Terrible Accident - Air Jacket Anyone?

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RollOnSpring

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A girl at my yard fell off two months ago jumping her horse on a farm ride we were all on together. No one's fault - just pinged out the side door as a result of a slightly early take off over a 2ft jump. She has a broken back and pelvis. We are still all in shock. She has had 4 operations so far and will recover but it will be a long process, she will never ride again but will hopefully be able to walk within 12 months.

For whatever reason, she DIDN'T have a body protector on that day. It will be something she will never forgive herself for but that's just the way it was. However, the way she landed made me think that a 'normal' body protector (such as my Racesafe one) may not have done her too many favours as her back snapped as a result of how she landed with such a force on her side. It's obviously impossible to say if one would have made a difference but from my own opinion, I think she may have still sustained a break due to the force and angle she hit the floor.

It has seriously shocked us all to the core and now many of us are seriously contemplating an air jacket due to the type of protection it provides around your body. Has anyone got one and had a fall in it? How did it compare to falling off in a normal body protector?

I know they're expensive but because of what we witnessed, it seems a small price to pay for safety. It's made me realise how easily the human body breaks :(
 
Makes my blood run cold .
I broke my back XC schooling in my case the BP did not help because my back fractured when my face hit the ground the force heading back down my back met the momentum coming forward and my spine fractured at that point.
It was pre air jackets .
I think nothing will prevent injury all the time my back would broken with a jacket on .I have an air jacket now but have never put it to these yet as I have not come off with it on .
Your friends in for a tough time .
 
Poor girl, what a terrible thing to happen. With regards to air Jackets, I don't think you can ever say that she would definitely not have been so badly injured, but you will have done all you can to protect yourself in the event of an accident. Which, in the end, is all anyone can do.
Best wishes to you all, what a horrible thing to happen
 
I fractured my spine. No body protector on either, but it wouldn't have prevented my accident. It sounds similarish, in that the impact of the fall crushed the vertebrae of my spine together and caused one to literally burst. I dont think an air jacket would have prevented it either due to the way I fell.

It is something I am going to look into though now I'm back riding, even though I only hack, mainly in walk.
 
GS - how long did you take to recover and are you fully better?

Having visited her last week, I think she is really angry with herself for not wearing anything to prevent her injuries (apart from her helmet) but I told her she needs to forgive herself as part of her recovery, being angry and unforgiving won't change what's happened. I think she's under the impression an air jacket would have saved her from it all, judging by where her brusing was which indicated which part she landed on. Shes had a lot of free time to research which parts of her body would have been protected by the air jacket. Like others have said though, it really is impossible to say if anything would have been different if she was wearing one.
 
I broke my back pre air jackets too. I can't ride now but my teenage daughter does and wears an air jacket hunting, XC and sponsored rides. The thing is that you can't ever know if an air jacket would have made a difference and absolutely that is the line anyone visiting this poor lass should take. But when you go home - buy one! They are expensive - but what price your neck and back? From what I have seen as a PC and hunt mum - and what my daughter has experienced they do make a fall less severe. There will always by things they won't help with - my back was broken when my horse and I fell together and I'm not sure any jacket would have stopped the break given that he lay still on top of me for longer than the jacket would have been inflated (he was fine by the way!) but that is an unusual one. Had he struggled a jacket would have saved me from being paralyzed - which I'm not.

And tell your friend - she can ride again if she wants to. It is a long hard road - but a sympathetic physio got me back on board for the first time about 18 months later. I don't ride now because it is my choice. I'm getting older, it hurts too much, and I have a family to be responsible for should I fall again. But I could if I wanted to. Even if there is impairment which doesn't recover there is still the RDA. We have top level Olympic riders competing following broken backs in falls. Don't give up!
 
I haven't got an air jacket, and can't comment on that, although I think I would have one if I did more XC. We have had 2 lads at work break their back in the last 7 months at work. Both were wearing body protectors, so that in itself wouldn't necessarily have saved her. One of the lads had 6 months off, but is now back. I think the other one is unlikely to ride again, although he is barking mad so will probably be back.
 
Could not just read and leave!

Please send healing vibes and best wishes on to your friend.

I always wear a BP now I am also thinking of an air jkt.

speedy recovery
 
RollOnSpring said:
GS - how long did you take to recover and are you fully better?

