Sorry to bring it up again...medical cards new rule

C

chester1234

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It has just occured to me that one of the points is that 'in the event of a horse fall, if your leg is trapped the paramedics can still see your card.' Just my opinion, but surely if you're under half a tonne of flailing legs, the paramedics are going to wait til the horse is up and off you?
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I mean, what use is a brained paramedic?
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Sorry to drag this up again, I know there was mixed views on it.
 
is the rule now that you cant have the medical cards round your leg?

I wish someone would therefore design something that fitted round small arms, otherwise it will be like wearing a bangle!!
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I cant even think what info would be on there that's needed.... Surely the name of your GP would be irrelevant given that most events are at weekends? And even if it wasnt at the weekend, try getting through to my GP in a hurry... they'd be lucky
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perhaps a patient wristband would be better with name, emergency number and allergies.... less bulky.

Personally I find the cards very restricting to ride in
 
T, i think it's in case the horse is dead and your are trapped with leg under it.
has happened.
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i think medical cards on boots look really messy, tidiest place is on shoulder protector or in pocket on number bib (looks a bit rubbish in dr though).
 
I would have more tolerance for the new rule if they also told you which arm you should have it on, since their justification for the rule was that the paramedics need to know where to look. If you're trapped under a horse it could be just as difficult to get it off your arm.

I really don't like having them on my arm or wearing shoulder pads - I find them a distraction and I think it's safer to have them on the leg. Strongly feel it should be personal choice which limb you wear them on. Kerilli, are you even allowed to have them in your bib under the new rule?

(ETA: obviously not shoulder pads on your leg...!)
 
I agree with kerilli, don't think cards taped or strapped onto legs looks very smart. I know that they're not exactly glamourous on your arm either, but they look less out of place IMO!

Not really sure why it's such a big fuss on here?
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If you find the strap they come with is too long for your nice slim arm (not jealous much!
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), then it's easy enough to either swap the strap for a smaller one or make a few stitches in it to shorten the elastic.

I do think the wristband idea is a good one though!
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I'm sure you'd be really pleased if they moved you when your leg was broken - the one you've got your card on - just so they could see your medical card?
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And I'd rather not know about the statistics for horses dying with people under them if it's all the same to you.
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It seems much easier to conform by wearing them where they'd like you to, even if it means having to put some thought into how to shorten the elastic, put a stitch in it to attach to your BP or whatever it takes to make the inconvenience of wearing one suit you better.
 
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K - but how many times did that happen last year? Would be interesting to see the statistics.
I agree with hammiehamlet I think patient wristband type things would be better.

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no idea whether it happened last year, but that's not the point imho. if paramedics can't get to your head/torso/arms you're prob past help, but if they can, they need to get at the info...
i don't think you could get enough info on a patient's wristband, afaik hospital ones only have name and a number/barcode so they can access all the other info, and colour of button to lock it is significant (red = has allergies), otherwise there is no other info. the medical card has to have a lot of space for doctor's report etc etc.

daisycrazy, you're right, it says in the rulebook that they must be shown on the arm.

well, RP shoulderguards (which can be ordered on their own, fwiw) have a plastic holder on them for medical card, i attached these to my Exo and use that, no problem, no chance of forgetting it either.
 
The wristband would be nicer to wear, but would it be immediately apparent to a paramedic? Sometime I struggle to find my watch under sleeves & gloves.

I think a better design of armband help. My ipod armband rarely moves so maybe elastic would be the way to go. I personally prefer mine on my arm, but it did slide down during one round and was a pain in the arse, plus the velcro catches on my top and in short sleeves it irritates my skin.

Did they say that you couldn't wear it on your leg in case your horse collapsed on you dead? Of course it might have happened as a freak one off, but surely it's not a high enough chance of happening to make rules change for it?? I think it's an excuse.
 
Nicky, just out of interest , did the medics look at your medical card at all last year? I'm guessing it's in your shoulder pads as you use a racesafe? I suppose you were concious and there were people there who at least could give them some info (some would even say your mum and daughter were there
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I just remember having to make them unlace the BP to take it off rather than them having you twisting about to remove it, don't remember them even looking for the med card.

I can see the benefit of the med card though as if you go to A&E they still need the GP name and number.
 
Mine slips down my arm (even with shortened elastic), and used to annoy me when I put it on my BP shoulder as I could see it moving out of the corner of my eye.

So now I electrical tape it to my sleeve, round my arm as per usual with electrical tape on the strap to hold it in place, and you can colour co-ordinate the tape with what your horse has on his boots (thinking of the important stuff here!).
The medical armband doesn't move, and it is easy enough to rip the tape to get it off (unless you stick it to your skin - but then it just hurts) I can not imagine that paramedics would object to this as the card is still visible and can easily be removed from its plastic case.
 
yeah i'm going to have to edit mine now - wore it round arm first time but it was round wrist and about to fall off by the end! hence why i put it round leg - just laziness really - couldn't be bothered to change the strap...
 
