Body protectors for a one horse amateur event rider with a small budget, which one??

applestroodle

applestroodle

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Firstly I will apologies as this has really been done to death but im going to invest in a new body protector after the little b****rd of a horse dumping me the other day and I have entered the dizzy heights of his first intro ( sorry BE90!! )

I currently have a Air o Wear zippa which I bought after I knocked myself out eventing my old horse and looking back at results that was 2004 (whoops) so I think its about time.
I really don’t know what one to go for, derby house have 20% of this weekend so going to order a new hat, and I saw they have the champion flexi body protector, which I also saw advertised on the back of BE magazine by pippa funnel, oli towend etc. It seems very cheap in comparison to others, so I wondered if this and a point 2. But after researching a little on forum last night the Kan seemed very popular, had a look at website which was very good I am now thrown a little more towards them, on website says comes in blue, does anyone know what the colour is like, my colours are navy and white. I know I know that really is the least of my worries but got to be kind of matchy matchy you know!! Im sure I read you cant wear a point 2 and a Kan is that right? Also I saw some people have race safe, a few years back I worked in a tackshop and never felt the race safe where solid enough, any thoughts? Or do i stick with my body protector and buy a point 2....

Gawd im sorry, you will all hate this, but im just a one horse amatuar rider that wants to protect myself as best I can with a small budget especially as pennies are running short after registering BE and a bloody huge lorry bill in.
 
the Kan blue is middling/dark. Nicola Wilson wears that colour Kan... sometimes with a P2, so the two definitely are compatible.
here's a pic of her in the blue coloured one: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...2hAeJ8cGtBA&page=1&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

here's the official statement:

BETA Statement Regarding Airbag Compatibility.

The Kan has passed independent tests to pass the EN and BETA standards and is approved therefore for all types of riding activity. We do not know of any reason why the two should not be worn together and I know that many riders do, including Nicola Wilson at Badminton. I am not aware of any tests done by Point Two that would suggest that the Kan is not suitable for use and we have certainly had no feedback to the contrary. Before ruling the Kan (or indeed any other body protector) out from use with an air bag, I would wish to see scientific tests justifying their suggestion and supporting the apparently anecdotal nature of their claims.

Claire Williams
Executive Director and Secretary British Equestrian


in your shoes i'd just get the Kan (or an Exo if you can face the idea of the cage, not everyone can), pm me if you're interested in an Exo, I know where there's a sale...
 
Thanks Kerilli for your prompt reply, its such a mind field and i would hate to spend the money and something new/ better comes out. The Kan is expensive but i could justify by wearing a lot more, my little b****rd is naughty to hack and after coming off on the road the other day i should have really had one on. As an amateur i am also self employed and really need to protect myself better.
The exo is a very good idea but im not sure for everyday use... the key puts me off!
 
agreed, it's for everyone to make up their own minds but can i just say that the EXO did pass extensive testing before going into full production, and will withstand the full weight of a falling (or dead) horse. no, there isn't a BETA test for anti-crush, just as there isn't a BETA test for airjackets (although I believe one is in the pipeline, great news) but that doesn't mean that other valid testing wasn't done...
i realise the EXO train has left the station and disappeared over the hill though, Woof has ceased production unfortunately.

just want to say that this was in reply to a post that has now disappeared, i'm not raving on to myself really!
 
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Don't know if you saw mine but I was wearing a Kan. First time I have cross countried and really liked. As everyone says hardly knew I had it on. You could have tried it on and seen what it felt like. Charlimouse was also wearing hers under her point 2 and she swears by this combination.

Last year I wore the Champion Flex Air body protector. It was fine but never quite got away with it and seeing Wendy from Kan give a talk at Parkend last camp I was at I have to say I was very persuaded by the safety aspect which is why I changed
 
applestroodle said:
Thanks Kerilli for your prompt reply, its such a mind field and i would hate to spend the money and something new/ better comes out. The Kan is expensive but i could justify by wearing a lot more, my little b****rd is naughty to hack and after coming off on the road the other day i should have really had one on. As an amateur i am also self employed and really need to protect myself better.
The exo is a very good idea but im not sure for everyday use... the key puts me off!
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you don't need a key to get in and out of it daily, the sides just clunk-click shut, very easy. the key is only for dismantling the Exo if a paramedic needs to use the back part as a back-board but take the front off by undoing the shoulder connection bits.
the Exo's not for everyday use, definitely. it's for protecting against xc rotationals. I wouldn't wear mine for every day. i know one person who did, but iirc she's swapped to a Kan for everyday (Kan is much comfier, much less bulky) and saves for Exo for xc, as i do.
 
