Are the point two air jackets worth it ???

I think it depends on the level you compete at, and how you're made atm. I think the very slight female riders you see out and about could really be winded by the impact of the inflation. I'd like to see a better fit, I suppose, and a more suitable design for the skinnie minnies out there. However, once you're at Intermediate and beyond, I reckon they become quite essential.
 
Depends what you are protecting against. Point two comes from motorcycle racing, where riders exit at high velocity and twisting /rotating during the fall causes injuries ( unless the bike hits you).

The air bag design will cushion against impact against fences/ground etc and will give some protection against glancing strikes by horses, and will splint the spine when the rider rotates in a falling situation (not a rotational horse fall). Despite being tested to withstand 1 tonne of pressure, it will not stop a crush from a direct strike as in a rotational fall, as there is no rigid bracing between the front and back parts of the jacket.
 
Many people are saying it won't protect you in a rotational fall situation, but they weren't developed to be able to do so !!!!!!!!

I think they can be worn at any level from intro up-to advanced; because anything can happen at any level xc.

Thanks for opinions, any more ???
 
Having watched Paul Tapner's "demonstration" of his at LD when his horse landed on him I am quite content with my decision, acted on a few weeks earlier, to buy one for my daughter.

I was close to the fence and it was a horrid fall with rider hitting the ground and the horse touching down with its neck and its body landing on the rider. I had not thought that he would get up from it. When I got to him I was begging him to stay on the floor till the paramedics arrived whilst he was busy undoing his jacket and taking his hat off. He got to his feet under his own steam as the paramedic arrived.

Is it worth it? Depends on how you look at it! Sure it's a lot of money for what it physically is. If it saves a broken rib, my guess for the level of pain involved then yes. If it saves a broken rib and a punctured lung, there's no doubt. If it saves a broken rib puncturing a blood vessel then it's probably priceless. As someone put it to me on the Sunday at LD "It's only the cost of a decent wheelchair".

For me, for that little extra level of protection should the worst happen, yes, it's worth it.
 
i think for riders at a certain level it is great- my problem with people wearing it at lower levels is that you won't be able to carry on if you have a harmless fall.
99% of pro's will retire if they fall off whereas the majority of us mere mortals prefer to get back on and complete.

how long do you think it would take to get your hat off, number off, air jacket off, number back on and hat back on before you remount?
too long to get back on and continue i think.

also the cost is ridiculous and for what it is worth i don't think a layer of air will protect you if 500kg of horse lands on you at 20mph- i would like to see some independent research to prove me wrong before i invest
 
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i think for riders at a certain level it is great- my problem with people wearing it at lower levels is that you won't be able to carry on if you have a harmless fall.
99% of pro's will retire if they fall off whereas the majority of us mere mortals prefer to get back on and complete.

how long do you think it would take to get your hat off, number off, air jacket off, number back on and hat back on before you remount?
too long to get back on and continue i think.

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With the damage 65 penalties has already done to one's score I don't think a few extra time will really affect the outcome of the class at lower levels! I've certainly waited with people who have fallen whilst another one or two or more go through before they feel happy to remount and carry on.

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also the cost is ridiculous and for what it is worth i don't think a layer of air will protect you if 500kg of horse lands on you at 20mph- i would like to see some independent research to prove me wrong before i invest

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I wish they'd do some proper accreditable testing too. I do understand the physics though and having now seen a horse land on a rider and the rider up and walking around very quickly I'm happy with my decision to buy one - you are happy with yours not to so we are all happy
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i was at LD and heard the details of PT's fall. I was told that the pommel didn't touch him so he was lucky in that respect (saddle being hard can do a lot of damage obviously), that the horse fell a bit sideways but it did definitely roll over him fast with its whole weight. i was very impressed that he was fine, it definitely did a lot more than a normal bp ever could.
it's not as protective as the Exo, but for a lightweight extra level of protection, if you really don't want the Exo, it's very worthwhile, i believe.
(i studied them at LD and the gas canister is much smaller than on the ones i helped test a few years ago, so they detonate a lot more quietly, which is a big plus imho.)
if i hadn't bought an Exo, i'd buy a Point2 to go over my RP. However, very happy with my Exo. it will withstand pressure that the Point2 cannot.
I agree with the point about having to retire - someone fell off on the way to the first PN fence and theirs went off, and they had to retire. really not great for a green horse to learn that trick! he could have done with going round anyway for the experience, but the rider was totally winded by her Point2.
 
