Body Protectors - beware, it could get nasty!

RuthnMeg

RuthnMeg

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ok, Going to do my best not to direct this at anyone in particular, please don't take offense.
I wear my BP for 2 things, 1 - Breaking/ riding a newly backed youngster and 2 - going XC. - Don't even think about it - I just automatically put it on.
In the good old days, these 'things' were non existant and it drives me nuts when I see more and more people wearing them, sometimes every time they get on a horse/pony like normal people would put a hard hat on. I think its a sign of modern age, wanting to wrap up in cotton wool 'in case of the worst'. I can't help thinking that this must make you less relaxed, therefore sub consiously giving a more nervous signal to the horse?? - maybe it is just me.
Also, is it just me or when you see other riders with a BP over their hacking jacket, it doesn't look right? I think the PC is partly to blame and their parents don't want anything bad to happen to little darlings (iam a PC mum - and I refused my 5 yo to wear one, unless xc, and boy did i get frowned upon!) ok, i don't want her to get hurt, but we all have to tumble at some point.
Wearing a bp riding a pony as a child is one thing Iam not in favour of, but on a horse to me its just wrong.
Who makes us wear them outside of XC where it is the rules? -Our parents, the PC, the rule in a book that is unknown to me? or is it just your idea? Does wearing one make you feel any different, a better rider maybe?

Interested to know you thought/ideas on this.
 
If you have ever seen anyone severly hurt or even killed, I think you wouldnt be asking this question.
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They wear them for the same reason as one would wear a hat!!!!
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i think its a bit of a silly point tbh. Ok so i only wear one when im going xc or if i have to, but its a matter of choice. i think its good for kids to wear them. and if you fell off and your horse trod on you its not going to do you any harm wearing a bp. i admit i do sometimes think its quite funny people hacking or schooling in a bp, but really its quite a good idea and its up to the individual
 
I have had this happen when my two went for a lesson, at a riding school, they both refused to wear BP, unless they were going xc, it was a flat lesson!!!

Apparently, the insurance is invalidated in riding schools if BP's are not worn, so I can understand their insistence on wearing one. Many children start in a riding school and therefore the habit continues.

My two, have never worn them (unless as said before) and did say they took full responsibility if anything happened. They can both ride and have been doing so for years on their own horses and ponies.

So, I suppose my point is, that I can understand the need to insist on BP's for some establishments, but, for everyday riding, I don't think it is necessary.
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I wear one for all jumping. It started as I promised my OH I would after a nasty fall when I ended up in hospital, with all sorts of scans and xrays but it's now become a bit of a safety blanket for me and I fall to pieces without one. I broke mine the other day in a lesson and I had to just do flat work for the rest as I felt I couldn't carry on without it. I know it's stupid but my instructor agreed it was best not to than get nervous and ride differently.

I never wear it for hacking and flat work though and I do pop logs when I'm out hacking. I think part of the reason is that my horse is prone to the odd dirty stop. I jumped my friend's saint of a horse the other day and didn't have my bp. Although I was scared to begin with, by the end I'd forgotten about it.

I think it's a matter of personal choice, and it doesn't bother me if other people wear them all the time.

ETA 10-15 years ago most people though hi-viz was stupid, ugly, and unneccesary and a lot of them have changed their minds now. Even if bps (and hi-viz for that matter) are just a fashion, there are worse fashions to follow.
 
I dont get it either, last time I had one on was a year ago when I first sat on new lad (he had been stood in a field for 3 years).. Unless I was backing or XC (never gonna happen) I wouldn't bother with one..

Am yet to see someone doing a dressage test in one
 
I'm not a fan of them. I feel stiff and awkward and overheat. I feel I could fall better without one if that makes sense?
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If I fell off with a BP on I think I'd just slump there and flail about for a bit like a turtle
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I wear one for jumping and cross country or when Im on a strange horse for the first time.
 
yes it does show modern times, and how everyone and eveything has become so "health and safety". but i don't see a problem if people want to be safe and protect themselves. I hardly wear mine - just for XC. But it's a choice, and shouldn't be seen as a negative for someone taking rresponsibility for their own safety.
 
yes, I know what your saying Dm, but the wearing of bp's has increased massively over the last say 10 years. What happened before that? everyone who fell off got badly hurt or killed? Have we forgotten to except a few bruises and bumps? After all, we all know that riding is and will remain dangerous and the chances of hurting yourself badly hasn't increased with time, so why more cotton wool now? People still get hurt wearing them. My worst fall happened when I was wearing one, the horse I fell off kicked me in the face and I split my lips open, needed 18 stitches. What bloody good did my bp do for me then?
I think natural riding is becoming more and more distant. Sadly.
 
