SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Sidelines Caps
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Saturday, December 12 2020 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Protective Jackets and Vests: To Wear or Not To Wear?

By Armand Leone, Jr.

While having dinner with my family a few weeks ago, we had a conversation about the use of inflatable airbag jackets and vests while riding after recently learning of an older friend who was bucked off and severely injured. Like cycling, skiing, contact sports and cars, there have been advancements over the years in protective gear and equipment to lessen injuries in riding. Riding with an ASTM/SEI-certified helmet, competing cross-country with an ASTM/SEI-certified body protector, the use of breakaway jump cups, and removal of permanent obstacles, such as water and bank jumps, have lessened the risk of injury.

However, there is also a chance that with newer protective equipment, riders may have a false sense of security and take part in activities that exceed their competency level, therefore taking on increased risk. For example, as a rider, if I’m comfortable and confident jumping my horse 1.20m, I shouldn’t decide it’s fine to move up to 1.30m simply because I now have an added layer of protection. Our lively dinner-table discussion spanned everything from ski helmets to car airbags to protective riding vests. Little did I know I would get firsthand experience with injury the next day.

Even though I’m an older rider, I still enjoy riding, training and jumping young horses. I had set up a gymnastic with the intent to jump my 6-year-old a little higher to probe his scope and ability. After a few times through, I raised the last vertical and repeated the exercise. Unfortunately, he jumped it with one leg too low, caught the pole between his legs and he started going down. The ground was coming up quickly, so I did an “emergency dismount” with a roll to avoid hitting the ground too hard and to allow me to move away from where the horse might fall. This instinct to preserve myself during an involuntary dismount was learned over the years starting with falling off ponies and later to avoid getting hung up in big combinations. I’m glad that the reaction was still in me. Although I avoided serious injury, I cracked a few ribs and had the wind knocked out of me.

As I was looking at the ground on my hands and knees, catching my breath, I couldn’t help but think about our protective vest discussion the night before. I know that in the eventing discipline, cross-country athletes riding at recognized competitions must wear an ASTM/SEI-approved body protector — a vest made of lightweight foam intended to reduce rib fractures and penetrating injuries to the torso. While the hunter-jumper world does not carry a similar mandate, there has been increased conversation around equipment that will protect against crush-related injuries, namely airbag jackets and vests, and rightfully so. It has now been a month or so since my fall, and though I’m riding and jumping again, I bought an airbag vest. Now the question is, when will I use it?

Know Your Limitations and Evaluate the Risks

Each person has a different health and risk profile. The same fall occurring to a 25-year-old may have a very different outcome for a 60-year-old. A difficult horse being ridden by a rider with 30 years’ experience carries different risks than that horse being ridden by a rider with only three years’ experience. A gallop across a hunting field over banks and solid fences carries a different risk than jumping on a level all-weather surface with breakaway cups. How much safety gear, beyond the certified helmet and good equipment, a rider should use depends on each rider’s ability and risk preferences, along with the horse’s character and familiarity with the questions being asked by the rider.

There is ongoing research about the effectiveness of airbag jackets and vests specifically, because it stands to reason that in a serious fall, they may provide significant protection from injuries, including possibly reducing crush injuries during a rotational fall. That being said, a protective vest is not a substitute for recognizing your or your horse’s limitations, and using a protective jacket or vest should not provide riders with a sense of security that allows them to exceed their abilities. A protective jacket or vest does not make a better rider, just like a ski helmet does not make a better skier.

On the other hand, some riding situations are known to have higher inherent risk – riding a 3-year-old, training over permanent obstacles, and testing a horse’s ability are all examples of situations that will have inherently higher risks. Sometimes, the horse just makes a mistake; a 3-year-old that rears and flips over, a horse that chests a bank, or a horse that misjudges the height of a top rail. Even the best rider cannot keep a horse on its feet all of the time. In higher-risk situations, a protective jacket or vest clearly provides some added safety. So, the use of a protective jacket or vest should not be an all-or-nothing proposition. It depends on the specific situation at hand.

The Role of Protective Vests in Our Future

Should inflatable protective jackets and vests be considered mandatory equipment for competition like riding helmets are? Protective jackets and vests are an investment that can cost anywhere from $300 to upwards of $700. These pieces of equipment are an additional layer of clothing that can be bulky or hot to wear. The jackets and vests can provide protection against injuries, but it’s not a given, of course. At this point in time, which riders wear protective jackets and vests at which times and in which situations should be determined by individual riders and, if juniors, by the parent(s) or guardian(s).

