"Without my body protector, I'd have spinal injuries"

[PeterNatt]

"A hack with her daughter Molly (6) turned into a nightmare for Cornish retailer Vicky Thorne when her mount was hit by a car.
As she lay shocked and badly bruised in the road Vicky - who owns Cornish Saddlery in Helston Cornwall - could only watch as Molly's pony galloped for home, the child still in the saddle.
Amazingly everyone survived in one piece. Molly and her pony arriving intact back at their yard.
Vicky's pony also got home safely but she ended up in A & E at the local hospital "The doctors said that if I wasn't wearing the safety equipment I was, they would'nt be treating me at all" she said.
I'm still very sore. My hip is black [with bruising], my elbow is cut to pieces and my neck has whiplash. But without my Body protector, I would almost certainly have had spinal injuries and brocken ribs".
Vick and the medics credit her survival to her Airowear Outlyne body protector. The female friendly garment meets EN13158:2009 and the BETA 2009 staqndard Level 3.
Vicky was also wearing a Champion Ventair hat and 'Polite' high visibility jacket.
"The accident has proved just how essential these safety items are when you need them" said vicky. "I've always been keen on making sure hats and body protectors fit correctly and now when I speak to customers I probably emphasise it even more".
Vicky told ETN that the accident happened when a car towing a boat trailer approached the group of riders coming in the opposite direction on the wrong side of the road, but failed to stop.
"I was on a very safe 13.1hh pony to be at a similar height to Molly on her pony".
I raised my arm to ask the car to stop, but it carried on, hit the pony's hindquarters and scooped me up on the bonnet".
"As I lay in the road I was relly only concerned for my daughter whose pony galloped off with her still on board".
An experienced rider who competes up to advanced level in dressage, Vicky is also a British Horse Society (BHS) riding and road safety examiner.
Equestrian Trade News Page 6 January 2012.

 

[MrsMozart]

Without mine (jumping grids in a school with an excellent surface), I'd be paralysed from the waist down. And that includes issues with going to the toilet - would be able to wheel myself there, but what comes next... well, let's just say the paralysis would affected more than 'just' my legs.

 

[Syrah]

One of the reasons I wear my bp all of the time is a friend of a friend ended up in intensive care with horrific injuries from an unexpected spook on a bombproof horse. She was told by the doctors that a bp would have prevented the life threatening injuries and saved her from a few weeks on life support and the prospect of at least a years rehabilitation.

You just don't know what is around the corner and it's not worth the risk to me.

 

[Trolt]

Have seen a lot of people who should have broken ribs or worse that were saved because of their body protectors. In fact, I've seen people who have walked away just winded after being "crushed" by a horse, because they were in a body protector.

I would never stop anyone riding in a body protector, and it's important that a rider feels safe. However, in the interest of keeping this thread balanced and providing the other side of the story:

4 years ago I was riding a VERY safe and sane confidence giver. I'd known and ridden him for 4 years. We'd been out on a hack and ran into the hunt. All the horses got wound up, and one rider had fallen off. In the interest of safety we returned to the yard and were walking the horses around to try and cool them down before dismounting. One of the hunts hounds ran through the hedge and straight under the legs of my mount. My pony span 180 degrees and legged it. I literally (as if in a cartoon) remained where I was, but suddenly had no pony beneath me. So I landed smack on my a**e. The impact caused my coccyx to fracture.
The doctors have said, that without a doubt, had I been wearing anything restrictive so that I landed more tense then I would have fractured my spine and potentially been paralysed. Because I wasn't wearing a body protector, my upper body didn't tense and remained relatively relaxed so the coccyx took the impact (as it is designed to!).
Still get issues with my coccyx now, that's treated with injections, but it's obviously preferable to having broken my spine!

I would never prevent anyone from riding in a body protector, and I've witnessed them literally saving lives. However, I wanted to show there is an opposite side to it as well.

 

[AprilBlossom]

The spelling and grammar of the news article is rather poor.

