POINT TWO AIRBAG BODY PROTECTOR

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turningpoint

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For the first time in over two years, my young horse finally decked me today - spooking at something on the ground during a hack - no idea what happened, normally my stickability keeps me on board but this time the boy got me. Scarily I was wearing my Point Two airbag body protector, and whilst I had hold of him when I came off the side, the minute the BANG went off he panicked and got away, straight back the way we came and onto the main road near the farm. I guess it was our lucky day because no cars were coming round the blind bend where he emerged from the field and my friend - whom I had called on my mobile, got out onto the road and managed to catch him. Won't be wearing the airbag again out hacking though. Will stick to my quiet old fashioned body protector and reserve the airbag for when we are safely surrounded by fencing!! No point in saving myself if I kill my horse and some unsuspecting motorist....

My horse may, of course, have run off anyway, but my friend who was with me said it was definitely when the bang went off that my horse disappeared into the distance. Very frustrating because I do think the airbag is BRILLIANT and will always wear it during competition.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? The company maintain that it is very rare for horses to react - calling the noise a "pop" - to me and my friend it sounded like a rifle going off - or a bird scarer - and my horse always reacts to the latter.
 
No way on earth I'd hack in one - for that exact reason... My horse wets himself at bird scarers, he'd probably think I'd shot him.

Least you and your beast were ok today.

eta - I don't own one, probably wouldn't wear one for competition either, spent too much time talking to rhino :p
 
I managed to set mine off by forgetting to unclip when I dismounted and it did make a bit of a bang - but because I wasn't falling off, I was on two feet and close enough to grab my pony and reassure him.

It is a bit of a worry - but then I only tend to wear it at competitions and out hunting...
 
My pony usually gets upset at gunfire and birdscarers, however I'd have to say that on the occasions when my point 2 has deployed he has been an absolute star and just stood by me (on one occasion allowing me to hide my embarrassment behind him as I'd forgotten to unclip before dismounting!)

We have used it twice in xc falls and twice when I've forgotten and jumped off and never had any problem. I suspect had saved me from a broken neck on one occasion and from bruised ribs on another.

Sorry to hear that your horse ran off, maybe it was because they were shying anyway and the bang just compounded the problem?
 
You could try desensitizing, buy a load of the gas cylinders and keep popping them till s/he dosen't turn a hair. It's amazing what you can get horses used to with some time and effort.

Don't know how much the cylinders are but have been eyeing up these jackets for a while as I really don't bounce these days- just thud!

Didn't even think about the jacket frightening the horse as a problem.

Yes, very glad yo are both OK.
 
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I have one that I use for hunting. Keep forgetting to take it xc though. Hasn't gone off so don't know how the nag will react but he's generally a solid type and will wander off to the nearest bit of grass or his field mate.

I have known other people's who have gone off and not been a problem for the horses. Def would be a good idea to desensitise them that would be expensive.

I understand the concern about hacking but overall I think they are very good and my friend swears by em. She fell off and was totally fine, no aches or anything, whereas with normal bp's she's been sore and hurt herself badly. I'd def use for competitions although agree perhaps not for hacking .
 
Thanks for your comments. My horse is certainly sharp - has been getting better as he matures - is 6 now. Good idea re desensitising but at £18.99 per cannister I would hope he would be desensitised fairly quickly. Maybe I could borrow someone's bird scarer and keep popping that off - cheaper!!

It certainly broke my fall - my legs ached the next day (but could have been caused by me having to leg it more than 3/4 of a mile across fields (up and down hills) after the horse) as did one arm - but my body was absolutely fine. Having said that though it wasn't a heavy fall.
 