Having visited her last week, I think she is really angry with herself for not wearing anything to prevent her injuries (apart from her helmet) but I told her she needs to forgive herself as part of her recovery, being angry and unforgiving won't change what's happened. I think she's under the impression an air jacket would have saved her from it all, judging by where her brusing was which indicated which part she landed on. Shes had a lot of free time to research which parts of her body would have been protected by the air jacket. Like others have said though, it really is impossible to say if anything would have been different if she was wearing one.
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If it was an impact injury an air jacket in all likely hood would have reduced her injury .
My recovery from my fracture a severe wedge fracture to T4 was straightforward it was staying in bed for three months or so lying as flat on my back as I could .
I was able to get up for showering etc and eating but basically I know ever crack on my ceiling in great detail and listened to a lot of radio.
I was very weak after and it took me ages to get strength back .
It niggles a bit now and again and I do see a physio regularity and have a massage every other week but I am 53 and still trying to kill myself so all that's not down to the back .
Healing is a mental as well as physical exercise you have to get your brain in the right place .
Breathing exercises helped me a lot .
 
Its worth noting that most air jackets are recommended to be worn as well as a body protector. Although I think there are combined ones available now?

Healing vibes to your friend - and as others said, healing is as much of the mind as physical. Everything is clearer with hindsight, but it's just that, hindsight.
 
I always wear a body protector & my air jacket and have had 6 falls in them

5 falls I got up and walked away without even a bruise, you really feel a soft landing in a airjacket

1 fall I ripped my pelvis apart and ruptured 3 discs in my back , my back was black with bruising, the doctors thought the airjacket had saved me from getting more serious injury to my back but of course you can never know that for sure

Anyway although the initial outlay is expensive it's something you will use daily and can you really put a price on your safety

I would now never get on any horse without my HitAir jacket

I don't even notice I'm wearing it anymore.

Best investment I ever bought.
 
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Not me....a friend...she crushed a vertebrae when her horse fell on her....one leg still has problems, she is in constant pain and wears a leg brace on occasion when it's really playing up. She has a pain killer pump under her skin.
She rides...mostly walk and trot and wears an air protector but I don't think she's fallen whilst wearing it.
 
Thanks for alll your replies and also your best wishes for Sarah - she is a tough cookie but is pretty down at the moment. I'm going to see her tomorrow with my archive of H&H mags, a Burger King, a face mask and and a Krispy Kreme. I'm going to take some nice shampoo too to wash her hair to cheer her up :)

For all of you that have air jackets - which one do you have? I'm torn between the HitAir for it's neck and lower back cushions, and the Point Two as it's both a BP & air jacket in one.
 
I fractured a vertebrae whilst wearing a body protector which took a long time to heal and is still giving me gyp some 3 years later. I wear a body protector for every type of riding and this was a riding lesson in a sand school where the accident took place, I wasn't even jumping I was bucked off into the fence. I got an air jacket after that which I used with a RP body protector but then I purchased an EXO bodycage and I can't fit the damn air jacket over the EXO which bothers me as the EXO doesn't protect my neck or tailbone.

I get several laughs and silly childish comments at the yard doing a schooling lesson in a sand school wearing a body protector AND a Point 2 but I don't give a hoot. I'd sooner look "stupid" to others than be nursing a break, paralysed or dead.

Wishing your friend all the very best, poor lass, I do hope her recovery goes well and she can enjoy horses again at some point. You're a great friend looking after her so well :)
 
Django Pony said:
I have an Air Jacket (The Helite one from Treehouse Sporting Colours) and it is FAB! I've hit the deck in it a few times and have always been grateful that Ive had it on. http://www.treehouseairjackets.co.uk/home
I don't ride without it now.
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Will look at this one too - thank you.

Dunlin, I certainly wouldn't laugh at you, the people who laugh wouldn't be laughing if they witnessed what we all had to witness with Sarah's fall. She landed on the soft sand take off/landing area of the jump too - made no difference. A soft ground can still cause a bad injury if you hit it wrong, I think you're sensible wearing it in your lessons, I will be when I get one.
 
I chose the HitAir due to inflating outwards and getting approval for high speed motorcycle accidents

The inflating inwards design was rejected for what ever reason

So for me that tells me outwards was either safer or gives more protection which is why I chose it at the time.

Also means you can wear it tight to body

I do see that's the combined body protector airjacket would be very handy though but at the time I made my purchase it was not on sale yet so it was not a option to consider for me. But I defo would look into now if buying.