I don't actually own a body protector, but I will get one soon because we've got a wee XC course (well, it's not very wee any more, it's growing at an alarming rate as the builder gets more excited!) at the yard which I can't wait to have a go at.
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At the RS it's compulsory for anyone under 16 to wear a body protector whilst jumping, and I don't see a problem with this at all. If it could possibly prevent a painful accident, why would you be against it? Nobody's forcing you yourself to wear one, but if other people want to take every precaution against getting hurt, not only is that their decision but it's a pretty good one!
 
I wear one XC schooling, and have only worn one for that since I was 10ish. My sister is the same, but stopped wearing hers sooner, although when she first got Henners she ore one for a while as he was very strong. If the BP is well-fitted, it looks fine for riding in, and lots of younger children wear one PC. Always wore mone over whatever else I had on apart from coats becaise then I can take it off easier if we went on to SJ schooling instead...
 
I only wear it for jumping (so SJ, XC and hunting) but I can't jump without it, it's a psychological thing! I don't really understand why it would bother you so much.

There is a lady at my field who only ever hacks her horse in walk and she wears one. At the end of the day she is quite a nervous rider and it gives her confidence. Good on her!

I think it is wierd that you would think it would make someone less relaxed since most people I know wear them to improve their confidence. Not everyone has grown up riding and, especially when people take up riding later in life, even hacking can make people a bit nervous.
 
When I started sharing the horse I used to share, her owner told me she wanted me to wear a body protector for everything- schooling, hacking, absolutely everything. It made me stiff and tense, and the horse was really sensitive so it was a recipe for disaster!

I put up with it for 4 months but in the end said I wouldn't wear the bp for anything apart from jumping as it was just making me tense.

I'm like you... body protectors have their place with breaking horses and xc, but I don't ride in mine all the time because at the end of the day I won't be wearing it out hunting, so need to hack etc without it on and be confident in doing so. I like my body protector but it does make me tense, it fits perfectly but I still only wear it for xc.
 
I had a really, really painful fall last Friday off the new horse and hit the ground with such a thump. I haven't fallen off in 2 years and the last time before that was out hunting where my horse fell after hitting a telegraph pole in a hedge and we both went flying.

To be honest, after the hunting fall I stopped wearing my Patey hat because I didn't feel safe riding in it and so always wear my crash cap. I don't think I would have had any softer landing if I'd been wearing a body protector because it was my left seat bone I landed on and I just completely jarred myself.

I only wear a BP to go XC doing hunter trials etc if it states it on the schedule otherwise I generally don't wear one. I do always wear one team chasing though. Funny what situations you wear them in or don't!!
 
I didn't have one until our RS introduced the rule that you could only jump outdoors with one on so I bought one so I could do XC.

I had been pretty not bothered until then and had only injured myself once badly enough to need hospital attention and that was a broken arm that wouldn't have been prevented by a body protector in over 20 years of riding.

Once I bought it I started wearing it for all jumping lessons, partly to get my monies worth and partly out of a sort of sod's law says I'll fall when not wearing it type of thing.

I had a few falls after this, the worst was warming up for a dressage test so I wasn't wearing it, the next two were in jumping lessons. Of those, the serious one was a hip/pelvis injury and wouldn't have been prevented by a body protector, one was a badly sprained ankle and the third broken ribs. The body protector didn't help me in any of those falls (the ribs were the very bottom ones where I landed on a pole).

I then fell again, it was a rubbish fall I was basically jumped out of the saddle - not like me at all. I didn't hurt myself other than just my pride! But it was that fall that made me realise that my body protector was making me fall more.

No matter how good they are and how well fitted they are they inhibit your movement to some degree and this can prevent you from balancing yourself when things start to go pear shaped. I also found that on high cantle saddles mine was catching and pinging me out of the saddle.

So I stopped wearing it and have been much more confident jumping since and my position has improved too. I now only wear it for XC or if I perceive a special risk.

I'm sure it is different if you have grown up wearing one and learned to ride in one although I do think some people that wear them all the time have their position affected for the worse.

I don't see it as the same as a hat. Hats never inhibit you, and they will protect your head in any fall, your head is really vulnerable even in a minor fall and not worth the risk. Body protectors have a down side in that they interfere and also they normally only lessen the severity of an injury rather than preventing one altogether. The most common injuries in riders are broken wrists and broken collar bones, neither are prevented by a body protector.
 
I think that wearing a BP or not should be a matter of personal choice based on the degree of risk people are willing to tolerate but OP seems to be suggesting that there is something wrong with wearing one if you want to, which just seems like a weird point to make.
 
