Do you hack in a Body Protector?

Damnation said:
This is what I found when I rode in one!!
I couldn't move with the horse if it bucked or reared because the bloody back protector would stop me!!
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I've sat bucks and rears in mine with no issue and my horse bucks vertically! Unless your BP doesn't fit properly it shouldn't effect your ability to stay on.
 
I have to :( on order from the docs...ive got herniated disks in the lumbar spine. eek. I absolutely HATE wearing it. I have one of champions protectors and same sort of body shape! 5'5 and a rather large chest...not good combo with a body protector!
 
CarnivalPleasure said:
I have to :( on order from the docs...ive got herniated disks in the lumbar spine. eek. I absolutely HATE wearing it. I have one of champions protectors and same sort of body shape! 5'5 and a rather large chest...not good combo with a body protector!
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Get a racesafe, they're so comfy compared to the off the shelf ones!
 
Yes, always. Even on the most dobbin of a horse.

Having been dragged across a large field behind a galloping pony my BP saved me from an awful lot of injuries!

I've also had a horse spook, spin and fall on top of me (16.3 horse!) and my BP meant the only injuries I sustained were a few bruises.

I have an airowear zippa and it is so comfy and does not hinder me at all.
 
I don't own or wear a BP. That's my personal choice entirely. However I am full of admiration for those who do - I have a friend who competes in endurance at distances of up to 100km in a day. Okay, so there's no jumping involved, but as far as I'm concerned it's admirable that she's able to (and prefers to) wear it even for some very long and weary hours, under anything from the hottest to the coldest weather conditions. She deserves a bit of respect for that, I think!
 
CarnivalPleasure said:
Really? Hm...i might take a look. Because i have to wear one i suppose i should get one that fits properly!!!!
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Yes, they are super! My friend I mentioned above that uses it for just hacking (and has fallen off in it several times) is a totally different size to me, I'm a tall thin rake and she's a curvy proper woman but we both find the racesafe really comfy.

It has laces at the side so you can adjust it a bit if you have layers on etc
 
Dizzle said:
Get a racesafe, they're so comfy compared to the off the shelf ones!
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Second this, I have one and love it! I'm 5'8 size 10 (on top) and mine is a child XL :o

I always xc school/compete in one, always wear one if I'm riding a youngster, and when my horse is going through nappy phases and there's a high likelihood of him bucking I school and hack in one too... I don't have any problem sitting out bucks etc in a BP, and have actually found that if horse is being a div and someone arrives with my BP for me to put on in preparation for a fight, he usually sees it and realises I'm no longer afraid of falling off... at that point he's happy to go forward again :rolleyes:
 
Years ago we never wore hats.

But I never wore a body protector until I was dumped on a road verge and I am sure I would have ended up paralysed if I had landed on the tarmac. I was upside down hanging from my stirrups(safety) and my horse trotted off with me.

I only landed about 2 foot BANG and was completely winded and hurt my back too. I am sure a body protector would have softened the blow a bit in this case. However I do boil on even a cool day in summer its a nightmare(very hot). I am quite old fashioned etc ie never use to have all this stuff(I still ride a bike without a hat on, and have had people waggle their fingers at me in disgust).

But I have just started having lessons again and do feel happier with it on(perhaps I am just getting old now)! More of a wimp too! No bounce in me!

So yes, I think they have made better ones for women with boobs???
 
Spotsrock said:
When I get home and see what make sharers is I'll post it for you, Mine is a 'just togs' rigid one but I am very short and quite top heavy and I actually get on really well with it. It's quite flexible and doesn't get stuck on the back of the saddle which is a problem with being short! It's too hot in summer but I don't notice much difference in my riding.

Sharer has a flexible one which I have tried, it is really comfy and somehow cooler than mine but I can't remember the make, comes in a rigid form which one of the girls at the yard has and likes but I have never tried.

Sharer being under 18 and parentally funded has to comply with parental rules, ie BP everytime she rides.

I wear mine to jump, so SJ, XC, hacking where we intend to jump or may come across things to jump. I don't wear it for a hack where I know there is no jumping or day to day schooling though I do wear it on a new horse the 1st time I ride it but this stems from being on a probationary period at work where I would not get paid for sick leave!! I never used to but have got less brazen recently. Up until 2 years ago I didn't even wear it for big XC on my B as I trust her but I guess if she makes a genuine mistake it would still hurt!