I wear my racesafe under my airjacket, be it hacking, jumping , schooling , even at the dressage I wear it and I don't give a hoot if people think I look amateurish or a plonker , I value my ability to walkway too much to care.
 
RollOnSpring said:
Will look at this one too - thank you.

Dunlin, I certainly wouldn't laugh at you, the people who laugh wouldn't be laughing if they witnessed what we all had to witness with Sarah's fall. She landed on the soft sand take off/landing area of the jump too - made no difference. A soft ground can still cause a bad injury if you hit it wrong, I think you're sensible wearing it in your lessons, I will be when I get one.
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You can seriously hurt yourself in the most easiest of falls

My 18 year old friend fell off a 4 year old jumping a 6" cross pole, very silly fall , horse ballooned it and she lost balance and landed on bum in sand school.. She broke her back

Seeing a 18 year old girl in hospital strapped to a spinal bed, looking utterly terrified with what lies ahead is something I certainly never wish to witness again or a situation want to be in myself. It's pretty scary stuff. She did walk again and is now riding too and you guessed it she now always wears a airjacket

She was a very lucky lady. But just shows you it does not need to be some high paces dramatic fall to be seriously hurt.
 
Firstly, wishing your friend a full recovery xx.

A girl at my yard fell off on Thurs in the sand school and has also broken her back, she didn't have a BP on and now we've all vowed to wear ours at all times... Suppose that's a good thing that's come out of it (if you can look at it that way).

I am going to invest in a Point Two jacket with the built in BP as I have a bad back already and this has really brought it home to me. My dad is a paramedic and he's seen both horse riders and motorcylists walk away from potenially fatal accidents thanks to air jackets. He said in his 39 year career as a paramedic, he's seen a significant reduction in serious and life threatening injuries because of them.

My boy is calm and I consider him 'safe' but he fell over in the school at a canter with me a few weeks ago just in an unlucky trip. It could have been awful but it just shows you that you don't have to jumping, breaking in or doing cross country to have a bad fall - it can be something really 'everyday' like Daytona said.
 
Daytona said:
I chose the HitAir due to inflating outwards and getting approval for high speed motorcycle accidents

The inflating inwards design was rejected for what ever reason

So for me that tells me outwards was either safer or gives more protection which is why I chose it at the time.

Also means you can wear it tight to body

I do see that's the combined body protector airjacket would be very handy though but at the time I made my purchase it was not on sale yet so it was not a option to consider for me. But I defo would look into now if buying.

I wear my racesafe under my airjacket, be it hacking, jumping , schooling , even at the dressage I wear it and I don't give a hoot if people think I look amateurish or a plonker , I value my ability to walkway too much to care.
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Ditto that. Although I don't wear my racesafe under my hit air as I find it's just a touch too long to do flat work or SJ in (XC I'm out the saddle so ok). I also wouldn't consider the P2 body protector as technically you're supposed to change your BP every 4 years or so - that's an expensive job to change your air jacket at the same time!

I've fallen off twice in my hit air - one fall totally uninjured,the last one the hitair wouldn't have protected me. My mums cob who I was riding at the time ended up stood on my elbow giving me severe soft tissue damage (to group it up!), but previously to buying my hitair, I am another one who has fractured a few spinous processes.

I remember the fall, and I remember walking being agony after, but I stupidly never got xrayed til much much later. Due to the setting of the spinous processes, and subsequently the changes in muscle length to my right shoulder, my right arm gets affected and I get a lot of cramp in my right shoulder. The hitair would've saved me in this fall as I came off head first and rotated away from my beast of a horse (he tripped up, so I didn't even have a neck to stabilise myself on!) and landed on the base of my neck/upper thoracic spine - which is protected by my hitair.

I love the hitair as it doesn't hurt when it explodes, and has a better neck and coccyx protection than the helite or P2. Having had both inflated on me, the P2 was an adult medium on it's baggiest setting, still winded me and I could move my neck in all directions, the hitair doesn't wind you and it stabilises your neck.

They've brought out more colours as standard now too which is good as I had to specially order my navy one (to match my navy jacket) at the time, but now do royal blue navy blue and red on top of the black they previously did. I know P2 have a better colour selection though.
 
ebonyallen said:
There for the grace of god go most of us. I would just like to send my very best wishes to your poor friend, I do so hope she gets well soon x
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Absolutely this. Bad injuries can occur from the most innocent looking falls. I wear my bp all the time but this does make me consider forking out for an air jacket. All the best to your friend for a good recovery.
 