Although mine is very comfortable I feel it is unneccesary to wear it at all times. I wear it for XC, and sometimes for jumping (depending on the horse I am jumping!)

But for a few months after my horse rodeo'd around the field, I lost my stirrups, and I still don't know how I managed to stay on, I wore it all the time. My I insisted (I'm not in a riding school), because he became unpredictable. She even wore it when riding him... Although my other horse can buck, rear..etc if he is in a strop whenever I hack him/do flat on him I never wear one as don't feel I need that safety blanket!

I haven't worn my BP with the other horse for a few months as the problems seems to have seized, and unless they start again my BP will only go on for XC!

I too think it is wrong to wrap kids up in cotton wool, kids bounce and imo it makes you stiff, so you can't relax and more likely to fall. I can understand if you have had a nasty fall and need that 'safe' feeling. But I do think too many people are safety concious nowadays...and maybe they are riding the wrong horse/pony if they feel as though they need that security blanket. Very blunt, but quite a lot of people, in my experience, out horse themselves....
 
I know somebody who was actually severely injured because of their body protector. They fell off and broke their back because the body protector didn't fit perfectly, despite it being properly fitted when they bought it.
Because of my body shape, I can't get a body protector that fits well enough. Due to this, I have given up my dream of doing Hunter Trials with my boy, because most xc courses insist you wear one.
I will continue to jump (at home and out hacking) and hunt without a BP as i could be in more danger wearing one than not.
 
The problem I have seen with some kids wearing them, particularly small kids is they seem very restrictive and therefore make it harder for the kids to learn balance etc. -Also they prob bounce slightly better than me. I never wore one till age about 15.

I have done everything in mine, yup including my first couple of dressage tests due to pones propensity to spook sharply. I have also fallen off him on the road so used to wear it hacking too. I often see people on youngsters wearing them for drsg tests.

Now I have learnt how to ride the stupid animal a bit more I don't wear it for hacking or flatwork but for anything jumping I wear it. Have seen too many easily avoidable bruised ribs etc from cups/wings/poles etc and the least time I have to have off injured the better at the mo. Now I just need something to protect my limbs!

I think its everyones own decision really. Mum wears her racesafe for everything apart from schooling. and sis wears hers for everything
 
Surely people should be allowed to choose whether to wear one or not?! I wear mine for all jumping - always have done, for riding the baby and in any situation where i feel i may be putting myself in a slightly more risky situation - riding horses with 'issues' etc. I very rarely use it on my mare.
Im certainly not a nervous rider and dont feel that wearing the bp makes me ride any differently. it fits me v well and as ive never jumped without one it doesnt restrict me at all.
I find it rediculous that you can chastise people for trying to keep themselves that little bit safer.
 
Oh our riding school doesn't insist you wear one and you are still covered by insurance. It is only XC where they insist, they "prefer" you to wear one on the SJ and WH courses as landing on grass is harder than an artificial surface but they don't make you for lessons in the school.

I think it is strange that people would want to wear one for schooling or dressage but if they do it is no skin off my nose as long as they don't make me wear mine as it makes me less relaxed and comfortable!
 
Wasn't there an article in the HHO Mag about how some BPs can do more worse then good? I can't remember exactly what it said now but I'm sure it said something to do with the spine... Does anyone recall?
 
A body protector saved my back when I flew off backwards at a XC course onto concrete.

I don't wear one unless doing XC but I'm sure as hell happy I had it on then.
 
Afraid I gave up on mine - hurt myself a lot more falling off wiht it on than without - I was just too inflexible and couldn't respond and roll quickly enough

Also I found it held me too rigid and made me uncomfortable for my horse to carry and he got annoyed
 
Only wear mine for XC, I wore it for a short time when I had teething problems with my mare and fell off more than ever - though I was lucky only 1 really hurt me I was aware the next could be worse. It helped with confidence in riding her through that time but I did also feel on the flat in restricted my movement and after a few weeks once my confidence returned I stopped wearing it.
 
There does seem to be a culture now (day to day not just with horses) of "something bad might happen so must have protection".
I know there are times when the appropriate kit/protection should and must be worn, but I do also think that people need to learn how to fall - a BP isn't going to stop you breaking your arm if you put it out in front of you instead of rolling up for example.
Something I saw that to me was REALLY worrying, was a riding aid advertised recently to stop you falling off - it attached to your saddle - any one else see it!?! Sometimes you're better coming off than staying on! If your balance was that bad then use a neck strap and if that's not enough then get off!
 
My friend actually got injured by her BP, it dug into her stomach bruising her stomach muscles.
If she hadn't been wearing it she would have been fine!
The times I have fallen off I've hurt my elbow and leg, lot of good a BP would have done me then!
 
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