Strappy tops....

I think I'm a bit of a joke on my yard by always riding in a polo-neck cotton jumper on even the hottest day. I might pull the sleeves up to my elbow as a concession to the weather but otherwise I stay covered up. I've lost count of the number of times I've given up thanks when my clothing has been torn or snagged instead of my skin. I tend also to continue to wear my crash hat once I'm back from a ride, for the simple reason it keeps my hair in order.... vain, I know!
And I simply can't ride without gloves.
 
I always have worn sleeves and usually wear a deck shirt, they are quite loose fitting, but are strong material. I do not want to scrape my skin off on trees or drystone walls if madam has a strop, or hit the road with my skin if anything untoward happens. I don't intend to hit the deck, but want to increase my chances of limiting any injuries if I do.
 
you've all given me food for thought, I always wear a strap top in the summer, as im on a DIY yard no one cares

in my lessons I always wear a polo shirt tho and out of decency the girls are firmly contained as I am quite busty *this goes for WHENEVER I ride!*

but looking at previosu pics etc, me thinks a poloshirt all the time would be a much ebtter idea!!

hope ur arm is ok now!!
 
Has the world gone mad !!!
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you cant wear strappy tops for health and safety reasons
BUT ... . ..
dressage riders can wear hats without a harness for competitions
strange !!!!!!
surely if you fall off in a strappy top you know the risks so its tough titty !!!
 
Weirdly, I actually rode for the first time ever today in a strappy top (but I was also wearing an armoured-layer of sun-block, so that's okay, right? It also collected a good inch of dust and horse-hair, adding further layers to my lovely, sweaty skin - nice) but anyway, I have to say, after reading this thread I'm not sure I will in future. Ride in strappy tops, that is. It's all very well that I think bad thoughts about moped riders buzzing round on their little hairdryers in t-shirts and shorts, but actually I guess if I do the same on a horse, I'm no better.
 
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Has the world gone mad !!!
crazy.gif
you cant wear strappy tops for health and safety reasons BUT ... . .. dressage riders can wear hats without a harness for competitions
strange !!!!!! surely if you fall off in a strappy top you know the risks so its tough titty !!!

[/ QUOTE ]But how often do dressage tests involve 'working trot from Junction A, piaffe past rattling tractor to blind Left Turn C, square halt at noisy traffic lights, extended half-pass trot into litter-strewn Cycle Lane F, leg-yield around large, barking dog' etc.? I think the point is that in a dressage arena the horse is unlikely to have any major incident, but out hacking, we could end up taking a real risk. I don't know anyone that has issues with wearing riding hats or body-protectors, and these are hot and uncomfortable at this time of year too, so what's wrong with long sleeves, especially if it's a light, breathable top? It'll actually help protect skin from the UV a bit more too, and keep you looking younger
grin.gif
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I was always taught to ride in long sleaved tops to prevent grazes or being swiped by branches and for years and years thats what I did, having had it drummed into me so long. However now I ride in t-shirts in this weather. too scared of skin cancer to ride in strappy tops.
 
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but looking at previosu pics etc, me thinks a poloshirt all the time would be a much ebtter idea!!

hope ur arm is ok now!!

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I havefull use of my arm etcn so no major muscle or othe damage but the scarring is quite horrible. I have a lot of arm hair due to my PCOS. i used to remove it using immac but now i dont as it hides at least some of the scars. Ive also got scarring accross my back which isnt the prettiest when wearing summer dresses.
I currently use a scar reduction patches on my back to try and make the scar less noticable, they have worked a bit thankgoodness but they are horribly expensive so at the moment are only going on the biggest scars.

Oh and i have some scaring on my left shoulder from a similar accident. the ones on my left shoulder are from a bike accident (mountain bike) i was coming along a path rather fast and hit a hidden rock at the bottom of a puddle, i got sent flying and the gravel of the path ripped through my jumper and tshirt and damaged my left shoulder which was the point of impact. However this accident was at conciderably more speed then the horse one (horse one was at a walk and the bike one much much faster) and the scars are much much smaller and almost invisible unless you know they are there, i also didnt get any other injuries then this small but deep gravel rash on my shoulder. so it shows that jumpers do provide at least some protection as do long sleaved t shirts.
 
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It's all very well that I think bad thoughts about moped riders buzzing round on their little hairdryers in t-shirts and shorts, but actually I guess if I do the same on a horse, I'm no better.

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I rode a scooter for a few years as you can drive them from 16 and when you live in the middle of nowhere and theres a bus once a day if your lucky its a godsend. I was driving into ilfracombe once and twat on a mobile phone (before it was illegal) ran me off the road with his car. Lucilly i was wearing jeans and I skidded across the road on my knee. They completely disintegrated and took some of my knee with them. I would probibly have no knee left at all if i hadn't been wearing jeans, as it is i have a rather attractive scar. Jeans died that day as it looked like someone had set fire to them.
 
My last yard, we had to wear either sleeves or a collar (so sleeveless polo shirts were ok). Strappy tops were absolutely forbidden. We also had to wear our proper riding boots when teaching - we weren't allowed to wear wellies. I had a pair of jean-jodhs - Harry Halls - and I wasn't allowed to wear them. It was proper jodhs or nothing. It was all to do with creating a good impression, ie not having bra/boobs hanging out all over the place and looking professional. Thought it was nonsense personally.

Current yard, YO really doesn't care as long as the job is done. We can teach in shorts, wear strappy tops, teach in wellies etc, whatever is practical. I've even done the pressure washing in a bikini top when it was really hot.

In terms of teaching, I always advise riders to wear sleeves just to protect their shoulders and upper arms if they take a tumble. Plus there is nothing worse than self-consious teens finding their straps have slipped down while they are cantering round
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The liveries ride in whatever though; bikinis, shorts, trainers (I know - crazy!). Our YO is pretty laid back.
 
RE Kickandshout -Has the world gone mad !!!
you cant wear strappy tops for health and safety reasons
BUT ... . ..
dressage riders can wear hats without a harness for competitions
strange !!!!!!
surely if you fall off in a strappy top you know the risks so its tough titty !!!


If you are on your own horse and have your own yard then yes the health and safery issues probably don't mean a huge lot to you , but when you are in charge of the general public and have a legal duty to make sure you, your staff and your premises are as safe as possibe otherwise I and other yard owners etc would be held accountable for any accident and injury that happens on the premises and must show that every risk assesment has been taken into account and followed to the book otherwise we face huge insurance claims!! So to try and prevent injury to a minimum arms must be covered!! At a dressage test you enter on your own horses and take the risks on your self. If one of my clients does a dressage test on one of my horses then he/she would have to have their hat on and fastened correctly at all times when mounted, loading and handling. It's all a very different veiw when you are accountable.
As for Conniegirl the photo shows the damage and the text the pain - Hope everythings well with the arm and If it's ok with you I would like to be able to print out your post and photo to put up at the yard!
 
tigerblackhorse your more then welcome to print it out, i can also supply you with a picture of my hat from after the incident, its rather scarey to look at and whilst i have never ridden without a hat, seeing the damage to my hat has convinced many of my friends to start wearing thier hats all the time
 
I ended up in a ditch full of nettles once! Very painful.

I agree with not riding in a strappy top, but do not always follow it on a hot day, however if I have a lesson I will always put a polo type shirt on.

Its like wearing gloves to lunge, I ended up with BAD blisters once and now cringe if I see people lunging without gloves, but people will not listen.

Perhaps the yard owner wants to install good habits? Maybe she has had a bad experince?
 
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