Cheshire Chestnut said:
Just out of interest - what does it feel like to fall off in it? I've fallen off in my BP a few times and it still felt really painful and I went splat, especially when I fell off in the middle of the road.
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I've fell a good few times in hit air

Apart from one fall which I was badly hurt - which I mentioned further up the other falls it's a very soft landing you defo notice the difference

Biggest difference I noticed was prior to air jacket the next day I would always have like a stiff sore neck, like I'd got whiplash but since getting my HitAir , in all falls I've never had any neck soreness the next day, it really must help stabilise your neck when you hit the deck.
 
I threw myself off a horse onto my back on a tarmac road rather that have him fall on me, and I bounced and laughed because of my Point Two. I would not hunt without it or jump without it and I am close to deciding to wear it every time I ride because there just doesn't seem any reason not to.

I like the looser fit of the p2, but if I was buying now I'd go for the cheapest of the three suppliers because I think they are much of a muchness.
 
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for all those injured. I have a good friend who will never walk again and has no use nor feeling from chest down. She was riding out for a trainer and airjackets not allowed in racing.

If anyone isinterested in a second hand point two, black, M, please PM me as it needs a new home.
 
I fell off at a jumping competition a while back and my hit-air was great! The noise was as loud as a coke can being opened and the jacket didn't wind me, I got up immediately and the only bit of me that was a little bruised was the top of my leg, where the jacket stops.
The first-aid lady that came into the arena said that she wished everyone wore one at competitions, she had seen many potentially nasty falls turn out to be minor. I think that everyone should consider buying one!
 
I have never worn them, but after reading this thread am considering buying one.

I own a short back back protector however never ride in it - I find mine very restricting and when I did childhood ju-jitsu was taught to how to fall which I think has helped me. I'm also very good at landing on my feet after most falls and have never had a more serious injury than a broken wrist.

The biggest problem I have with my BP is the fact it is so restricting to ride in. I found my falls with it were a lot more painful and serious without because I'd land and go 'splat' whilst without I seem to roll a lot more. Also think without it I feel I have a better incentive to stay on which might help!

are the air jackets restrictive at all to a rider? what are they like to ride in?

OP, best wishes to your friend. Hope she makes a quick and full recovery x
 
I write this from my sick bed......

On 10th June I was having jump lesson on my baby horse, in the menage over show jumps in warm weather - I always wear my point two to jump in, hey, I didn't shell out £400 to wear it once a month when I go to a show! Except, this particular day it was rather warm and I decided it wasn't necessary..... you can probably see where this is going!!

Coming to the end of the lesson we were doing an exercise over an upright across the school at X, my baby has a tendency to land on the right lead, for reasons unknown I decided last minute we would be turning left, well, I turned left and she carried on the way we were supposed to be going - right!!

I came out the side door, superman style and landed on the menage kick boards which are 1'6" high scaffold plank type boards.
I instantly knew I had done some serious damage to myself, I had landed across the boards, legs in the menage, body on the planks and upper body and arms outside the menage. Cue ambulance, morphine, gas and air and blue lights to hospital.

The outcome, a shattered left wrist and a grade 3 kidney trauma 6 days in hospital, mainly on HDU.
The wrist has been pinned and plated and is, although weak and limited movement, as good as new - the kidneys, well they aren't so good right now. I am 3 weeks into a minimum of 6 weeks complete bed rest, been told by the urology doctor that I will not be riding for 6 months and that there is still a real possibility that my left kidney will rupture (although as the weeks go on the chance of this happening is reducing)

Do I wish I had worn my point two - HELL YES I DO! The wrist would have broken regardless, I would have been bruised and battered but I may well have reduced the damage to my kidneys significantly had i been wearing it.
As a result of this I will now - when I eventually get out of bed and back to something resembling normal - wear my point two EVERY time I get on a horse, be it my 2 or anyone else's horse I sit on.

I am annoyed at myself for thinking it was ok not to wear it, I am annoyed that I bought a new race safe the week before too.
Nothing I can do about it though, it happened and now I have to deal with it, rest up and get better.
My mum was videoing the lesson, she got the fall on camera but I can't watch it, or the lesson prior to the fall, I guess when I am ready physiologically I will watch some of it.

I have a pic of the X ray of my wrist, I am too technologically inept to post it but if anyone wants to see it please feel free to PM me and I will send it to you, it is out there on Facebook too!
 
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