried whether just such a situation as you describe above could ever happen, say in the xc warm-up or something, and whether it would affect his Insurance.
i have a flighty one who'd probably end up in the next county if one went off next to her. I offered her for testing his theory but strangely he never took me up on it...
Click to expand...

I have one - don't know how effective it is as have never "used it in anger" - but I am a doddery old bat and have dismounted without disconnecting the lanyard, thus activating inflation, on more than one occasion. :o Only sound was a slight "psst" and the GWM (giant warmblood mare) - who was the goddess of spook, didn't even notice. Though it was a source of great amusement to my companions that I suddenly appeared to have gained 20lb - and the gas canisters are flippin' expensive to replace:(
 
I have bought a motorcycle air gilet. It just inflates at the back to protect the neck and spine. I just use it for hacking and jumping. I just want to help minimise damage to my back if I fall. I wouldn't blow the massive price for a P2, but then I am not eventing either, so I reserve judgement. So this at under £150 was affordable.
 
YasandCrystal said:
I have bought a motorcycle air gilet. It just inflates at the back to protect the neck and spine. I just use it for hacking and jumping. I just want to help minimise damage to my back if I fall. I wouldn't blow the massive price for a P2, but then I am not eventing either, so I reserve judgement. So this at under £150 was affordable.
Click to expand...
That's interesting; how do you feel the motorcyle gilet would compare to an equestrian air-jacket?
 
I have one, I have evented with it up to 2* level and I am convinced it has helped me with some falls - I wouldn't go XC without it now. It most definitely cushions the impact and lessens the injury.

But, I had a rotational back in 2010 whilst schooling and it did not inflate until my horse stood up. Luckily we were both absolutely fine, but it could have been a lot worse and my air jacket wasn't there to help. But obviously I'm still wearing a BP so it's not as if I'm unprotected if it doesn't inflate.

Many many top riders still don't go XC in an air jacket (think Ruth Edge, Mark Todd..) so I'd be interested to know their reasons why.

In terms of a scare factor none of my horses have been bothered by it and I don't consider it to be that loud. But it could be argued that Mandiba fell at Badminton because he was spooked by the air jacket inflating (this is unconfirmed however and debatable).

I haven't read any of the thread so hope I'm not off topic/irrelevant!
 
hcm88 said:
In terms of a scare factor none of my horses have been bothered by it and I don't consider it to be that loud. But it could be argued that Mandiba fell at Badminton because he was spooked by the air jacket inflating (this is unconfirmed however and debatable).
Click to expand...
It was confirmed by Karen O'Connor, who knew the horse intimately and was right there on the ground trying to grab him when it happened... I'm fully prepared to take her word for it.

I have a photo which I don't have permission to publish, sent to me by the owner of an American event horse. No less a jockey than Boyd Martin got ditched onto his head (nasty in the photos, lawn dart job) when something went a bit awry over a SJ (he was going XC straight after, hence in xc kit with airjacket), the canister went off very loudly, the horse leapt sideways and panicked, and ended up dragging Boyd. :( :( :(
 
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