Do you wear a body protector when out hacking?

[debsflo]

Always, you never know what can happen even with the best horse.

 

[Natz88]

I always wear one on my youngster hacking, jumping etc, but I don't wear it when I ride my haffy.

 

[Karran]

I wear mine on the odd occasion I hack and jump and always in winter for extra warmth!

 

[monkeybum13]

Yes, always! My worst falls have been out hacking and without my BP my hospital stays may have been a lot longer!

Never fallen on the road but don't fancy it without some protection

 

[JFTDWS]

A BP will save you a few bruises, but I highly doubt that in a fall bad enough to be life threatening that it would make much difference.

Agreed, and no, I don't either. And no, I don't just go for "slow wanders out" either

 

[Cheiro1]

Without fail!

Infact I wear it for nearly everything, I don't school my own mare in one, however I do school the other horse I ride in one as he is quirky and prone to standing up/rodeoing when he feels like it, and I wouldn't jump without it.

 

[Mike007]

What, you had a friend who died out hacking? A BP will save you a few bruises, but I highly doubt that in a fall bad enough to be life threatening that it would make much difference.

Totaly agree, a body protector may save a few bruises ,or when jumping ,a bash against a pole (but of rather limited value i think). The idea first developed in racing,to protect riders from "hoof cuts" from following horses after a fall. I dont believe these protectors give remotely the protection their wearers expect. I have had many hard ,fast ,tumbles in my life and can honestly say that a body protector has never altered the outcome ,other than to avoid a few bruises.Hats and High viz ,yay, I am with them all the way, They work, they save lives.Body protectors, no.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I wear mine everytime I ride but then horse is very spooky.

 

[Shantara]

My friend would have probably been saved from a broken back, if she had her BP on. She fell and the horse kicked her spine as he ran off.

Luckily she lived and is fine, but she will never get rid of her bad back.

 

[touchstone]

I'm another that doesn't wear one for hacking, and I don't do slow hacks either.

 

[marmalade76]

How very naive and inexperienced you must be m'dear if you truly believe that.

Ha ha ha ha!

I don't wear a BP out hunting either and I would rather die than have anyone wipe my arse

 

[Kat]

No I don't, I have it for times when wearing one is complusory. I find it hinders my ability to stick on and so I have suffered injuries I may have avoided without. I had a phase of wearing it for all jumping but it knocked my confidence having a couple of falls where the bp made things worse so now it is under the stairs.

 

[Spotsrock]

I've started to. New horse is soo big and i'm very small. He's a baby so if I come off i'm more likely to be hurt and he's less likely to keep himself safe than my small older girlie who just waits for me on rare occasion she drops me.

 

[JFTDWS]

My friend would have probably been saved from a broken back, if she had her BP on. She fell and the horse kicked her spine as he ran off.

That's counter factual science - you can't predict what would have happened if she'd been wearing a bp as she wasn't - it's flawed logic, really, since the protection offered by a bp is not absolute (like not getting on the horse in the first place). There's no probably about it - bps just aren't that good at dissipating the energy involved in major impacts. They have massive benefits in certain circs, but they aren't a guarentee of a safe ride by a very long chalk.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Yes I always wear one out hacking. My mare can be unpredictable and whilst I appreciate that not every injury can be prevented, I will at least take precautions in an attempt to reduce the risk. I'm too old to bounce any more - more likely to dent the tarmac!

 

[Kat]

I agreed JFTD, it isn't as much a guaranteed benefit as a hat. I wouldn't dream of riding without a hat and neither would my dh, but neither of us bother with a bp.

 

[Shantara]

That's counter factual science - you can't predict what would have happened if she'd been wearing a bp as she wasn't - it's flawed logic, really, since the protection offered by a bp is not absolute (like not getting on the horse in the first place). There's no probably about it - bps just aren't that good at dissipating the energy involved in major impacts. They have massive benefits in certain circs, but they aren't a guarentee of a safe ride by a very long chalk.

It wasn't a major impact. The horse simply caught her as it beggered off, it wasn't a proper kick. It wasn't a nasty break either (I think it may have even just been a fracture), she only spent a few days in hospital, but a BP would have given her that padding between the hoof and her back.