I have no real opinion on BPs and don't wish to take a side either way, however it was an interesting read and I doubt there are many who would argue against the safety aspects of wearing a BP, they are just damn uncomfortable as I recall from my childhood!! I was told to wear one for all riding after a fall in which I shattered my elbow...11year old logic applied, the BP didnt cover my arms so how it would help prevent a repeat injury I didn't know...nevertheless I duly took my BP to the yard every day...and it spent many a happy afternoon sitting in the corner of the school whilst I rode!!

 

[EmmasMummy]

The spelling and grammar of the news article is rather poor.

I have no real opinion on BPs and don't wish to take a side either way, however it was an interesting read and I doubt there are many who would argue against the safety aspects of wearing a BP, they are just damn uncomfortable as I recall from my childhood!! I was told to wear one for all riding after a fall in which I shattered my elbow...11year old logic applied, the BP didnt cover my arms so how it would help prevent a repeat injury I didn't know...nevertheless I duly took my BP to the yard every day...and it spent many a happy afternoon sitting in the corner of the school whilst I rode!!

I have to agree with this. I have a very large chest and cannot fit a body protector comfortably over my boobs. I di dhave to wear one at college, but in order to fit over my boobs, the size meant that it was so tight and would dig into my back and restrict my - I fell off more wearing it than I did without it. Almost every week. You could argue it was bad riding............but I have only fallen off my own horse 4 times in 8 years.........compared to about 20+ times in 6 months.

 

[gnubee]

I'm loving my new KAN (which is actually woman shaped so it is not hideously uncomfortable like my old one in which I could barely breathe) and now wear it most of the time cos it is sufficiently comfy that it seems stupid to just wear it to jump when I don't really notice I'm wearing it at all once its been on a couple of mins. Am a bit of a convert to the BP thing since I got it.
My old one was uncomfortable so I didn't want to wear the thing, straight up and down so I couldn't move properly, and too long (even with short back) so it bumped the back of the saddle tipping me forward. With that one I tended to weigh up whether I thought I was likely to fall off onto something solid, and if not didn't wear it cos I thought overall it was more likely to make me fall off in general.

Having said that, these things about without X I would have Y wind me up a bit. It is pretty difficult to know what the outcome would have been with that one variant thrown into the occasion. Would appear far more responsible for doctors to be saying without the BP it was much more likely that spinal injuries would occur than that it is an absolute conclusion.

 

[Booboos]

I have to agree with this. I have a very large chest and cannot fit a body protector comfortably over my boobs. I di dhave to wear one at college, but in order to fit over my boobs, the size meant that it was so tight and would dig into my back and restrict my - I fell off more wearing it than I did without it. Almost every week. You could argue it was bad riding............but I have only fallen off my own horse 4 times in 8 years.........compared to about 20+ times in 6 months.

Have you tried the Airowear? It manages to comfortably accommodate my 34F so it might be an idea. KAM is also supposed to be very well shaped for women.

I don't find my BP in any way restrictive, although I do remember the old style ones (10 years ago) were pretty horrific. Modern design ones I just forget I am wearing a BP.

 

[Cupcakes and Horses]

The problem is you just don't know what type of fall your going to have to whether its a help or a hindrance. Mum my had a fall years ago and was told it increased her injuries she to had fallen on her coccyx. But then there is know doubt they do save in many circumstances. My daughters pony trampled her without a doubt she would have had broken ribs if she hadn't been wearing hers. I just feel like I can't ride properly in the dam thing and more likely to come off wearing it.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Mine has saved me from broken ribs so many times, i once got kicked in the chest wearing it by a shod 17.2 warmblood, i was confused as to why i was on my back ten feet away from where i had been stood, until i looked down and saw the hoof print on my bp. Fab things. And i have a 32ff chest, made to measure race safe means Im still comfy in one.

