For those who are umming and erring over wearing body protectors

Slinkyunicorn

Slinkyunicorn

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I know there are some of you who are in two minds about wearing body protectors - the following is about 2 adults at my yard.

In the last two weeks there have been two seperate but similar accidents on our yard. Both riders were wearing hats and one was wearing a body protector (all of which have subsequently gone in the bin). Both have suffered from concussion and both have amnesia. One has regained most of his memory - apart from about 12 hours which includes the accident up until he left hospital. The other lady still has amnesia and can only remember approx the last 15 mins. The man in the first accident still has a stiff neck and a painful knees - otherwise he is ok. He was wearing a body protector. The lady however is still in hospitasl with cracked ribs and has been transferred to a bigger hospital for treatment. Both of these accidents happened when walking and trotting - not galloping or jumping.

If the lady had been wearing a body protector she maybe at home now - not in hospital in pain.

PLEASE PLEASE think again about a body protector.
 
I always wore a body protector for any type of riding & they were very cumbersome in those days !

I'd hate to force people to wear one , but as your post clearly shows , they can make a big difference to severity of injuries .

Wishing a speedy recovery to the two injured riders & food for thought to those who shun BP's .
 
My friends horse fell backwards into a ditch last year. The fact she was wearing a body protector was definately the difference between a nasty injury and the minor one she recieved after the horse rolled onto her.
That said i only wear one whe i think there is too great a risk to not wear one
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funnily enough I wouldn't wear a BP unless it was for xc. Although my worst fall happened while happily walking along when the beast decided to throw a fit and throw me on the road. I don't think a BP would have prevented my injuries however, as it was head injury and arm- shoulder injury.
 
The biggest problem I have with them is that I am short backed and the only body protectors I can find push me out of the saddle, making it more likely that I will fall off in the first place. I have a body guard jacket which I wear when it is not too hot to wear a heavish jacket, but would like a lighter version (preferably in flourescent) for summer
 
I always wear one for jumping at competitions and at home if I think there is a risk. Fallen off once on a post and rail fence and also been thrown against a jump wing, only had a slightly sore back thanks to body protector.
 
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OMG I got off lightly yesterday then!

Can I hi jack the thread a touch and ask if anyone knows of any good back protectors for big chested ladies? Sorry
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but thanks in advance
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I think the best thing to do is to go to a tack shop that stocks 3 or 4 different makes and then try them on until you find the one that fits you best - they all have lots of different fittings now - such as long and shorter backs etc. I am fairly big chested and have just bought an new airowear BP which has been moulded to accommodate bumps in all the right places!!
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If you can't get one of the peg I think its the Rodney Powell range that can be made to measure - don't cost a lot more than 'off the peg'. I think MrsMozart has one - am sure she will be able to tell you more about times and price.
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The biggest problem I have with them is that I am short backed and the only body protectors I can find push me out of the saddle, making it more likely that I will fall off in the first place. I have a body guard jacket which I wear when it is not too hot to wear a heavish jacket, but would like a lighter version (preferably in flourescent) for summer

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I have exactley the same problem!! I feel very insecure in a body protector as it prevents me from being able to move with the horse should it spook etc - so unless they become lighter, sleeker and made to fit ALL shapes and sizes i'll risk it without!!
 
QR My worst falls having been during flatwork sessions or out hacking, I now always wear one. I always forget I have it on anyway, it's not overly cumbersome.
 
I've just ordered a new one with matching shoulder pads in my xc colours,its a birthday pressie. I've been meaning to get an up to date level one for a while,xc is me and my mares fave thing so will be doing lots of it sn i hope,want to be protected best i can. Even SJ in the school she gets sooo excited and although i know what to do to chanel her you, never know! I don't mind wearing them at all,they don't feel cumbersome to me,i had a very nice Jack Ellis one for years,it was sooo comfy and it didn't feel bulky,but it was only a orange level one so i binned it. My new one is a Rodney Powell Elite.
 
Totally agree, When I was a kid I fell off my 12hh pony while jumping and hurt my back so badly I could barely walk.....I did have a body protector on and the doctor remarked that I could've seriously injured my back had I not had it on.
 