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Thanks everyone for your quick replys. I dont have a budget as there is no price on safety i just want to get the safest/ best option. DarkhorseB i saw you with yours on, and didnt no Charliemouse had one to, thats good to hear everyones advice. i should have at last years camp for the talk!!
I really think i would like one for everyday and x country, as i do think i should wear more often, my air o wear one is very bulky and i dont think fits very well anymore, lost weight, put on weight etc in the 7 years since buying (thats frightening, time flys!!)
 
Thanks CaleruxShearer i have just been reading about your fall and i do remember reading it at the time, its always the same you dont take things in untill someting similar happens. I hope you are ok now.
 
I have just bought an exo (same sale link Kerrilli talking about I'm sure ;) ) which should hopefully arrive Monday. For me (as long as it fits) in my opinion it offers the best protection from the eventing fall I fear most a rotational. At the price I have brought mine I would have been stupid not to, I am though rather sad that the exo has never been given the real boost/marketing/etc that it deserves and is now seemingly dying a death so to speak :(
 
What you must remember, is you must have a body protector that fits you correctly. All body protectors will come in various widths and lengths, so I cannot stress enough that you should go to a saddlery and have one fitted correctly! I work in a saddlery and have been dismayed in the past about how many people would be happy to just pick one off the shelf without having it fitted properly, (this has happened with hats too). The Point 2 would be a very sensible option. They inflate within 0.1 of a second and will take upto 1 ton in weight if you unfortunate enough to have a fall, they increase your protection by nearly 50% from using a standard body protector alone. So as you say, you cannot put a price on safety, even if you are just an amateur rider! Hope this helps!
 
I'm very happy with my Racesafe 2000 although not tried it in anger so to speak. Yes it's flexible but the blocks are so close together that it's quite "solid" but incredibly comfortable to wear, always forget I have it on.

Would definitely strongly advise getting one properly fitted though whatever make you go for... being 5'9 tall I would have thought I'd need a normal or even long length and tried on a normal length RS that seemed okay, but got properly fitted by Treehouse at Gatcombe and ended up having one made specially that was 2" shorter than standard length in an adult small so would have ended up with totally the wrong size left to my own devices.
 
I love my Kan, I tried most BPs on before buying mine and it is by far the most comfortable! The Champion is much more bulky than the Airowears due to its style and very restrictive plus there seemed to be a very small range in sizes where I went to get fitted. I'm not keen on Racesafe for a few reasons but the Rodney Powells are the next best to Kan imo but I couldn't get one fitted properly (I tried DH ;)) so I went for a Kan which I would do again without a doubt.
 
Thank you again everyone and lots of good adivce, now here is my next dilema... i think i have narrowed this down to a Kan but there is no one near by who stocks this body protector to get fitted and as i would like this for my first event in a couple of weeks, is it ok to have it fitted over the phone? It does say on Kan website they are able to do this. I did a few years ago work in a tack shop myself and did my hat fitting/ body protector certificates and not stupid.
 
Wendy (designer of the Kan, owner of the business) is really good at doing the fitting over the phone, as long as you have accurate measurements I'm sure she'll get it spot on, customised to you... they're basically sized in women's 8, 10, 12, 14 sizes and then she adjusts them from those if necessary.
 
The one thing I would be most careful of is back length. When I met Wendy at Camp she said I would be the longer length back due to my height (5'8") but I borrowed a friends regular length to do a lesson in and I definitely could not have gone longer as would have caught the saddle. I know 2 friends who gave up on Kan for the reason they caught the saddle and my guess is they could have done with shorter backs too (although neither of them are tall to start with). I have shorter back and longer legs for my height so bear this in mind too when talking to Wendy. She will also send you more than one to try I believe to see which fits best :)
 
DarkHorseB said:
The one thing I would be most careful of is back length. When I met Wendy at Camp she said I would be the longer length back due to my height (5'8") but I borrowed a friends regular length to do a lesson in and I definitely could not have gone longer as would have caught the saddle. I know 2 friends who gave up on Kan for the reason they caught the saddle and my guess is they could have done with shorter backs too (although neither of them are tall to start with). I have shorter back and longer legs for my height so bear this in mind too when talking to Wendy. She will also send you more than one to try I believe to see which fits best :)
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Agreed, but the foam is really easy to alter, you just unvelcro it off the back panel and cut it shorter with a stanley knife or a little hand saw, then sandpaper smooth. Mine was about an inch or two too long when it arrived, i hack out on baby horses in mine so need it a bit shorter than for xc (rarely sitting bolt upright in the saddle xc), and it only took 5 mins to shorten. Afaik most people don't need to alter theirs though!
 