I can't remember whether they did or not - I was so busy trying to point out to them that they should unzip my boots the WHOLE way down before they tried to pull them off.
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I know they took it off and guess if they needed to they would have looked at it then. Thankfully I was compos mentis so they could ask me all the important stuff.
 
It's not a big issue- just do it the way you're supposed to. I honestly think fashion is something best left in the lory park.

fwiw my sister had a horrid rotational fall into water and yes, her legs were trapped and as she's very allergic to several things, it was pretty important hers was on her arm.
 
I agree, this is being seriously petty for something that is there to help YOU the rider should something goes wrong.
I always wore mine on my arm so tight it could have cut the circulation off so it wouldnt fall down halfway round a course.
Then I purchased new shoulder pads for my body protector which had the medical card holder already there - so took away all the problems and was easily visible.

Wristbands although in theory are a good idea they would be far too small!

Like TheMule said, if you happen to be allergic to several things are you willing to take the chance for something that might niggle you for 5 minutes?
 

I've always had to wear mine on my leg - I know there are a lot of comments about it looking 'wrong' there, but to be honest, its something that I dont give a monkeys about when setting off for my XC round. Would rather look 'out of fashion' and feel comfortable riding around the course, than constantly worrying about it slipping down my arm, catching on my elbow... Sounds like I do need a trip to a sewing shop to sort it out... just not very practicle with things like that, hence not doing it before!!

Again though, would love to know exactly what people feel is important to have on the card - does it really matter who your GP is if you have a broken arm or leg, or head injury?
If not, then space could be free to write the more essential stuff like contact details... then you could fit it on a patient wristband - they dont all have to be small - something 4cm in width would hold plenty of info if written well, or even typed...

I would want to see:

*name and address
*contact number of family/ next of kin
*any known illness that could affect treatment, ie diabetic
*organ donor
*known allergies to medications

Not sure what else is needed?
 
The reasons I don't like it on my arm are (a) it is too bulky and (b) it doesn't stay still and drops on to my elbow unless it's uncomfortably tight. I don't like tying anything round the middle of my biceps - feels very wrong - but I really don't see why they can't make the card and the holder a bit smaller (height and width) so it didn't get in the way so much. Then at least you could put it slightly further up or down your arm and it wouldn't be such an annoyance.

The great thing about putting it on your leg is that you really don't have to think about it and if it slips a bit it doesn't cause a problem. I would be less averse to putting the card in my bib or (if I wore them) shoulder pads, but the restriction to having it on your arm seems a bit unnecessary. I suppose if you always wear the same XC colours then you could stitch a card holder on to those, but since I tend to grab any old rugger or t-shirt, this wouldn't do me much good (I'd have to remember to wash my colours before the next competition...!).

I also find the edges of my number bib annoying because they stick out slightly too far and catch my arms/sleeves.

Sensitive, moi? And I'm not even eventing this year!
 
One problem I find with my armband on my wrist is when I wear short sleaves, it pinches my skin something rediculous, and I end up bleeding after every round
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sounds petty, but it really hurts!!
However for those of you worrying about skinny arms, I have just adapted mine with some staples
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At the end of the day it isn't the end of the world, I will just have to wear longer sleeves and those of you who struggle with skinny arms can cope by making adaptions to the elastic
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On another note- how many people have their medical arm bands filled in? I was at PC areas and during the tack check before xc, the steward said "Oh thank heavens, someone who actually has their arm band filled in!". Obviously there were a lot of people without the info in the armbands, making them totally pointless?!
 
hammiehamlet, I think you need a few other things like blood type, but I agree they could definitely make it more compact. I don't look at it very often, but are injuries you incur at events recorded on your medical card or do they go in your rider book?
 
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I agree, this is being seriously petty for something that is there to help YOU the rider should something goes wrong.
I always wore mine on my arm so tight it could have cut the circulation off so it wouldnt fall down halfway round a course.
Then I purchased new shoulder pads for my body protector which had the medical card holder already there - so took away all the problems and was easily visible.

Wristbands although in theory are a good idea they would be far too small!

Like TheMule said, if you happen to be allergic to several things are you willing to take the chance for something that might niggle you for 5 minutes?

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fwiw i totally agree with the above.. i honestly don't know what all the fuss is about, the armband is easily adaptable to fit those with slim arms if needed.
i have shoulder protectors on my current bp so it's not a problem for me these days. before i got current bp i found arm band uncomfortable but soon forgot once i was out on course and concentrating on the job in hand!
 