Balloons - that's a good idea. I'll probably pop them in the manege first of all though. With me on foot!! We do have a shoot club at the farm where I keep him so he REALLY should be fine with gun shots. Maybe it was the combination of scary thing on track (was just some logs which hadn't be there previously !!), me falling and the sound of gunshot as I floated down which blew his brain...... My current traditional body protector is no longer valid for BE eventing so have to replace that anyway. Am looking to get a Racesafe which i can wear under the airbag when competing - and on its own when hacking for the time being. Maybe I could go out wrapped in cushions. It IS the first time I have fallen off him and I am very indignant that he got me when shying - normally I can sit his spins but this one apparently went full circuit. Looking on the bright side - if I decide at some stage to give up eventing, he should be able to do a mean pirouette!!
 
I have a bird scarer about 10m from my field. It's been there about a week and a half and my sodding pony still wets himself if I'm riding in the field next to it :rolleyes:

You could bring your beast round haha ;)

East Angular. 'cos that's what it is :D
 
JFTD said:
I lives here doesn't I? :cool:

Possibly going to Cambridge next year too.

Just because I'm actually a rabid Glaswegian with a home counties accent and a serious identity crisis :eek:
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debatable! As a Norfolk girl I don't view anything other than Norfolk and Suffolk to be East Angular. And even suffolk is pushing it :D

Are you really coming up here next year? That would be immense. I think you should!
 
jesstickle said:
debatable! As a Norfolk girl I don't view anything other than Norfolk and Suffolk to be East Angular. And even suffolk is pushing it :D

Are you really coming up here next year? That would be immense. I think you should!
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It very much depends :cool: I'd be doing a PGCE so the university would have to accept me first :p

There's no way in heck I'm putting Essex on here :cool:
 
Hit air jackets don;t got "pop" or "bang" when deployed, and in my (limited) experience are slightly better than point two also the canisters for them are only £15.00 a time isntead of £19.00 as a well known supermarket says "every little helps"
 
x-di-x said:
Hit air jackets don;t got "pop" or "bang" when deployed, and in my (limited) experience are slightly better than point two also the canisters for them are only £15.00 a time isntead of £19.00 as a well known supermarket says "every little helps"
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The two jackets trigger exactly the same way. I find it difficult to believe that the noise is any different unless the Hit Air inflates much more slowly (which I don't think it does) , in which case I'd rather be in a P2 anyway.

I'd also be very surprised if the cannister is not the same one relabelled and that you can use the Hit Air in a Point Two, so buy whichever is cheaper. Adult P2 takes 60cc, the larger of the two Hit Air sizes. Thank goodness that competition is finally coming in - Hit Air cannisters used to cost £20 and if they fit P2s as they almost certainly do, P2 can't carry on charging over £17 for long. The cannister prices are a scandal.
 
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JFTD said:
It very much depends :cool: I'd be doing a PGCE so the university would have to accept me first :p

There's no way in heck I'm putting Essex on here :cool:
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Don't be a teacher! :eek: I'm sure they will if you want them to. My step sister did hers at Homerton, she really liked it :)
 
Wow!! Do HitAirs REALLY not go off BANG??? If so I'm off to post an advert somewhere - "WANTED - straight swap - Will anyone swap my Point Two body protector for their Hit Air one" Only people with sane predictable, worry at nothing type horses need apply"
 
In reply to CP Trayes - I DID speak with a chap who distributes both HitAir and Point Two's in Arizona - no idea how I got to him - I posted a comment on the "Contact us" section of the Point Two UK Website and up he popped! Anyway - he reckoned that the Hit Air was a bit quieter than the Point Two - but said if my horse reacted to the Point Two "pop" (bang!), he would probably also react to the HitAir noise.
 
jesstickle said:
Don't be a teacher! :eek: I'm sure they will if you want them to. My step sister did hers at Homerton, she really liked it :)
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Haha, I need a job. Any job :eek: Good to know. I'd like to go to Cambridge, just need to convince them I'm not a useles knobber-pony :cool:
 
JFTD said:
Haha, I need a job. Any job :eek: Good to know. I'd like to go to Cambridge, just need to convince them I'm not a useles knobber-pony :cool:
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Am pretty sure if you wanted a *ahem* relevant job, you'd find one up here. I have one and I'm useless! :o What would you like to be when you grow up?
 
