Follow on from event tider death - frangible pins??

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Merlotmonster

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Following on from the awful news of yet another rider death, isnt it about time that frangible pins were used on EVERY cross country fence. I cant believe that with todays technology, this isnt possible, even on corner type fences and the like. Some may say this takes the challenge away, however even if it saved one life, it would be worth it. I event and you dont even realise which fences are frangible or not, so dont think it would take anything away from the cross country experience.
 
They could make a corner fence in 3 parts. if the top is rolled on, the back and top could collapse. Im not a designer but im sure someone could invent it. They managed to put frangible pins in gates and rails. Why not on more solid fences. All you need is a gap at the bottom or some mechanism to ensure the supports of the table type fences collapse under the weight of a horse.
 
After chatting to a few local jump judges, and especially after Sherelle Duke's tragic death last year at Brockenhurst at a fairly innocuous fence, the general consenus seemed to be that where frangible pins can be used they should be and where they can't; a ground line should be present. In the opinion of the jump judges I've spoken to rotational falls seem to occur at fences that don't have a clearly defined ground line.

Thankfully, I haven't seen any rotational falls and haven't seen more than a couple of fences where these falls have occurred so I wouldn't really know. Is anyone else in agreement with the jump judges I've spoken to?
 
Unfortunatly I witnessed Simon Long at Burghley a few years ago...not nice. That had a ground line, but the horse had no real chance to jump it as he was turned into the alternative after a refusal, and had only about 2 strides of trot before takeoff.
If there had been frangible pins then he would have been ok.

Just think, with the Goodyear sponsorship, designers now need to be seriously considering how they can put pins in all fences. If not, then that type of jump shouldnt be used. Not wanting to turn into a 'nanny state', but the loss of these young riders is just too tragic.
 
As a lot of the deaths seem to not be at events of the level of Badminton but at normal national level events is it currently a case that more frangible pins are used at the top events and less at lower levels ? Therefore would the problem be alleviated by making FPins compulsory for fences at all levels.

Corner fences have been improved by making it marked so that the corner cannot be jumped too far over using brush material or whatever. I can remember when that wasn't done.

My pet hate is the cattle feeder type of fence with a false ground line set back from the top of the fence and you see a lot of those unaffiliated.
 
I'm a fence judge & have witnessed 2 rotational falls - thankfully no harm done . I was also at a fence where the horse landed in the middle of the fence & got a bit panicky as his feet were slipping on the plastic of the shavings bales (used as a 'filler'.)
This fence had a pin & the rider was thrown clear & unharmed ; the horse was pushed backwards by the pinned fence & managed to get out , unharmed ( although he broke the rail , causing much head scratching & from course repair , who sorted out the problem & cut a new rail , only to have it broken again the next day ! ) Fence still about a few years on & no problems since then .

After 1999 , many new rules were introduced , such as not being allowed to whack a horse in front of a fence that the horse had refused at , but to circle instead . This helped a great deal .

Not being a course builder , I don't know if it is possible to pin every fence - but I'm hopeful .
 
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