Comment on Air Jackets Going off noise

Jnhuk

Jnhuk

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 April 2010
Messages
2,526
Location
Midlothian/Borders
Visit site
Was fence judging at a BE event yesterday and there were a couple of fallers near my fence. All the air jackets did their job very well but I was very surprised at how loud the hit air jacket was going off.

I thought it was the point 2 which were meant to be 'noiser'?

Thankfully they all did their job whichever make was being used and no riders or horses were hurt in the incidents.
 
Not heard a hit air go off but I have experienced my P2 a few times and it wasn't as loud as I was expecting- even my then very noise sensitive horse wasn't bothered or my then 4yro who I got off without unclipping from before and banged right next to him!
 
I have the Helite and it's not that loud. It went off when I came off in the practice ring with about 4 other horses in and none of them were bothered by it.
Won't ride without it now! :)
 
Honestly, I think all air jackets make a similar noise - in my experience horses react very little, despite the scare-mongers. They may "jump" a little, then it's over :)
 
I set off my hit air recently on my reactive/noise sensitive horse. I hopped off without unclipping.
She did not react at all and the noise was so quiet it took me a couple of seconds to realise what I had done!
 
I've had my hit air go off 5 times, don't thinks it's that loud. Horse jumped a bit but they jump away from the noise so no chance of hitting you.

I was stood holding my horse and someone let my jacket off as a joke once, horse never really bothered , just did a tiny jump but then so did I.
 
It's a noise, but not bad one. I was in a collecting ring a couple of weeks ago when someone's horse reared up and went over backwards on them. When their P2 went off the three horses within 10yds of them (including mine who was hyped to the eyeballs at the time) did precisely nothing.
 
Was at an event a few weeks ago and my friend came off - the noise of the air jacket frightened the bejesus out of the fence judge who clearly thought it was one of her limbs snapping and was screaming over her radio for the paramedics to come urgently! My friend had a job getting her to believe that it was the air jacket doing its job and she was actually OK :)
 
I've never understood the scaremongering that has done the rounds about the noise of an air jacket going off. I've yet to witness a horse react badly to it at all.
I think because it's such a short, sharp 'pop' it doesn't really register with them.

I also think that because all of the makes of jacket are basically the same principle with regards to activation they are all a similar noise & the same volume.
 
As said the jackets really aren't that noisy, plus if anything the horse gets more of a fright from the rider falling then the jacket making a small noise!!:D
 
I've fallen off my stupidly spooky horse several times (and forgotten to unclip once) and yet he hasn't batted an eyelid at my Hitair vest going off. Which is praise indeed as this is the horse that has a meltdown at butterflies and squirrels. They may sound loud to us but they really don't seem to bother the horses. If any horse would be worried, it'd be mine.
 
We were at Kelsall over the weekend, and a lady fell off and we were walking up to the next fence about 100m away from her and it was the noise of the canister going off that made us turn. Horse did bog off, but not sure how much of that was the gas noise, or that it was a resident horse as seemed to be heading off to the stables so knew where it was, rather than the other horses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top