jesstickle said:
Am pretty sure if you wanted a *ahem* relevant job, you'd find one up here. I have one and I'm useless! :o What would you like to be when you grow up?
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I'm not sure I want a relevant job :o And I bet I'm more useless :cool:

When I grow up, I want to be a tiger. Failing that, I will settle for a lottery win :cool:
 
I got myself a point 2 due to a bad fall but am too scared to wear it because ov the bang!! My pony spins and my argument is that I'd be by his feet if I fell and hav visions ov his hoof in my face. So hav got a big bag ov party poppers to try and get him used to the bang while eating his hay in the Feild. Worth a try.
 
Hi all - I contacted HitAir about the noise their product makes and this is the reply - Can't afford to buy another one yet even if they are quieter - but if I do need another one in the future I will be heading in their direction:

Hi Jenny,

I am sorry to hear that you fell off.....and even worse your horse was loose on the road!! EEK!

I am also sorry to hear that this incident has made you think twice about wearing your air vest while hacking (often the most dangerous thing we do with our horses!) but I do understand you concerns. The Hit Air vest makes a different sound than the Point 2. We have never measured and compared the noise of the two vests so really would not be able to comment on which was louder. However, the sound that the Hit Air makes is more like the sweeping sound of a broom. It is not such a pop, more a sssssshhh! It is quite hard to describe on email. I have jumped off by mistake and my horse just looked up quickly but as we all know all horses are different. All I can suggest is visiting us, or one of our stockists , or coming to a show and we can inflate you so you can see first hand what it is like.

I hope this helps,

Kind Regards, Rachael



t: 07912 629433
e: sales@hitairuk.co.uk
w: www.hitairuk.co.uk

Hit Air UK | Poyle Farm | Poyle Road
Tongham | Farnham | Surrey | GU10 1BS
 
I have fallen off a very sharp, noise reactive tb with my P2 and she was fine.

I have dismounted and forgotten to unclip from my 17.2hh just backed 4yro and he was fine.

I think if your horse reacted that badly to the P2 going off, changing to a HitAir would make zero difference.

I think you are doing the right thing trying to desensitise him to loud noises as he could have the same reaction to a bird scarer/car backfiring etc which would be equally dangerous on the roads.
 
Business said:
You could try desensitizing, buy a load of the gas cylinders and keep popping them till s/he dosen't turn a hair. It's amazing what you can get horses used to with some time and effort.

Don't know how much the cylinders are but have been eyeing up these jackets for a while as I really don't bounce these days- just thud!

Didn't even think about the jacket frightening the horse as a problem.

Yes, very glad yo are both OK.
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That would be an expensive exercise as the refills are around £15 each!! I think a party popper may be a better desensitizing tool :D
 
turningpoint said:
Hi all - I contacted HitAir about the noise their product makes and this is the reply - Can't afford to buy another one yet even if they are quieter - but if I do need another one in the future I will be heading in their direction:

Hi Jenny,

I am sorry to hear that you fell off.....and even worse your horse was loose on the road!! EEK!

I am also sorry to hear that this incident has made you think twice about wearing your air vest while hacking (often the most dangerous thing we do with our horses!) but I do understand you concerns. The Hit Air vest makes a different sound than the Point 2. We have never measured and compared the noise of the two vests so really would not be able to comment on which was louder. However, the sound that the Hit Air makes is more like the sweeping sound of a broom. It is not such a pop, more a sssssshhh! It is quite hard to describe on email. I have jumped off by mistake and my horse just looked up quickly but as we all know all horses are different. All I can suggest is visiting us, or one of our stockists , or coming to a show and we can inflate you so you can see first hand what it is like.

I hope this helps,

Kind Regards, Rachael



t: 07912 629433
e: sales@hitairuk.co.uk
w: www.hitairuk.co.uk

Hit Air UK | Poyle Farm | Poyle Road
Tongham | Farnham | Surrey | GU10 1BS
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and these are much cheaper too!
 
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