Do you ride in a body protector?

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Toz

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Hi
This is for everyone that rides, with their own horse or not:
Do you ride with a body protector ever?
When? For jumping or hacking etc?
Have you always worn it for that purpose?
Any stories as to why you wear one?

I was just wondering what people in the horsey world generally do BP wise :)
Thanks
 
Never owned or ridden in one. Just personal preference as they seem bulky and expensive.
Probably will get shot down for this but I will probably never own or wear one. At the moment I only hack, but I would rather have the ability to naturally curl up into a ball than be restricted by a body protector. Ive had a few falls where Im glad I havent had a bp on as if I had been restricted in anyway I probably would have been seriously injured. Escaped with bruised ribs and doctor said that if I hadnt been able to fall and curl then It would have been worse.
However this is just my personal opinion. If I was doing high risk activities such as jumping/xc/racing I might wear one :)
 
I dont wear one except for cross country. Im not overly comfortable in one and prefer being less restricted.

I did however wear one a couple of days ago when riding a horse for the first time who hadnt been ridden in over a year but didnt wear it again after that day
 
Yes always and a HitAir vest

I won't get on my horse without one now, but I have has a few nasty accidents and my horse is known to be sharp at times.

I hack, school, compete in one
 
Yes I always wear one I wear the point two air jacket it is not bulky at all its just like wearing a waist jacket you do get use to them
 
Al wears one for babies, and sharp horses out hacking/ schooling and then XC she also wears a P2 (thanks to a very kind HHOer).

I wore one only for XC, and even then only because I had to. Hated it with a passion!
 
I have mine for xc. I told myself I'd always wear it but never do. When kenny came back in to work after a few months off I wore it for the first few hacks when he was fresh but don't anymore
 
I always wear one when I ride my mare as she's very sharp and it's only a matter of time until I come off at speed after one of her tants! I also always wear one when exercising other peoples horses as I just don't know them, however I will admit to not always wearing them it with the horse we own who I've grown up with, although you can never fully predict what a horse will do, he is 'safe' and I feel as if I know him well enough not to - however if we were going anywhere "fun" I would put it on. I don't like the feel of a BP but can honestly say that I don't really notice the racesafe I have once I'm onboard and we get going.
I bring this up every time I reply to a BP related thread, but was wearing a racesafe when I got involved in a nasty riding accident, and am so glad I was - every part of me was black and blue, completely battered and smashed to pieces - but the parts of me covered by the BP didn't even have a scratch on them. I couldn't ride for months and still have the pain and bruising on my legs a year and a half later, I would have been in a horrible state if I hadn't have been wearing that body protector and now fully realise the protection they can offer you in a situation like that.
 
I came off at speed and hit the arena fence, narrowly missing one of the posts! Husband's first words on reaching me: "I am buying you armour!" So he did, and I haven't ridden without it since. Was very glad of it when horse decided to trample me, lol!
 
Wore it today, needn't have bothered but I'm glad I did. Riding/jumping unfamiliar horse. If I was going to ride in it regularly I think I would invest in the air jacket kind though.
 
I don't come off often (hopefully) but never been unhappy about wearing a body protector when I do!

So in answer, always when hacking out, even on a dozy type person, but sometimes I don't if schooling, but only if I feel we are both in a calm focussed mood.
 
I was always an advocate of using one until I had two falls fairly close together (joys of baby wb) and tbh I can't say it hurt any less with the BP on!

Think I may invest in an air jacket tho as I seem to have a talent for winding myself when I land which isn't pleasant.
 
I almost always wear one. I have seen some horrific accidents (broken necks/ backs, one guy completely paralysed from neck down)
I have fallen off wearing one and still managed to break ribs, I dread to think what kind of mess I would have been in without it

They feel bulky to start with but you really do just get used to it. And a well fitting BP won't interfere with your riding. A badly fitting one feels horrible
 
For me it is a case of if you come off without one you could be fine or you could really hurt yourself, if you come off with one then you could still really hurt yourself, BUT there is a good chance your BP will protect you from at least some of the damage. So what is there to loose by wearing one?

That said, I don't always wear one, I know I should, but they aren't the most comfortable of contraptions and they are sweltering in the heat and bulky when trying to wear them with layers in the cold. I do always wear one the first few times on a horse I don't know. Always wear one jumping or XC. Currently wearing one when hacking my new boy as he can put in a good spook and a buck.
 
