Echoing a letter in Eventing mag

[Irishcobs]

Please wear a breastplate if you are doing any fast work. Even if you are just cantering around a field at home. Even if your saddle fits perfectly and girth is tight, you horse's belly can change when doing fast work and it can make the girth loose enough to slip back or round.
Especially wear one if going hunting or cross country, if a little course.
I was cantering Hattie around the back fields today, and after 15mins I could get her girth up two extra holes, that I normally can't do. If I hadn't been wearing a breastplate, my saddle could of easy slipped.
In a resent eventing comp, two riders/horses not wearing breastplates had their saddles slip back to bucking point and one horse's bolted throwing the rider who had to be air lifted to hospital, luckily the second managed to stop and redo the saddle.
I was told a of an accident, many years ago at a 4* event that the saddle slipped back as there was no breastplate, horse bolted and went over the wrong part of a jump, the fence at the edges of them, killing both horse and rider instantly.

Please use one, a few pounds could safe your life.

 

[kerrylou123]

unless im flat schooling at home, i always use one anyway, even though my saddle fits!

 

[Hattikins]

Totally totally agree with you!!! I does annoy me that Lucinda Green actively and openly said NOT to wear them because it restricted movement - question is -how tight did she have it on her horses!???

I had a similar experience to you, although it was about 3 years ago and i was 13ish. It was my first ever hunter trial on Fiddler and i had only had him for 5months. Not really thinkiing we put a fleece numnah under his saddle with no breast plate. The fleece numnah on a shiny clipped Fiddler meant by the 5 fence my saddle had not only slipped back but was also slipping round to the left quite violently

i managed to counterbalance the sideways slipping for the rest of the course and we came home clear but it gave me a fright and now i NEVER jump or hack out with out a breast girth/plate and i quite often use one when i school on the flat too.

Always Always use a breast plate!!!!

 

[Chex]

Wow, that had honestly never occured to me! I do generally use one for xc's, but not for general hacking and jumping. I think I'll dig my old one out. Thanks!

 

[jemima]

Never used one until an experience a couple of weeks ago - daughter was told to use a numnah provided by her school for the Inter-School showjumping. I've never met such a slippery numnah and how she got a double clear with the saddle where it was I have no idea. She nows uses a breastplate and we won't be using the school's numnah again!

 

[madgirl]

alwyas wear one hacking and hunting and usually on the flat too! it only cst £30 with a martingale attachment i think for that little amount of money everyone should wear thenm!

 

[Jemayni]

Hmm - this had never really occured to me. Thankyou for the advice I think I best invest!

 

[igglepiggle]

Wow, agree with Chex...never really thought about it. Use one for XC but hardly ever for fast work or showjumping. Will try to use it much more now, as only sits in the tack room otherwise. Do you think the elasticated ones are better, less restrictive?