Body Protectors: Food for Thought

This post has made me think. I started wearing a BP after coming off and breaking my ribs and have never been without it since. However, in the last few weeks I have been getting a bad cramp in my back everytime I ride and have found that if I ride without a BP, the cramp doesn't happen. I've only riden 3 times without it and each time I've felt rather naked. After reading this, I think I'll start wearing it again tomorrow until I find a different one that doesn't cause my muscles to cramp. I always used to say, if you own a BP, you're mad not to ride in it all the time - I'm going to abide by my own rule now!
 
I was thinking about this post this morning whils out hacking. Was v excited as my new Kan arrived this morning and was trying it out on my hack . I normally only wear my BP when XC or riding a youngster / little ponies whih are way too easy to come off. My old BP was so uncomfortable andd restrictive that I didn't like to wear it. My lovely new Kan though is soooooo comfy and fits like a glove. I put my old one on after trying on the Kan this morning (in my PJs!) and the quality and fit were worlds apart., I was worried that it might be a bit long, but it curves round your body, so no problem at all hitting the saddle. Anyway as I say I was thinking about this post and the fact that my Kan feels like it's not there, that I've promised myself to wear it whenever I'm out hacking now.
 
I used to ride without a hat, saddle, bridle, and BPs weren't invented so without one of those as well. It was many, many years ago.

I would love to do it again, but having having fallend off twice, I can't risk it:

landed on my head - if I hadn't been wearing a hat I wouldn't be here;
landed on my feet - if I hadn't been wearing a BP, I'd be here, but very, very broken.
 
I wear mine every single time I ride, whether hacking, in school or jumping. Mine is a damage limitation exercise which began the first year I had my horse after he started napping and trying to reverse at speed into deep ditches....Though he no longer naps now I wear it as there's only me and if I can't work, I don't earn and everything goes down the pan and also don't want to leave my sisters having to spoon-feed me should I suffer a bad fall, we've been through enough early deaths in our family over the decades. I know a BP won't stop all injuries or even death (recent story about poor woman in Beer, Devon, BP and hat and died after a fall) but it can only help reduce the risk by a good percentage I hope. I now feel naked without it.
 
I used to wear a BP but eventually gave it up because it made me feel like the Michelin man - very insecure and unsupple (not that I'm very supple anyway). It's a risk I have to take - I would NEVER 'sneer' at anyone who wears one, but suppose I'm a bit of a sceptic as I fractured my skull while wearing a state of the art riding hat which didn't even come off in the accident. I'm so sorry you were hurt, Mrs M - get well soon.
 
Bur Rose Folly, you may have fractured your skull while wearing a state of the art riding hat BUT ......... you are still alive. Without it you may very well be dead.

And another thing is - if one the show jumpers who ride in a state of the art hat which so clearly do not fit were to have a crashing fall, their designer hat would probably do no good at all even though they are state of the art. A body protector and a hat are only as good as the fit. A badly fitting one at best may do nothing - at worst may cause serious problems.
 
Rose Folly, sorry to hear you fractured your skull, hope you've made a full recovery, but if you fractured your skull WITH a state of the art hat, imagine what would have happened WITHOUT one! That the hat saved you from an injury more severe than a fractured skull should not make you sceptic about hats, it should make you a convert to hats!
 
I LOVE my Kan ! I could wear it all the time, however I don't :o ! I do wear it on youngsters, and for jumping/xc and sometimes for hacking if my horse is having a 'bad' day !

However I will always wear it iff I'm having an off day or not feeling 100% :)
 
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