Body protectors - friend or foe?

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amandathepanda

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Having read all the comments about the post regarding wearing hats, what do you guys think about body protectors then? Personally I feel I'm so restricted in one I am more likely to come off because I can't move with the horse. I only ever wear a body protector if I'm doing a competition where it is specified in the rules as a requriement. A couple of my friends will not even do flatwork without one on.
 
Depends on what your doing- XC def, Juming a youngster yes, Schooling and dressage nope, cant move as well and ruins the image!
 
i wear one for xc schooling and for xc at events. that's it. i have the Rodney Powell one, and find it very very comfortable. it doesn't get in my way at all... i'm aware it's there, but it doesn't affect me.
i wear it for very early backing work with youngsters too, until i think they're fairly unlikely to try to dump me!
i went for the one with the thickest foam (level 3 i think) and when i ordered it the woman fitting it said "oh, i wouldn't go for that one if i were you, it'll get in your way when you're scrubbing and kicking to get to a fence." yeah, right, cos that's what my horses need to get them near a xc fence.
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this was the same woman who said to a friend, "i'd be happy if i could just win one point... just one point..."
anyway, i think they're counterproductive on children, cos they're usually too big (not surprisingly, i wouldn't want to buy a new one every 3 months!) and they make the kids feel awkward and really conscious of the danger of falling off. we should concentrate on teaching kids how to fall instead.
 
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we should concentrate on teaching kids how to fall instead.

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ditto, do riding schools even do that now?

I imagine they would get sued!

I think learning how to fall is very imortant, and can make the difference between a few bruises and broken bones in some cases.

I dont own a body protector, but my friend wears one for EVERYTHING, she only walks around the school on her horse but is petrified of him, even though he is good as gold, so I suppose for her, and some, it can be a security blanket I guess.
 
I hate wearing mine! BUt like those above, for XC and XC schooling, I know I have to. It has got more comfortable now I have worn it more, but still don't like it! I couldn't wear it sj, as to keep my horse steady and controlled I have to get almost slightly behind the vertical in canter, and my body protector makes that very tricky!!
 
I use mine for all jumping and with regards to restricting me not at all. If I managed to stay on to my horse on Sun leaping from a XC bank, immediately vertical rearing and then broncing and staying on I don't think it can possibly restirct me. It is the racesafe 2000
 
I hated mine to start, but now love it. I used to use it for hacking when my boy was 3, and jumping him at first, but now just for XC. Hate to say it, but the more you wear them, the more comfy they get!!
 
When my horse was quite green I used to wear mine for any jumping. Also he was unpredictable at shows so I wore it there too. I found I soon got used to it and it felt normal to have it on. Once I got to trust him more, I must admit I stopped wearing it except for xc but when I took him out jumping for the first time after a few months off I put it on again.
Never used it for flatwork or hacking though.
 
I had a friend a while ago who fell off their horse and got trampled. The horse had spurs in and the body protector saved his chest being ripped apart so in that way i think it was highly useful!!!

i tend to wear one when riding my baby and for jumping/xc. xxx
 
Love mine, wear it nearly all the time especially in winter - extra warmth! I'm usually on a youngster and/or a busy road/jumping.
But I'm lucky - my airowear zippa plus fits like it was made to measure - I must be exactly the right shape for it, so I barely know its there.
The only time so far it's "saved" me was when a horse barged me into the end of a metal gate at high speed - I was unmounted but had forgotten I'd still got it on.
I just got a second as my 7yo one's no longer competition worthy. The new one is navy and goes over my jacket for jumping, the old one is bright yellow & I wear it hacking- whether drivers simply see me, or assume I'm unable to stay on a horse I don't know, but they nearly always slow right down!
 
I am a very strange person - I like my BP and find it incredibly comfortable. I wear it all the time I am riding no matter what I am doing. I have had some really horrible falls over the years and I always seem to land on my back. My back is not what it was and I don't want it to get any worse if I come off again, hence the BP. But it is very comfy, otherwise I wouldn't want to have it on.
 
I wear my all the time, if you always wear it you just get used to it. Had some nasty falls in the past without one on and wearing one would have saved me a lot of pain. I'm not at all scared of George but wearing one just gives me a little bit more confidence - but hey I am a worrier!
 
I never used to wear one but bought one for when I finally go to XC schooling. I started wearing it when I moved yard as he was a bit fresh and on his toes hacking out etc. Now I wear it all the time and it has become habit.