They are generally more accepted than they were when I was Sharer's age, and a lot more comfortable!
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I'm the Sharer lol :) i have an airowear one, it is very very comfy and i don't actualy get that hot in it. At first its not that flexible but even then its more flexible than the not flexible ones, but once you ride in it for a few min, its moulds to your body and warms up. When i take it off afterwards its so flexible that i can squish it into a ball. The foamy thing has loads of little holes for vetilation, its also adjustable so you don't have to worry about not fitting in it if you eat too much or it being too big if you loose weight :) I really like it and feel much safer in it :) here's a link for you :

http://www.rideaway.co.uk/airowear-...utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=purenet_feed
 
I've recently bought one. I have a Kan, and I love it, I'm 5'4" and *ahem* well endowed, and the Kan fits perfectly. The others I tried felt awful.

I'm currently riding our homebred, this is the first horse I've backed, so a BP seems pretty important to me, although I do realise that any part of me below the waist isn't protected by a BP. I don't wear it on my 19 year old, although i was having the discussion with myself tonight as to whether I should start to.

Don't want to bore anyone with yet more pics of me and Ellie, so here's a link, the last few pics shows me wearing my Kan. http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=445800&highlight=foal+grows
 
I always hack in a BP. And also wear it in the school. I am a bit of a nervous rider and find it makes me feel more safe. I also used to share a horse who randomly fell over every now and then, and it has saved me some very bad bruises at the very least!

I have an airowear - it is super comfy but a bit too hot in the summer but will happily trade nasty sweaty marks with a heavy landing on a hard surface - ouch!!!! ;)
 
I have a Racesafe BP which I wear on the younger mare out hacking, but not on the 21 year old, although both a pretty bombproof. Sometimes I forget, but when I am on the mare, I feel a bit lost without it....
 
Yep doesn't bother me, although the bottom does touch my saddle at the back a bit, but thats a good thing as it stops me slouching, I don't really notice it's there when riding.
 
I only wear one for xc and I even remember the days when you didn't have to wear one for that! (I am only 33).I recall when they made them compulsory for XC we were all like "God, what do I have to wear that for!". Glad they've come on in design now!

I just don't feel the need to when out hacking or showjumping etc. I guess the chances of having a life threatening injury is pretty minimal so I work on that basis. I don't wear a helmet driving a car or wear full body protection or a stab vest when walking out in public. I guess I take on the risk and feel the chance of serious injury is minimal.
 
Yes, always. Accidents are just as (more?) likely to occur out and about. I could be as damaged falling onto fencing/growing trees etc as show/xc jumps.

Sorry, not the same shape as you so can't recommend but noticed there seems to be a lot more choice recently... was amazed when we got OH's one fitted recently. (NB he also wears it every time out now.)
 
Nope only wear one for xc and sometimes for jumping

It really outs me out of position when I'm schooling, and I have to get on and off a lot when I hack and I can't do that with a bp on.

Have to say, different to everyone else, my airowear is the most uncomfortable thing in the world, my old racesafe was much better
 
At the moment, I wear one everytime I get on my horse, because I've just broken him in, and he's still unpredictable.
I work with horses fulltime, and my boss would go mad if I didn't take every possible precaution to protect myself from injury and any subsequent time off work, lol :D
 
I used to be fully protected once when mine was a serious napper, she would rear up, almost over the top then spin around and gallop off as fast as she could home. No way of stopping her so I used to have to bail out onto verges, so yes, I deffo wore a body protector!
I don't now though, gypsys *usually* a little gem on the roads, but he too has a slight napping problem but he's easy to stay on :D
 
ALways hack in a BP. I have a horse that can spin. 99% of the time he is fantastic but there is always that 1%! I accept that if I injure myself riding it is my own fault because I took a calculated risk. I just don;t see the point of increasing that risk. I also wear HiViz- it's available so I think stupid not to!!!!!
I do have to ride down a busy A road where cars/motorbikes regularly pass us at 60+mph though!!!

I did change my BP recently though as it was too large and restrictive, so I would certainly suggest getting one fitted and wearing the smallest size possible for comfort and ease of riding.
 
noblesteed said:
I did change my BP recently though as it was too large and restrictive, so I would certainly suggest getting one fitted
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Exactly, a correctly fitted BP should not be restrictive and should not effect your position.

The main reason I wear a BP out hacking is not because of my horse, she is super to hack but because some of the idiots you may encounter on the roads and tarmac is pretty hard to fall onto!
 
Well I hack out in my airbag vest on my 17.2hh Trakehner mare every time; it's a flipping long way down for a little shortie like me! I bought it just after we bought her as a four year old, and she bucked me off completely out of the blue. She only did it once again about a year later, and I was really glad I was wearing it! Saved me from really hurting myself. I know they are mega expensive (but then so was the horse lol), and it just looks, and feels, just like a regular riding gilet.
 
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