I have a point2 and wore it yesterday at my first PN - I did nearly get off forgetting to unclip it but managed to remember half way to the floor
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and get it off in time. I didn't notice I was wearing it at all as I was going round
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I have been told by a rider to invest in one as she believes when she fell it has benefited. She said that when she fell it seemed to stop her head being banged around, i suppose this is because of the neck support. Only down point is she seemed to think that because it blows up it felt like it left her arms/legs open to more damage as she was not very able to fold them when she had the fall. She is very slight and didn't seem to get winded.
 
I've offered to buy my daughter one but she's undecided.
I'm hoping over the next year they will improve and develop a bit more, then perhaps the price will drop.
Given a choice I wish she would wear one but at her age I can't force her!
 
hubby has had one for 2 years on his bike and thankfully not needed it yet have to say i'm much happier with him wearing it though and think i may be borrowing it for my xc!!!
 
I think they are stupidly expensive but worth every penny, I have one and wear it from my Intro to my Advanced po's. I can not see an argument for not wearing one, for health ect, I am not wearing one because I think I am going to have a rotational, I have one because it will help a fall be a irritation not a trip to hospital with broken ribs ect, I know it wont save me from braking my arm or leg, but at least I will have done as much as I can.
Also, I jimped off with it still done up the first time I wore it, it felt tight but did not wind me or frighten Jayson - you can adjust the front, if you have it tight when it is not inflated then it will be to tight when it does inflate!!
 
I will buy 1, but I am waiting for the "Mark II" version to come on the market. These sort of new innovations always go through major modifications after being out in the field for a while.

As to is it worth it, £400 is cheaper than a new spine!
 
I havent got 1, not planning on 1 either, but in terms of falling off and not getting back on, I was helping people parked next to the 1st fence at Little Downham, 1) when one went off as horse decided to dump rider before she even got the 1st fence the horse i was holding i nearly let go as he jumped at the noise.
2) a pro that wears them was seen to be decanted at the same spot, then got back on very rapidly having not gone off, obviously had it on but not attached!!
I may be persuaded but atm i will wait to see the reactions after more people have had falls in them, the further testing has been done and see if the price drops!!
 
I hadnt realised,until I saw one demonstrated,that it is ment to be worn over a conventional body protector.Also there seems to be a lack of neck support at the back.I am concerned that it may increase the risk of neck injurys.
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Personally cannot understand why when we spend thousands on animals/tack etc why in my case a parent, I would not spend £400 on what could prevent an injury, agree it wont stop arms/legs etc being broken, but my child recently got decanted whilst wearing her point 2 and it did its job, she fell sideways landing on hip, side, shoulder then head, result not even a bruise, bit shocked by effects of inflation and horse did a runner but job done! BTW also has a HS1 hat as highest standard available on market when it was purchased!
 
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Personally cannot understand why when we spend thousands on animals/tack etc why in my case a parent, I would not spend £400 on what could prevent an injury, agree it wont stop arms/legs etc being broken, but my child recently got decanted whilst wearing her point 2 and it did its job, she fell sideways landing on hip, side, shoulder then head, result not even a bruise, bit shocked by effects of inflation and horse did a runner but job done! BTW also has a HS1 hat as highest standard available on market when it was purchased!

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I understand where youre coming from,but what concernes me is that this device could be a life saver but is potentially deadly as well. A fast jumping fall is VERY enegetic.You dont just land on the ground.In a recent hunting fall I managed, after landing on my back(Ithink I would have had serious whiplash or worse in this device)to do a very creditable backward somersault on my neck.The whole thing was caught on camera,including the bit with me with my hunting jacket over my head, and my legs flying out horizontally.The point is that the picture shows the way my entire back curled, pasing the energy away from my neck.I am one hundred percent sure that if my torso was held rigidly,my neck would have broken.
I am not against innovation,and I am all for making riding safer but I think there needs to be a lot more research before this device is used.
 