I almost always wear my racesafe, everytime when hacking and depending on the horse, almost every time when I'm schooling too. I had a nasty fall where I ended up draped over a fence a few years back and walked away with no injuries due to the bp. Also got kicked in the chest by a 17.2 warmblood walking him back from the arena after a ride, flew backwards 10ft, got back up and had nothing but bruised ribs. I like my bp.
 
Yep! Always wear mine for hacking out, fast work etc! Big lad has an excitable buck in him & I have come off at speed and a standstill before now whilst out so I am careful!

However, I don't wear mine for schooling.
 
I have never worn one and never wanted too. Having spent 23 years in the foam industry, I was horrified that the manufacturers only wanted the cheap stuff and weren't interested in anything that was actually going to do any good. I also see that under NZ rules, if you wear one of the air vests for cross country, you have to wear one of the standard ones as well.

They also don't state any safety standard that the vest has to comply with like they do with helmets. As a friend of mine said, you could wear a cardboard box and it would qualify. Like that makes any sense.

However have recently started jumping and some venues insist, so I have one which I bought second hand. I have taken most of the (cheap nasty) foam out of it and it is just comfortable enough to wear. I have only had to wear it once, and got dropped, but the bit of me that hit the ground first was below the level of the vest. Go figure!

And OT, but what is a "sharp" horse. Have never heard that expression - I have an Arabian and two Anglos, they are lively with a tendency to overreact - my gelding is a recreational shier, but sharp?
 
NZJenny said:
I have never worn one and never wanted too. Having spent 23 years in the foam industry, I was horrified that the manufacturers only wanted the cheap stuff and weren't interested in anything that was actually going to do any good. I also see that under NZ rules, if you wear one of the air vests for cross country, you have to wear one of the standard ones as well.

They also don't state any safety standard that the vest has to comply with like they do with helmets. As a friend of mine said, you could wear a cardboard box and it would qualify. Like that makes any sense.

However have recently started jumping and some venues insist, so I have one which I bought second hand. I have taken most of the (cheap nasty) foam out of it and it is just comfortable enough to wear. I have only had to wear it once, and got dropped, but the bit of me that hit the ground first was below the level of the vest. Go figure!

And OT, but what is a "sharp" horse. Have never heard that expression - I have an Arabian and two Anglos, they are lively with a tendency to overreact - my gelding is a recreational shier, but sharp?
Click to expand...

There are safety standard here http://www.beta-uk.org/pages/safety/body-protectors.php although I don't know how rigorous they are. It is also a rule here that you have to wear a rigid BP with an air-vest for anything XC.

I usually hack in an air-vest as I hack mainly alone and my horse can get a little excited at times and put a few bucks in as well as the odd spin. Who knows if it will do any good if I come off but it's comfortable to wear so why not? If I were jumping I would probably wear both.

However his last really naughty behaviour (bronking) was in a showing class and really I couldn't wear one for that so had to take the risk and not ride with one luckily in his last outing he was impeccably behaved.
 
I have been riding with a body protector for about 7 years now, mainly due to the fact my parrents said they would sell my horse if I ever got on one without it (my mum had a nasty fall when she used to ride and still suffers the effects 25 years later). I am so used to wearing one that I don't feel like I am wearing it. I have never felt restricted by them in a fall (I suppose its because I am just so used to wearing them). I ride them for hacking, flatwork, jumping and competing. There have been times when I have been incredibly thankfull to have been wearing one, like when I horse I was riding reared up and went over backwards, squashing me. My 5yr old is a bit of an idiot and he can get silly to the point of dangerous (big rears and bucks) and I don't feel that it would be wise to get on him at this current point in time without one. Besides, they are great for strapping things in and act as a sports bra ;)

One of the things I hate the most though, is that many people assume people who ride with body protectors are nervous novices. Not everyone is a nervous novice that wears one so please don't make the assumption that we must be one!
 
With my old mare, trust her completely and only ever wore one for XC because rules applied. In fact, I hadn't worn one regularly for so long, I still had a Child XL from when I was 12, I'm now 20 and 5ft8 so it was a little small! I invested in an Airowear Outlyne earlier this year due to having 3 years off from riding and deciding my new horse should be a 5 year old ex racer... Probably not the best decision I've ever made! But so far so good! I wear it out hacking and doing XC and if he's had a couple weeks off for anything, as, for a while, he got so excited that he managed to get the correct lead in canter he did a MASSIVE buck (Felt more like he was just jumping a 1.10 fence - most comfortable buck I've ever sat, and I've had quite a few buckers in my life). However, I was riding a horse for someone else, a known bucker, and I felt the BP got in the way of me 'going with the horse' so I didn't wear it, felt safer, and never fell off.
 