kerilli said:
Agreed, but the foam is really easy to alter, you just unvelcro it off the back panel and cut it shorter with a stanley knife or a little hand saw, then sandpaper smooth. Mine was about an inch or two too long when it arrived, i hack out on baby horses in mine so need it a bit shorter than for xc (rarely sitting bolt upright in the saddle xc), and it only took 5 mins to shorten. Afaik most people don't need to alter theirs though!
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:eek: Wow you are way braver than me K!!
I would be terrified to self alter something so expensive! If you saw how unstraight I was able to trim my daughters fringe you may understand :rolleyes:;)
 
I agree with your sentiments OP,you cant put a price on your health and your life and you are correct to purchase what is needed. I dont wear a BP - am a happy hacker, but my daughter events currently to Novice level and she wears the best I can afford to buy her. We tried a few makes, but the one which fits her and moulds to her shape is an RS2000, whch is customised in our corporate colours (violet). It fits her like a glove and as she is a petite, but curvey size 8 with a long back, it fits in all the right places. Also, last year when she started doing JRNs etc, OH got very twitchy about her getting a Point 2. Particularly after Oli Townend's nasty fall at Kentucky, which even he had heard about. OH is unhorsey and moans about the cost, but he did a lot of research on them without even telling me or her. He reasoned she is our only child, and anything we could do to protect her whilst doing a dangerous sport was worth it.

Off we trotted to buy her one, which although very expensive, does do wonders for her confidence. She said she feels so much safer in her Point 2 - even wears it xc schooling.

I would say shop around, try them all on, see what suits you best and good luck with the eventing.
 
If Badminton is before your next event I would go and try out a few there, this is what I did and it soon became obvious what suited me.

I bought a Kan - I love it so much, it is very comfortable. Next best fit for me was a Rodney Powell.
 
Sorry for the delayed response I have been travelling the last few days. I often watch what is said in the forums with interest but I rarely feel that it is my place to input into the often fascinating discussions which occur! I just wanted to contact you to reassure you that we would not knowingly sell any body protector that was too long as we do customise for each customer.

In fact DarkHorseB has correctly identified something that has been wrong in the past and is one of the reasons why we have changed our model of distribution and no longer actively sell through retailers as we found that on many occasions the end user wasn’t getting the correct size of KAN and this has obviously been a great shame. For the past season and going forward we mostly sell and fit directly or through a small group of carefully trained fitters to ensure that when wearing the KAN, it doesn’t impede the riders’ movement in any way. It is very precisely fitted, indeed I think the vast majority of our riders will agree that once you are wearing the KAN you don’t even feel that it is on – if there is any doubt about this something needs to be adjusted. If anyone has a Kan which they feel is a little too long or needs some other adjustment please feel free to get in touch. For the record, I will make alterations to any KAN at no extra cost no matter where or when the body protector was purchased, as I want every KAN owner to really enjoy wearing it every time they ride. The service that we deliver is of the utmost importance to me and I am totally committed to my product and its success.

Regarding fitting for the back length, basically it is not the overall length that I look at initially, rather the position of the curved part. It is so important that the shaping in the foam back panel lines up with your small of back and my experience is that anyone over 5ft 7” finds the longer back more supportive and comfortable. The actual drop from the waist down can be precisely lined up to your lower sacrum and this gives the rider maximum foam coverage on the spine without touching the cantle. Of course everyone is different and sometimes the rider will prefer one fit over another, so it is very much a two way thing, but we take time with everyone whether remotely fitting or not. If we get it wrong we do our best to correct.
 
Applestroodle - why not try my KAN on next Mon at the St Gatherer lesson? It's always in the lorry and we are a similar size? Wear it for the lesson and see how lovely it is?
 
WendyKan said:
I just wanted to contact you to reassure you that we would not knowingly sell any body protector that was too long as we do customise for each customer.
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Lovely to have someone so passionate about their product. Having failed to manage to be at the same event as you last year after meeting you at Parkend to get one fitted I bought one as I knew having tried a friends that I wanted one to event in this year. From your list of events I see you are at Stafford so I will definitely come along and have you check the fit :). I have only hacked in it once and XC schooled and found it very comfy. So much so I nearly drove home in it ;)
 
I would very heartily recommend a Kan. I bought mine at Burghley last year during a shopping trip to buy a Racesafe. Found the Racesafe I wanted, thought "I'd best just rule out the Kan as everyone on HHO goes on about it" and wandered over there, tried one on and that was it! Smitten!

I fell off the first time I wore it (!) and it was brilliant, held me together nicely. It's a pain to lug about as it's so heavy, but once you're wearing it you don't notice the weight. I am recommending them to everyone - including people on tiny budgets because I think they are worth every single penny. I wear mine regularly now (always hacking and jumping, sometimes scholling), whereas before with my old Charles Owen, I would always find excuses not to.

Fabulous piece of kit! I'd have beans on toast every day for a month to afford it. (OH might not be so happy with me eating that many beans though ;))
 
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