 

[MrsMozart]

Having said that, these things about without X I would have Y wind me up a bit. It is pretty difficult to know what the outcome would have been with that one variant thrown into the occasion. Would appear far more responsible for doctors to be saying without the BP it was much more likely that spinal injuries would occur than that it is an absolute conclusion.

Mine would have been for sure. My back broke when I landed on my feet from some height and at speed. Then landing on and skidding across roughly a quarter length of the school on my back, bouncing as I went, would have, if I had been without the BP, caused the crushed vertebra to move and the spinal cord to be compromised.

 

[pricklyflower]

Gnubee - so glad you posted that. My new KAN is on its way and I'm hoping it is as comfy as people say. I hate wearing one but getting back into xc again and need to wear it plus setting a good example to my daughter.

 

[MrsMozart]

Gnubee - so glad you posted that. My new KAN is on its way and I'm hoping it is as comfy as people say. I hate wearing one but getting back into xc again and need to wear it plus setting a good example to my daughter.

D1 wears a Kan for all riding. Says she forgets she has it one, which is pretty good for a teenager
the only time she doesn't is for cross-country. Has an Exo for that (as I'm paranoid about rotational falls!).

 

[NeverSayNever]

i always wear my racesafe,love it! I really didnt like the Kan I tried but each to their own. I like the look of the airowear outlynes - another good one for ladies and the rodney powell.

I wonder what happened after this accident? I hope the driver stopped and was charged

 

[ECRider]

After reading this post I am going out to buy a BP. I have a little 3 month old boy at home, which makes you think even more about your safety when riding.

 

[JFTDWS]

Having said that, these things about without X I would have Y wind me up a bit. It is pretty difficult to know what the outcome would have been with that one variant thrown into the occasion. Would appear far more responsible for doctors to be saying without the BP it was much more likely that spinal injuries would occur than that it is an absolute conclusion.

Agree - I find articles like this absurd and annoying because it's counterfactual - you just can't say that for definite. Just the inclusion of the phrase "increased the probability of spinal injuries" or similar would make me feel much happier about these sorts of assertions.

 

[Jesstickle]

I have big boobs and they don't make a KAN to fit me (no word of a lie, how stupid is that for something which boasts about being made for women?)

My Racesafe is pretty ok but I don't wear it particularly often as it does affect the way I ride. I certainly don't wear it for schooling or showjumping as I find it restrictive enough that I think it makes me more likely to fall off. Obviously when I rode racehorses I wore it then and I wear it to go XC but not every day.

 

[whiteclover]

I never wear my bp I find it so restrictive but each to their own.

 

[Tammytoo]

For all the ladies with big boobs who can't get a back protector to accommodate their shape - try getting a motor cyclists back protector, Whilst this only protects the back and not the front, it is better than nothing!

 

[rhino]

Agree - I find articles like this absurd and annoying because it's counterfactual - you just can't say that for definite. Just the inclusion of the phrase "increased the probability of spinal injuries" or similar would make me feel much happier about these sorts of assertions.

This. Plus the OP sounded very much like advertising - you would hope that any approved helmet/body protector of the same standard would have worked equally as well Nice plug for the saddlery too Not sure why they are implying the hi viz helped either as she was still hit! I'm not knocking it, I always wear it hacking on roads despite my accident when I was also wearing it.

Knowing who OP is I doubt this was the aim though, to be fair

 

[Serenity087]

I've suffered serious back injury BECAUSE of my BP, and I've been spared serious back injury thanks to my BP.

I refused to use one for years after damaging my back but the new ones are infinitely more comfortable. Anyone who can't find one to fit, I'd advise looking around. I also have large bazookas and mine is a foam fit one which now has equally large bazooka shaped moulds in the front of it!

One thing that does put me off BPs is the fact I have a 99% chance of landing on my head. If I know there's a chance I'll go flying or get squished then BP it is, but anything else is just the hat as I know it's more likely to save me than anything else!

 

[marmalade76]

Reads just like an ad to me.

 

[PapaFrita]

I always seem to land on my backside. If I didn't insist on riding horses I'd be in much better shape over all