Safety Poll!

Black or Brown Dressage Saddle??

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Kate260881

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Joined
8 February 2008
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Location
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Sorry if its been done before but just curious about what people wear and when. I'm considered the 'safety freak' on my yard now because I'm the only person that never gets on a horse without a hat. I know people who back youngsters with no hat or body protector on!! But its a completely different culture over here.
 
Always wear a hat, body protector for XC only but all the time on a baby, use safety stirrups all the time (flexi), wear hi-viz for any road work or on the moor, I always have a mobile and always tell people where I am going!
 
I'm really naughty. I only wear a hat if I'm jumping and not all the time even then! Typical dressage person! If I'm on my 22 year old who I have owned for 16 years, it doesn't bother me hoping over a small hunt jump or two without a hat on while we are out hacking. I will always wear a hat if I'm on something I don't 100% trust tho, strange horses or youngsters I would be very reluctant to get on without a decent hat. I only wear a body protector when it is required under competition rules as I find they restrict my movement so much I am more likely to come off with one on than without one - and this is coming from someone who broke her back 4 years ago! Having said that, when I broke my back, a body protector would not have prevented it from happening with the type of injury I had. I am a strong believer in hi-viz kit tho, I wouldn't dream of riding out in anything less than pefect visibility without hi-viz on and in summer on sunny days I will wear brightly coloured t-shirts to help me stand out more when riding under trees.

I'm well aware that I am taking a big risk by not wearing a hat but in my opinion it is well worth the risk as otherwise I would rarely ride at all because I find the weight of a riding hat (even an ultra light) often causes me to have migraines. I'm now getting ready to take cover from all the people who are going to start shouting at me!!!
 
I know I'll get shouted at along with Panda, I never wear a hat in the areana unless I'm using one away from home that has a hat rule. I have been known to jump without a hat aswell but wouldn't do that at the moment.
I wear HiViz when the weather is bad, but wear bright T-Shirts etc in the summer. I hardly ever tell anyone where I'm going if I do hack out as I'm usually the last at the yard, but I do generally carry my mobile.

I don't even own a body protector and haven't worn one for years.
 
I always wear my hat.
I will wear a BP if Im jumping at a comp, but not at home generally.
I do not currently wear a hi viz but would consider it.
I do not use safety stirrups, more of a pain than anything else.
I always carry my mobile.
I tell people where Im going when Im out hacking, but generally, not so much from a safety aspect.
 
Hat- all the time
BP- competition xc or when backing youngsters and jumping then for the first few times.
Hi viz- only when hacking
Safety Stirrups- only if they are on the saddle. I use swan necked on my gelding, do they count?
Mobile- all the time
Telling people were I am going etc- only hacking
 
There is a guy at our yard who hates riding in a hat because he once fell off a young stallion while not wearing a hat and its hoof came about 1 inch over his head... if he'd have been wearing a hat he'd have got kicked.

I still think the risks are a lot greater without one and I feel naked riding without one. I do think the worst I've seen so far is a girl who has an appauling position riding a pony she doesn't know with no hat and trainers! I can't watch as I just cringe.
 
Always wear a hat riding but - following a near miss last week
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- I MUST remember to wear one whilst running with the yearling on the school! (*mental note to self "put the damn hat on!!!"*)

Also ticked yes to BP for XC/hunting but also wear one when backing a youngster - I really am getting too old and brittle to hit the ground regularly!! That said I didn't need one with the last one
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but better safe etc..

Always wear at least a high-viz waistcoat when hacking (don't bother if I'm on the school) and more in the gloomy winter. It drives me up the wall when I see people without. I nearly ran into the back of a woman in a brown coat, black jods & boots on a bay horse the other day and I'm a very sedate driver. She was just invisible in the shadows under the trees.
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I always wear a hat, had it drilled in to me when I was learning and will not get on without one.
I wear a body protector for x-country but not hunting.
Always have my phone on me except when hunting, depends on whether or not a friend has one.
Always wear high viz out on the roads except for hunting (hmmm, there's a theme developing here
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) but not if I'm on the yard grounds eg schooling.
Have safety stirrups on my saddle that I use for everything but not on my showing saddle as plain stirrups look smarter.
ETA Don't usually tell people where I'm going, sometimes there's no-one on the yard anyway.
 
I always wear hat, BP & Hi Viz. Always take a mobile when going out (PAYG then I'm not arsed if it gets dropped) and always let people know which hack we're going on.

I also wear my Hi Viz going to/from the field - it's amazing how many people don't see a hulking great Warmblood when they're coming down the lane to the farm!!!
 
I always wear a hat for riding except when i bring my 21 yo gelding in from the field BUT, Ive owned him 20 years and trust him fully. For proper riding i wear a hat riding him. I have 2 ex Racers who I NEVER ride (eve"n bringing in from feild) Without a Hat.
I only wear a BP for XC or when riding a Youngster.
I dont wear Hi Viz as i dont exercise on Roads Bar a couple of Lanes.Its all tracks round where i live here in France.
I dont use a mobile coverage out on the tracks is cr@p! But everyone knows us as "the fille anglais à la bastidette"
I tell my Parentals when i go out but im normally out with my sister anyways.
 