Wearing a body protector should be a no brainer. As someone who rides and is an A&E specialist the advantages that these confer far outweigh the disadvantages in the event of a fall.
None of us set out to fall off but it is a likely consequence of riding and those who say that they don't think a body protector would have helped are, shall we say, making assumptions that are not based in fact. What is a fact is that those who do wear body protectors suffer far fewer injuries that those without, suffer less severe injuries and are back in the saddle quicker with less loss of confidence
 
I have fallen off much more frequently when wearing a BP because I can't cope so well with sudden spooks/relax enough/slouch into the saddle to slow down when she's on her toes and as a result have stopped wearing one, but after spending a week in bed after a minor fall (I'm a young adult so would have thought fairly resilient) i'd really like something comfortable and i just don't get on well with anything.

You say the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, but honestly a fall is always going to be worse than no fall.

Having said that, I'm tempted by an Exo or a made-to-measure Racesafe.
 
I always ride in my outlyne BP.

I broke all my ribs in a fall and had to be airlifted to hospital (many thanks to the Glasgow Air Ambulance). It was an ordinary fall and my elbow went into my ribs as I landed on my side.

Having had broken ribs, I do not want to have them again. Breathing was almost too painful at times.

Another time I was leading my horse and he barged me onto a dry stone wall. I landed across the wall on my ribs. I only had shock and a bit or bruising after this because I had on my BP.

I do not agree with this nanny nation we have become, but I agree with being sensible.

I work in a hospital and it makes be cringe everytime I see a motorbiker in shorts or a t-shirt and shorts without the appropriate boots and gloves. If they came off, they would not have enough skin left to graft the areas which have been degloved (where skin and some muscle have been ripped off). Sorry, I digress.
 
I had the same problem.

solution was to get bp fitted by manufacturers. racesafe offer theirs in short back lengths and do fittings at lots of the big shows. the only thing i can not do is sitting trot in the dressage saddle. its so comfy, that if i'm schooling my connie (has a gp), i often wear it as a waistcoat.

previous bp had been "fitted" at local saddlers, but gave me back ache every time I wore it.
 
I had been very anti body protectors, but following my recent fall I went to a a large tack shop and spent well over an hour having a hat and body protector properly fitted. I'd always found them too long in the back and not accomodating of my broad shoulders.

Haven't had a chance to ride in it yet - but I think I will even wear it on my very safe pony as well as my youngster because I'd rather be safe than sorry...

xx
 
I think protection is essential, but as a latecomer to riding I am simply stunned at peoples inability to fall safely.

I recently took a tumble, at a canter in the school, right in front of my OH and two of her friends. My OH has seen me fall often enough to no longer worry. It doesn't happen THAT often, but it does happen. One of her friends who saw me fall (it was a high speed dismount when my lad turned sharp left and I didn't) said "OMG, he's so relaxed", which is the key. If you tense and you don't roll, you could get hurt in the most minor tumble. Look at the recent pictures of poor Zara bailing out. Her landing was about as safe as it could have been because she stayed relaxed and rolled to be feet down.

It is not possible to prevent all injuries from all falls, but knowing how to fall and roll could save a lot of unnecessary injuries.

And climbs down from soap box...
 
I bought a back protector years ago and never used it - because I'm tall I had to buy a man's one (so that it was long enough) only it [obviously] wasn't designed to be worn by someone with 40DD boobs, it was ans uncomfortable as feck, and when the horse spooked I nearly fell off cos I couldn't move to "go" with her!

Are they better than that nowadays?
 
I got a made-to-measure Rodney Powell body protector 2 weeks ago.
I am 6ft1 and they added an inch into the shoulder for me. It didnt cost any extra either - well just an extra 6quid for posatge from factory to me.

Its the most comfortable thing i have ever worn / ridden in.
and I managed to fall off it wearing in the warm up ring of the show i was on sunday (cue, everyone roll their eyes at the numpty falling off from trot
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LOL)

my boobs aren't very big, but i know they do "moulded" versions for bigger chested ladies
 
I have DD boobs and I have a made to measure Racesafe. I love it, used to have a Rodney Powell and I found it very uncunfortable and hard to breathe.

I find the way the adjustment laces work on the Racesafe good because I can tighten different bits more or less to fit with my curves.
 
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