But every fall is different... I think its fairly ridiculous trying to put people off buying one of these vests because of that one example of a fall when it might not have helped. There's always going to be exceptions to the rules. And one would assume that all avenues would have been explored before the point 2 jackets were produced and sold.
 
For me they are not worth the money because I am not a pro rider who has to get on and ride another 4 horses round the course and 15 waiting at home. I also do not ride a lot of babies/sharp horses so am less likely to get randomly decanted. If I was, and if bruising/cracked ribs etc were likely to stop me working for a while, then yes, I would get one. However as a one-horse rider, for me the big worry is a slow rotational with the horse landing squarely on me, which this won't help with, so my money will still be going to the exo rather than this as it is the only thing which can help if the horse lands on me.
 
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But every fall is different... I think its fairly ridiculous trying to put people off buying one of these vests because of that one example of a fall when it might not have helped. There's always going to be exceptions to the rules. And one would assume that all avenues would have been explored before the point 2 jackets were produced and sold. [/quote

I am not trying to put people off,I am putting forward my viewpoint.And if you had taken a bit more care in reading ,you might have realised that my concerns are not that the vest wouldnt help with every fall,but that in certain circumstances it could turn an otherwise survivable fall into somthing much worse!
You might assume that all avenues have been explored,I most certainly wouldnt assume anything of the sort. I want proof.
 
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For me they are not worth the money because I am not a pro rider who has to get on and ride another 4 horses round the course and 15 waiting at home. I also do not ride a lot of babies/sharp horses so am less likely to get randomly decanted. If I was, and if bruising/cracked ribs etc were likely to stop me working for a while, then yes, I would get one. However as a one-horse rider, for me the big worry is a slow rotational with the horse landing squarely on me, which this won't help with, so my money will still be going to the exo rather than this as it is the only thing which can help if the horse lands on me.

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I agree with the above.Pss whats an Exo??

JH,I dont think Mike is trying to put people off, he's expressing a design critisism-constructive critisism is what every single innovative product needs in order to develop.
 
I am really interested in this debate, because for the life of me I cannot understand how the point two air jackets have 'taken off' so strongly when the Exo cage did not? I suppose it is all down to marketing tactics? It seems to me that BE are supporting the new point twos much more proactively than they did the Exo cages?

I would still vote for the Exo cage every time - even though I am 39 now I am still too young to die
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There must be an element of marketing that has made the Point 2 Air Jacket take off in a way that the Exo never did. The Air jackets were featured on Channel 4 racing over the winter and then immediately came out on a number of top riders at the beginning of the season. At every top event Lee & his team have been there showing off the jackets to anybody interested. There has been every opportunity to try one on & feel what its like when it inflates.

I have seen the Exo in 'real life' once on a general tack trade stand at Badminton, I picked it up, struggling to lift it as it was so heavy & put it down again quick. I simply thought at the time it was a good idea but one that needed improving to make it less heavy.

I would say that 75-80% of riders at Bramham were wearing a Point 2 and I am now the proud new owner of one (thanks Dad). Time will tell if they really 'make a difference' but they are easy to wear and definitely offer added protection with no hinderance so you cant go wrong can you?
 
I think eventers are nuts - £60 entry, £60 shoeing, £35 to get the horses back done - travel to get there, not to mention a £2,000 saddle in most cases

So £400 for a device that may save your life is bad value???

Also if you are going to fall off at the first jump, should you really be doing BE? At BSJA you hit the deck and get eliminated (can come back later for another class though!)
 
Good reply Joss
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I suppose for me as a very-low-level-one-horse-rider I cannot afford both so would go for the Exo still... assuming horse ever decides he can jump more than 80cm without napping of course
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That's the thing though CSJ - it might stop you from being as badly hurt in terms of bruising/broken ribs etc, but I don't think it will save your life any more than a normal BP will do.

The exo has much more of a chance of doing some good where life-threatening crush falls are concerned.

Hence my opinion that the point-2 is great for pros and people who back horses (I'd certainly get one if I backed a lot of babies!) but is too pricey for a one-horse amateur given that for £100 less I can get the exo which will potentially save my life.

I have no idea why the exo did not take off and the point-2 has - part of it is marketing for sure, but part of it is BEs fault - they are very, very anti-exo and none of the reasons they have given for being so stand up to close scrutiny IMO.
 
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