Badminton Horse Trials - lack of air jackets ?!?

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Eventrider92

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A friend pointed this out to me yesterday and actually thinking back i did see quite a few without ! :

At Badminton this year there seemed to be a lot less riders not wearing air jackets where as the last few years it appeared many more were wearing them .

Is there any reason for this ?
 
Seemed to be quite a mixed bag.

More interested in the air bag that seemed to inflate behind the riders head? Anyone know what make it was?
 
Tamski said:
Seemed to be quite a mixed bag.

More interested in the air bag that seemed to inflate behind the riders head? Anyone know what make it was?
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Like this?
HitAir.jpg
 
Plenty without. Probably more without than with I would have said. It's personal choice - I can't stand the things and I know I'm not the only one!
 
Some of the riders are questioning their use ,there were certainly several riders who previously wore one who dont now,it may be because point two are not giving them so many. Phoebe Buckley stated that at Burnham market her fall would have been worse if she had worn one .I am not sure about more riders uising the combined as in truth I did not see many dangling lanyards to give itr away.
 
popsdosh said:
Some of the riders are questioning their use ,there were certainly several riders who previously wore one who dont now,it may be because point two are not giving them so many. Phoebe Buckley stated that at Burnham market her fall would have been worse if she had worn one .I am not sure about more riders uising the combined as in truth I did not see many dangling lanyards to give itr away.
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Yes saw that about phoebe she said her horse was very sharp and would've kicked her if it heard the bang . Just thought at higher level like badminton people would rather wear them than not as the risk of getting injured is so high
 
Personally I thought they were going off left right and centre. You could see people in clipping themselves as they finished. I think they are quite a bit neater now though. There were a few noticeable exceptions especially the older people such as M Todd, A Nicholson.
 
RachelFerd said:
Plenty without. Probably more without than with I would have said. It's personal choice - I can't stand the things and I know I'm not the only one!
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I totally agree....in the absence of tests/evidence to prove the benefits, & dispel the concerns re increased danger, I refuse to wear one.

popsdosh said:
Some of the riders are questioning their use ,there were certainly several riders who previously wore one who dont now,it may be because point two are not giving them so many. Phoebe Buckley stated that at Burnham market her fall would have been worse if she had worn one .I am not sure about more riders uising the combined as in truth I did not see many dangling lanyards to give itr away.
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Having also had a rotational at Burnham, that I fear could have been made worse if more closely attached to the horse. I undoubtedly credit the fact that I limped (ankle!) away from my fall, to the performance of my crash hat ( a protector...now replaced with another of the same). I had the pattern of the lining imprinted on my forehead for several days...but was fine....yes, I was impressed.
 
dixie said:
Personally I thought they were going off left right and centre. You could see people in clipping themselves as they finished. I think they are quite a bit neater now though. There were a few noticeable exceptions especially the older people such as M Todd, A Nicholson.
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They prefer to be able to get themselves out of the way either by getting up or rolling without the hinderance of cumbersome equipment. If an airbag had gone off beside Nereo he would have taken off with a high risk of injury - a frightened horse can easily run into something. Remember Mandiba pulling back away from the noise and falling off the bank, breaking some ribs?
Pippa doesn't wear one as someone nearly got hurt when she got off without undoing it once and spooked the horse.
 
I saw a few go off, and not one horse seemed bothered!

Also saw a lot of riders I clipping themselves as they crossed the finish.

I don't see that the lanyard would prevent you getting clear of the horse - it does come free with a relatively easily.
 
I still don't buy into this 'the noise going off will frighten /make the horse kick me in the head' thing. I have yet to witness a single horse react badly to an air jacket going off.
I've seen them react badly to the fall (as in Mandiba's case) but not the air jacket even when people have jumped off still attached.

There were still plenty of air jackets being worn but the old baggy 'I'm wearing an air jacket' style is out & it looks like the sleeker (Hit Air & the combined BP & air jacket ) are in.
 
glamourpuss said:
I still don't buy into this 'the noise going off will frighten /make the horse kick me in the head' thing. I have yet to witness a single horse react badly to an air jacket going off.
I've seen them react badly to the fall (as in Mandiba's case) but not the air jacket even when people have jumped off still attached.

There were still plenty of air jackets being worn but the old baggy 'I'm wearing an air jacket' style is out & it looks like the sleeker (Hit Air & the combined BP & air jacket ) are in.
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I agree . I've got off before attached around 3 other riders . Their horses shot forward but that was it !
 
No Exo cages on show, the only thing that can reliably reduce the risk of fatal crush injuries
 
Luckily it's still personal choice to wear them and until they have a safety standard it will remain that way as no equestrian member body can make them compulsory until then.
 
Cragrat said:
I don't see that the lanyard would prevent you getting clear of the horse - it does come free with a relatively easily.
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I think it is more the fact that as it should be inflated by the time you hit the ground you are unable to roll away or get out of the way quickly.
 
glamourpuss said:
I still don't buy into this 'the noise going off will frighten /make the horse kick me in the head' thing. I have yet to witness a single horse react badly to an air jacket going off.
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I have - only the other week I saw someone get off without unclipping their lanyard and the jacket went off and horse was spooked, pulled away from the rider and got loose. So can quite understand riders who choose not to use one on sensitive horses.
 
glamourpuss said:
I still don't buy into this 'the noise going off will frighten /make the horse kick me in the head' thing. I have yet to witness a single horse react badly to an air jacket going off.
I've seen them react badly to the fall (as in Mandiba's case) but not the air jacket even when people have jumped off still attached.

There were still plenty of air jackets being worn but the old baggy 'I'm wearing an air jacket' style is out & it looks like the sleeker (Hit Air & the combined BP & air jacket ) are in.
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A nervous horse does react. With Mandiba, Karen herself said it was the noise that made him pull back.

Eventrider92 said:
I agree . I've got off before attached around 3 other riders . Their horses shot forward but that was it !
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If a horse shoots forwards then someone on the ground can get hurt. If a person had been in front of one of those horses or adjusting something.....

LJR said:
I think it is more the fact that as it should be inflated by the time you hit the ground you are unable to roll away or get out of the way quickly.
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This is exactly the point. Freedom to move is so important when you fall. Take another scenario, if Imperial Cavalier had pulled the one leg that had got over the owl hole back, which many horses would have, then he quite possibly would have gone backwards down the step. Mary would not have been able to slide quickly off and get out of the way.
The chance of falling at that level is really no greater than riding an inexperienced horse at a lower level.
 
oldvic said:
Campino didn't pull away from Mark and Nereo didn't from Andrew. Those are just 2 off the top of my head.
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which would indicate that with a person already falling from them that a slight pop like a fizzy drinks can being opened is unlikely to cause any further reaction... a horse who has a bit of a panic about an airjacket is already likely to be doing so imho.
 
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