Yes for hacking out both of mine. The TB can be sharp and known to rear and spin and the youngster is unbalanced still. It's my choice, it's a racesafe, totally comfortable and I forget I'm wearing it.
 
Having spent 3 years at a riding school where i had to wear one, i hated the bloody things! But, 2 years ago i bought Toby, a lovely 3 year old unbroken cob, and decided for the first sit on and walk around it was being put back on. Never wore it again after that, i forgot i even had it as he is the safest horse i had ever met, will go anywhere and do anything i asked from hacks to hunting. Until last week, when it came to trying a bit of XC schooling at Lazy Acres, i pulled my BP out dusted it off and packed it in the car, just in case it was in the rules to wear one. Got there and no rules, so i left it in the car and off we went, spent 30 mins wandering round taking it all in and warming up, and did a couple of nice easy fences, until we came to a step/platform combination that we had never done before, did it one way no problem, then tried the other way, we jumped up, but toby forgot it was a step and tripped and drove his face into the gravel trying to push himself up, by that time we had reached the edge, and rather than risk him going over, i came off, straight down onto the other side of the step so from shoulder height to floor, about a 7ft fall, straight onto my shoulder. Im now pinned and plated, and will not be able to ride for at least 8 weeks and already going mad, i cant even pick his feet out. so, as soon as im fit enough to get back on, my Bp will be joining me.

Even the best horses can trip, better to be safe than sorry. We make children wear them, so why dont we?
 
I bought one of the first body protectors with the strap between your legs, it was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn and went on to ride without one for many many years without one. A few years ago I got hit by a car out riding, after that I started to become more aware of the dangers and it also took smaller and smaller accidents to cause a great deal of pain! I now hack in a racesafe BP with a hit-air jacket and school in my BP. I used to school without my BP as we have a lovely sand and rubber surface until one horse had a bucking fit and threw me over the fence onto the paddock floor next to it! My BP is so comfortable I have driven home in it because I forgot I had it on! I have fallen off in my airbag a few times and it was so comfortable I didn't realise I had hit the floor. I know it is personal choice but I don't understand why people can be so reluctant to wear protective gear when in other sports you are the odd one out if you don't wear it.
 
Can you ware one of these air jackets without an under bp. does it still do something to protect you. i think i would like to ware one but no one else i ride with does. i might feel a big wuss. that wouldnt bother me.
My last fall i got whiplash, do these things protect your neck?

d
 
You can wear one without a bp under it - I do for hacking and plenty of other people do. It is supposed to give neck support when it inflates and two people on may yard have recently bought one as both have suffered severe whiplash and concussion symptoms lasting over 6 months. Both are experienced riders and both came off in the school landing on a sand/rubber surface so were really unlucky. One doesn't work but the other has had nearly 6 months off work and is still not 100%.

However as I understand it there hasn't been any specific testing of the air type protectors as to their effectiveness it is just based on what it could prevent and anecdotal evidence.
 
For the comments about needing to wear a solid BP with an airvest for XC - I believe it is because the air jackets can't get the necessary accreditation due to the fact they rely on a firing mechanism to work. I.e. while they work 99.99999% of the time the manufactures can't guarantee they with always work, whereas solid BPs functionality is structural therefore can't 'misfire'.

I also agree with Polos comment about the slight disdain one receives when wearing one. I've had a few raised eyebrows when choosing to wear one out hacking. Doesn't stop me, but there still is a prejudice associate with them. But then I guess it took a while for everyone to come around to hats...

Talking of hats - tacked my boy up in all his hacking gear, put on my body protector, gloves, found my whip, took him to the mounting block, foot in stirrup about to swing over when some one shouted across the yard: "you haven't got your hat on!"... I was mortified!
 
I bought a new one last year with the intention of doing a bit of xc. I haven't ridden in it yet - I probably should do to see if its comfortable.
Im guessing that the only time I'll wear it is if I go XC.

I remember years ago, I broke my arm jumping and my dad insisted that I was to wear a bp to ride after. I think I wore it a couple of times - he soon realised that it wouldn't have stopped me hurting myself on that occasion and stopped insisting on it.
 
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