I do not find it uncomfortable but have a racesafe RS2000 so it is quite flexible.
 
I wear one for XC schooling and competition other than that I'd wear it if I were worried about the horse's possible behaviour.

I do have a naughty confession though. *winces* I put on so much weight that when I went to a competition and had to sort out daughter's pony who was being a little sh1t, by giving it an "extra" round, I passed the tack check without it on. It was a sort of last minute thing that they allowed me to tag on the end and I didn't have to time to go back to the lorry and so I thought "Well we'll see whether they notice" and they assumed I had it on under my shirt as there was so much bulk. It was only a 2'6" round though and I knew the pony very well, plus given his extreme panic about actually venturing onto the course I was only going to be trotting round to get his confidence up. We had a lovely round in the end as well - very slow but just what he needed to settle him down.
 
I've never worn one. My parents got me one when they first came about, but it was awful! A huge length of elastic which went between your legs
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I brought my kids body protectors. But they both rubbed them on their chests, so we gave up. I'd rather they learnt to fall off and roll away (like I was taught) then be restricted in their natural movement and be at more risk of falling off via not concentrating.
 
So how do you all teach 'how to fall'?
I remember being told to roll, and I do feel I ought to teach my daughters how to fall - but what are the practicalities - the years seem to have erased the memory!
 
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So how do you all teach 'how to fall'?
I remember being told to roll, and I do feel I ought to teach my daughters how to fall - but what are the practicalities - the years seem to have erased the memory!

[/ QUOTE ] I'd like to know this too.
I used to wear a BP all the time when I was a beginner a few years ago in my 40s. I no longer wear one. I have unfortunately had lots of falls. A BP certainly wouldn't have helped me in the particularly nasty one where I hit a breeze block wall and smashed-up my arm pretty badly! I tend to think that our most vulnerable bits are our extremities and they are not protected by a BP! That said I don't jump. If I did, I would probably wear one for that.
 
Always wear mine XC schooling or competing, and I am sure it saved a few bruises on Sunday. Don't wear it the rest of the time - no need. It is very comfy though, airowear reiver, but I do have to buy childs XL as adult ones are all too big. Only thing I wish is that it had shoulder guards. Used to wear one all the time on Twigs as she was so unpredictable, but after a few months graduated to not needing one. Must confess to occasionally jumping the spaniel-height XC jumps dotted round the fields without one though, as I don't wear it when I hack.
 
I wear mine every time I plan to jump, whether at home, on SJ/XC lessons or at a competition.
It's also becoming much more common in my area for people to use them when SJing.

Like Spottedcat, I don't wear it to pop over things out on a hack.

I used to feel a bit restricted in it but now I hardly notice it
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ps I was never taught how to fall?! I have been right through Riding School lessons and Pony club and I must've missed that lol. How do you?
I've noticed that falling off hurts more as an adult too!
 
I wear one for jumping only. If you get the right body protector they dont feel resrictive. Our YO is an ex stunt man, and is always trying to teach us how to fall off and neat ways to get on/off a horse!
 
I never ever ride without mine, I have had open heart surgery 3 times and my breat bone is held together with copper wire! However they are god awful things that make you sweat like a pig all summer! If it wasnt so nessacary for me to wear it I never would
 
i have one, but nevcer wore it until last year when i completely lost my confidence but now ride again without it but for h and s at the riding school i have to wear it jumping and hacking.
i got taught by my neighbour how to fall on one of her horses, i find with bp on i cant roll as much and feel more likely that ill get hurt with it on.
however when i first got it, it was too long in the back despite being "properly" fitted so it sat in the house, i went looking again when i started jumping seriously-ish and went to the same shop got served by the same women who tried me int he excat same bp, same size and she decredited as being too long in the back, so armed with that info emailed the maker and asked if they could either resize it by the 2 inches it needed off the back or exchange, they paid for me to post it back and resized it
 
I never used to wear one, but now my OH likes me to wear one whenever I'm jumping. I am happy without it (horse touch wood fairly reliable over jumps so far) but I know I'd be so angry with myself if I had a nasty fall and a back protector would have saved me. That's my main reason. I would always wear it for XC (not logs on hacks tho). Mine's a Charles Owen and although I hate to admit it, once I've had it on for 5 mins I've forgotten about it (except I do tip forwards more when I'm riding it). It's super-somfy and lightweight. I also have the shoulder protectors but have only worn them once.
 
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