When do you wear a body protector?

Yes, 5 years old I think.

Wear it (when I remember
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) for SJ/XC/Hunting, hacking off road (sometimes) and if its a new/young or arsey horse.
 
I only wear one if I'm doing a cross country competition or riding a newly backed horse. I don't realy like them as I can't manouvre properly in them.
I know a few riders who wear them most of the time but if they ride without them they are unable to sit up straight as they haven't got the extra support!
 
Can i just say, to anyone who put that theirs is over 4-5 yrs old, you might as well wear a cardboard box... The white PVA foam degrades over time (even tho it still looks great) and loses its energy absorption & therefore its protectiveness.
Someone fell off here yesterday in sj lesson, naughty horse did sth quick and evil, and landed on shoulder and side, she was down a while and obv v sore, really wish she'd had one on, it would definitely have helped a lot.
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i own one which i had to buy when i went to college about 6 years ago i have only wore it a couple of times but i have now outgrown it, so i need to buy a new on this year which i will use just for XC
 
I wear one all the time at the moment of my 4yo however I always wear one xc and hacking whatever horse I am riding. About 3/4 years ago I fell off when hacking, got dragged a fair distance at full gallop and dislocated my hip. If I hadn't of been wearing a bp god knows how many ribs I would have broken and how many organs I would of damaged. It scares me to even think about it!
 
I used to work in racing and i think they are compulsary in racing now and so they should be. Although the racesafe body protectors are much comfier than any other body protector i have worn before
 
I bought one following an operation to remove a growth on my liver caused, probably, by falling off a pony when I was fourteen and getting kicked as he galloped off for home
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So, I now always wear it, firstly to protect my operation site and secondly because I never want to go through that op again! It was major and is taking soooo long to get over.

I agree my body protector helps me to sit up straight but I'm sure there will be riders like me who care enough not to rely on this (and so work on their core strength anyway) and for those who don't care, isn't it better to have the body protector make them sit up straight rather than hurting the horse's back by slouching?
 
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the racesafe body protectors are much comfier than any other body protector i have worn before

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Yay that's good to know - I have one on order at the moment!
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Wear it all the time so that I don't find it ackward when I "have" to wear it. Also, as I recently demonstrated, I am as likely to fall off in the middle of a hack as anywhere else. On this occasion I fell onto a hard but uneven stoney path. I heard the crack as my hat took a blow and I would have really hurt my ribs (they were quite bruised) if I hadn't had it on. Doesn't bother me at all but it is the racesafe type. If I don't have it and I ride I do take five minutes to adjust but soon get the hang of "sitting up straight". It's also a fantastic sports bra and I really notice that a lot more if I don't have it on..
 
Mine is 5years old, I hate it, I hate wearing it and will only ever wear it for XC/TC when it is compulsory at the start box. If I could get away with not wearing one ever I would.
 
I wear one when doing work with my youngster always. I always used to wear it when riding my TB (now sold) as she used to buck and i couldn't sit to it. Wore it when i was doing XC.
 
I don't like wearing mine, but wear it for XC and for sitting on horses that I'm really uncertain about (wore it for the first few times on the Spooky Pony---of course I didn't start serially falling off him until after I stopped wearing it!). I wouldn't wear one hunting, because it would spoil the lines of my jacket---vanitas vanitatum---I hope I don't have cause to regret my inconsistent behaviour one day!
 
I bought mine because i fell off and fractured part of my spine. Reason why i like the racesafe is because they are bendy so i felt you werent restricted. Also with them they are tied down the sides so you can loosen and tighten them when needed. I even managed to wear mine until i was 7 month pregnant! Although it was tighter in some areas than other areas!!!
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I own one but haven't worn it for at least 5/6 years
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I bought it when I got my first horse but only wore it a couple of times, it doesn't fit great though and I can't move in it so it probably wouldn't offer much protection anyway!
 
I didn't have one when I first got my pony but he started napping badly so having bought one for jumping lessons I started wearing it every time we went out for a hack. 5 years later I still wear it every time I ride. The times I have come off my horse which have thankfully all been minor falls, it has definitely absorbed some of the impact.

Although the napping was resolved I think the main reason I wear mine is in an attempt to limit injury I might receive if I come off. I currently live alone and have a large mortgage. I have no back up financially and no family nearby who could easily come and look after things if I have to have a long time off work. If I can't work and can't earn everything will go down the pan - though having said that I know I probably stand more risk of being injured driving my car everyday! And I know body protectors don't protect the limbs and they could easily get broken during a fall.
 
I work in racing so have it on all the time at work - cantering/hacking. I will use one on a youngster, XC and schooling my pointer. I do however have a jockey vest so you can hardly notice you have it on! I do have a normal racesafe for XC thou as well as a point2
 
I work in racing and have to wear one every day for riding out
its compulsory now !!!!

boss supplied it ... all of us in yard put them on 1st lot and wear them until weve finished ...

l find its like wearing a seatbelt ,took a while to get used to ,but put it on everyday without thinking now

seen alot of nasty falls on gallops lately ,and 99% time ,serious injuries are avoided due to us wearing them
 
I bought a new one when I bought a new horse, nearly 3 years ago. The Kan Teq was the most comfortable I could find. I rarely wear it now but do hack out in my Mountain Horse BodyGuard.
 
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