 

[JFTDWS]

I agreed JFTD, it isn't as much a guaranteed benefit as a hat. I wouldn't dream of riding without a hat and neither would my dh, but neither of us bother with a bp.

even a hat isn't a guarenteed benefit either though - you can walk away from a fall where you hit your head without one, or concuss yourself (or worse!) with one (as I know from experience both ways ). Obviously a hat offers a great deal more protection relative to a bp though, I agree!

 

[Kat]

Yeah I know a hat isn't a guarantee, and can actually make neck injuries worse but in the majority of times a hat will have a positive effect on head injuries.

 

[3Beasties]

I very rarely wear a BP. The only time I would for hacking is if I was on new/young horse but that would probably only be for the first couple of days if I felt the need.

 

[JFTDWS]

It wasn't a major impact. The horse simply caught her as it beggered off, it wasn't a proper kick. It wasn't a nasty break either (I think it may have even just been a fracture), she only spent a few days in hospital, but a BP would have given her that padding between the hoof and her back.

Sorry but that's not the point - you would have to be psychic to know the highlighted portion of your comment. Loads of people come out with this sort of tripe - "I fell off and would've died if I hadn't had my bp on" - it's a completely flawed logic, whether they choose to believe it or not. There is no way you can make a statement like that with any degree of certainty, or indeed, often probability.

 

[JFTDWS]

Yeah I know a hat isn't a guarantee, and can actually make neck injuries worse but in the majority of times a hat will have a positive effect on head injuries.

can't dispute that

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Yes I always wear one out hacking. I bought one many years before but never wore it. Then one day I was chatting to a lovely lady at my yard about a nasty accident she had. Some nutty motorcyclist followed her on her horse for ages along a road, horse lost it and she was dragged on the road and scrapped her back all along the road, since that she always wore one and after that story so did i! My BP is perfectly comfy once on and I simply dont feel right without it, each to their own but I always wear mine

 

[dafthoss]

Only hacked on the yellow pony once in it and that was when I was recovering from a rather nasty fall from another little darling . At the time it was painful to move my back and the bp just held me that bit stiller so it didnt hurt, yellow pony was getting ideas above his station and needed to do some thing so I dosed my self up and went for a hack, that wasnt as quiet as I had planned. Cant think of any thing else I have hacked in one though, I only tend to wear it for xc because I have to.

 

[Holly Hocks]

even a hat isn't a guarenteed benefit either though - you can walk away from a fall where you hit your head without one, or concuss yourself (or worse!) with one (as I know from experience both ways ). Obviously a hat offers a great deal more protection relative to a bp though, I agree!

When you concussed yourself with the hat on, did the hospital tell you that if you hadn't been wearing a hat you wouldn't have had the concussion injury? Or would the injury have been worse without a hat? Just interested in how not wearing one would have prevented the injury.

I've had a fall SJ on grass - I hit my head, and when I took the skull cap off, it had cracked in the impact of the fall. I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't been wearing the hat - as it was, I got away with mild concussion.

 

[sallyballybee]

No not even for the common ridings :S I got fitted for one once and took it off straight away.....really hurt my back and I couldn't move properly didn't like it at all. If I was going to do xc or anything I defo would tho

 

[Shantara]

Sorry but that's not the point - you would have to be psychic to know the highlighted portion of your comment. Loads of people come out with this sort of tripe - "I fell off and would've died if I hadn't had my bp on" - it's a completely flawed logic, whether they choose to believe it or not. There is no way you can make a statement like that with any degree of certainty, or indeed, often probability.

Ok, ok, fine, I believe you! :rollseyes:. (Do excuse me, I don't know how to do that smiley!)
That said, I don't care what you say, I'd rather take a kick with a BP, than without one.

 

[Parker79]

Ok - so those who don't wear one...would you/do you let your children ride without one??

 

[Hutchlou]

Absolutely always, regardless of what I'm doing. Likewise, my 11 year old daughter does too. I would feel naked without it!!

 

[Mince Pie]

I do on my TB but not my cob as he is pretty sane and sensible.