I'm afraid I'm also going to be terribly boring and join the 'it's in the rules just do as you're told' camp - and instead of moaning about 'stupid rules' on here will put my efforts into improving my horses and myself so hopefully we don't end up in the position of paramedics having to find and read my medical card.
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Why don't the people who are complaining about the medical armbands bieng too large (!) just buy a pony club one? They're made from velcro and you can buy them cheaply from the PC website. Unfortunately mine is too small for me
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Why don't the people who are complaining about the medical armbands bieng too large (!) just buy a pony club one? They're made from velcro and you can buy them cheaply from the PC website. Unfortunately mine is too small for me
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didnt know you could get them there, so will look as a child sized one sounds better!
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I dont think its about not conforming with the rules, but more to do with the feeling that there could be a better solution. For some people, having the card rubbing you clearly doesnt cause any issue, but for others (like moi!) it can make me distracted... probably just the way that I like to deal with the nerves of XC, ie not having anything there that takes my focus away from what im doing. We're all different, so shouldnt judge others on the way that we deal with things (or not!)
 
hammiehamlet - I think the point others have tried to make is that we're talking about a rule put in place by our governing body, it's there for a reason, it's not optional and with a little lateral thinking you could find a solution to making your armband less irritating. If you feel anyone is being judgmental about your opinions, that is a different matter entirely. The rest of us are talking about a rule.

As someone who's been underneath a horse momentarily and consequently didn't want my legs moved, I can completely understand why they should be worn on your arm.
 
I'm peeved by this rule. I have always worn it round my boot and IMO it looks neater there and is IMO far more practical than round my arm (where is slips about, pinches and annoys me!). Why on earth can't we wear dog tags instead? My brother used to have to wear them for dirt bike riding and I assume you can fall off a motorbike in a similar way as a horse... They'd be round your neck (underneath your BP / top etc. so wouldn't dangle) so would be easily accesible. He had to include his blood group etc. on it too which IMO should be needed on our "cards". The info on our cards just now is pretty useless... and I know plenty of people who forget theirs and simply "borrow" someone elses!
 
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hammiehamlet - I think the point others have tried to make is that we're talking about a rule put in place by our governing body, it's there for a reason, it's not optional and with a little lateral thinking you could find a solution to making your armband less irritating. If you feel anyone is being judgmental about your opinions, that is a different matter entirely. The rest of us are talking about a rule.

As someone who's been underneath a horse momentarily and consequently didn't want my legs moved, I can completely understand why they should be worn on your arm.

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i was referring to those who the armband clearly doesnt irritate - that's where we are all different, and some of us can tolerate things rubbing on their arm etc and just get on with it, whereas others cant! The lateral thinking involved would be to design something that is more practical and pleases us 'fussy' types
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At the beginning of the season i always intend on finding a new strap etc, but usually forget and therefore opt for the leg position instead... lazy yes, but sometimes have too many other things to think about
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the governing body may well have decided the rule (which yes, I know we have to abide by), but perhaps those who sat on the panel making the decision all had arms big enough to hold the medical card??! Who knows!! Had one of the 'leg wearers' been sitting on it too, perhaps we may have had a different solution thought up altogther... perhaps something a little more innovative, and that actually is meaningful towards recovery.

For instance - if I was BE, I would make it mandatory that when each rider joins, a medical form should be filled out. For an extra £5 or so, a medical card could be produced that would have all the info on it needed (as i too know of many people who just borrow other peoples as they've forgot their own).
 
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i was referring to those who the armband clearly doesnt irritate - that's where we are all different, and some of us can tolerate things rubbing on their arm etc and just get on with it, whereas others cant! The lateral thinking involved would be to design something that is more practical and pleases us 'fussy' types
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At the beginning of the season i always intend on finding a new strap etc, but usually forget and therefore opt for the leg position instead... lazy yes, but sometimes have too many other things to think about
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But if it's really that annoying to you, surely it would be a fairly high priority thing for you to do?
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5-10mins (or even less if you just tied a knot in the elastic which would effectively shorten the length to wrap around your arm!) would solve this problem for you for the whole season (and the next...!).

I really think a lot of folk are just objecting to being told they can't put it on their leg out of principle and not because there is some huge reason why their arm is an inconvenient place to put their medical armband?
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It's the same as BPs- they feel awkward and uncomfy for the first couple of minutes, but after that you forget you're wearing them. It's really not that big a deal!

Not sure printed cards would be any easier for people to remember than ones you have to fill in yourself?! Since that's not the "issue" that people have with them, why go to the extra hassle/expense of BE having to make them? And much easier to update as you need to the way they are just now.
 
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