Hat - all the time.
BP - all the time for jumping, then on something new or when a horse is rather fresh.
Safety Stirrups - all the time as they are the stirrups both saddles came with, if I had others I would probably not use the safety ones.
HiViz - All the time!
Mobile - All the time.
People - Don't tell anyone actually.
 
Hat - Always
BP - have got out of the habit but must admit Star is hot at the mo so going to start wearing it again
Safety Stirrups - not strictly speaking but I have flexi ones
Hi Viz - Always always, I'll hang a bit of fluorescent off anything!
Mobile - always but on silent
People - nobody to tell
 
Hat- Always even in situations where I get ridiculed for doing so
Back Protector - Never , I don't jump anymore
Hi-Viz - always for hacking see no reason to wear it in the school though!
Safety Stirrups - Never but I do have the correct size stirrups for my feet and I'd never be so stupid as to put the latch up on the stirrup hook on my saddle.
Mobile - with me but never use it, it's there in case of emergency only
People - yes I tell someone but often that's OH whose not at the yard but he would know if I was late back and he'd know where to look for me!

I'd never tell anyone else what they should do, riders know their skills and their horse best so they're the ones to do the risk assessment and make the best decisions for themselves based on that.

Eg risk of fall and head injury vs risk of migraine in many peoples cases with hats.

I've had two bad-ish head injuries and am now susceptible to them hence always wearing my hat and no longer jumping.

That's my choice based on my assessment of the risks to me.
 
Thats both of us then, I'm the yard nag
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I'm always telling the kids off for not wearing a hat, alot of them dont wear them at all for any disipline.

What concerns me is that during the weekends and holidays, the kids are dumped at 09:00 til as late as 21:00 and left to get on with things. I'm forever telling them about hats etc, but just get the teenage look, however, as soon as something goes wrong, I'm usually the first port of call.

Me, I always wear a hat and if dealing with youngsters or anything with jump in it I will don my back protector as well, hi viz wise, I only use them at night or in the winter. I am lucky not to have any roads.
 
Hat - Always
BP - Always
Safety Stirrups - Always, though only cos they're on the saddle.
Hi - Viz - Only when hacking in bad weather, though I'm sure my insurance doesn't cover me if I'm not wearing it.
Mobile - in the pocket and it has been broken as I fell on it before!
Telling people where I'm going - oddly a no though I'm a safety freak I know my horse would get home and alert evryone to the danger like lassie...well she'd get home, that's where the food is.
This is quite the interesting poll, it's nice to know there are other safety freaks out there
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Kate, you're only the saftey freak cos you live in Holland, on a British yard you'd just be normal!
I have to say the not wearing a hat while riding a dressage horse seems strange to me as all the people I have know to fall and sustain a seriously injury have fallen from dressage horses, however, each to their own. I think it's like wearing seatbelts in cars, so long as you're not endangering anyone else then it's your choice. I won't have anyone in my car without a seat belt and I won't have anyone on my horse without a hat and a body protector.
 
Totally agree with you Silverspring. Its a very different attitude over here. I'm away to the UK for a week tomorrow and my instructor is going to exercise Penny for me while I'm away. I had to state in no uncertain terms that he will not get on my horse without a hat. I couldn't live with myself if something happened while I wasn't there.

The best 'safety' lesson I ever had was about 8 years ago while I was having a lesson we were all waiting for the jumps to go up and I was chatting to a friend. She said 'Kate why do you always wear a body protector?' (I'm a bit bad now and don't really wear one but did then), I didn't really reply as it was my turn to jump. Jeremy (my horse) was being lazy, came up to the 2 foot cross pole and didn't jump properly, managed to get the pole between his two front legs and somersaulted! I ended up on the ground between his front and back legs with him kicking me as he tried to get up. The first thing I said when I sat up... 'that's why I always wear a body protector'!
 
Always wear a hat - Rule on the yard
Never wear a body protector - A nurse once told me that they can actually do more harm than good, because they restrict your body from protecting its self naturaly.
Never use safety stirrups - Just never thought the need to have them
Wear Hi-Viz stuff for hacking - Always wear it when out hacking, better to be safe than sorry, there ca be some right idiots on the road.
Always have a mobile phone on me - Probably more of a teenage thing than a safety.
Only inform people when out hacking - Just to put peoples minds at rest.
 
I'm pretty typical - always hat, body protector for XC, hi-viz for hacking, always have a mobile, don't own safety stirrups and usually tell someone where I'm going when hacking.
 
Hat - Everytime
BP - Depends which horse, always for jumping
Hi-Viz - you can see me from the moon
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Mobile - Yes or I make sure it's within crawling reach if I'm schooling
I always tell someone where I'm going and how long I plan to be.
 
Hat - All the time
BP - XC and some stuff with PC, depends where im going.
Hi-Viz - Always for hacking, boots and tabard
Mobile - Always - well when i can remember it ;smirk: alough its nver far away
Yep i always tell someone
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