Safety studies of protective equipment and improvements in equipment design should continue to lessen the inherent risk of injury from a fall in equestrian sport. USHJA has pledged $100,000 to sponsor a new helmet study. Similar studies should be performed with protective jackets and vests, specifically those with airbag technology. With more data, better decisions can be made as to who should wear them and when.

Reduced cost and improved wearability are also essential developments for wider adoption and use. The benefits of using protective jackets and vests should be made known, because as studies begin to show benefits, and as manufacturers reduce the cost and offer more comfortable designs, we’ll begin to see an increasing number of riders voluntarily using protective jackets and vests.

As someone who has ridden for more than 50 years, it’s not easy to change habits. On a personal level, I always jump with a hard hat today, but didn’t always in the past. I use flatter cups and lighter poles today, but didn’t always do so in the past. I plan to wear my airbag vest at home when I’m engaging in higher-risk activities, such as with breaking and training young horses or jumping difficult or natural obstacles. I expect that my use of protective riding equipment, including protective vests, will likely increase as the technology improves — and as my risk tolerance for injury decreases with age.

Double D Trailers Info

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: astm/sei, safety, safety vests

What you can read next

Growing Up With Snowman
Maddy Keck: At Home at Savannah College of Art and Design
Caitlin Silliman & Catch A Star – Four-Star Miracle

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
Jessica West always rode any horse that was availa Jessica West always rode any horse that was available to her throughout her Junior career, so she knew she had an advantage when she decided she wanted to ride on an NCAA team in college. Now a senior at @@auburnu and majoring in psychology, Jessica has enjoyed everything about the equestrian team and is ready to move on to her next adventure. 

Read more about Jessica at the link in our bio!

#ncea #ncaa #equestrian #collegiateequestrian #huntseatequitation #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #collegelife #showjumper #hunterhorse #horseshow #sidelinesmagazine
In the unique and challenging sport of combined dr In the unique and challenging sport of combined driving, Jacob Arnold has proven himself to be a bona fide star. It’s been said that success develops from a recipe based on hard work, perseverance, learning and sacrifice, paired with a love of what one is doing. Since the time he was a boy, Jacob has had the right combination of all of those ingredients, which have culminated in a meteoric rise to stardom.

Beginning his career as a Junior, Jacob earned the coveted @usequestrian Junior Equestrian of the Year award in 2011. Since then, he has taken the combined driving world by storm, competing successfully in four @fei_global World Championships. He also won the USEF Advanced Pair Horse National Championship in 2020 and 2021, among other victories—all before the age of 28, in a sport that has historically been dominated by older drivers. Last September, he placed 12th—the highest of any American driver—at the 2021 FEI Driving World Championship for Pairs in a field of over 100 top-level drivers.

Read more about @jacobarnoldcombineddriving at the link in our bio!

@alex.banks.photography #combineddriving #drivendressage #dressage #driving #carriage #horsedriving #equestrianstyle #equestrianlife #horselover #drivinghorse #carriagehorse #showhorse #sidelinesmagazine
@rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the f @rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the first equestrian Major of 2022, winning the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters. In doing so he also claimed an additional bonus for non-consecutive Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping wins, following his victory at CHIO Aachen last year. The German champion’s outstanding performance riding his trusted partner Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z once again makes him the live contender for the coveted Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.

Catch up on all the action and watch the free highlights video on the Sidelines Show World blog (link in bio!)

#showjumping #rolex #grandslam #rolexgrandslam #showjumper #dutch #netherlands #dutchwarmbloods #equestrianlife #hunterhorse #hunterjumper #equestrianstyle #showhorses #showjumpersofinstagram #jumpinghorse #grandprixjumer #grandprixhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 ac Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 acres in Jupiter Farms, Florida.

Jupiter Farms is an equestrian community with a trail system and a sand riding arena at the park. Charming home features vaulted ceilings, custom trim, custom lighting in master bedroom that changes color with a remote. Granite countertops in kitchen and laundry room. New 2022 stackable washer/dryer. Privacy fenced backyard with beautiful tall pines for shade, many palm trees also on property.

Secure fenced  25’ x 25’ pen with wood fencing , for a horse, dogs or a garden.  Wonderful property in desirable Jupiter Farms. 45 minutes to Wellington, 25 minutes to Jupiter Dog Beach. Perfect oasis for dog and horse lovers, close to everything in South Florida. MLS# 10778333, Agents welcome.

$655,000
Contact 561-246-9317
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • Andrea Price Valenzuela - Price & Co. Real Estate




    REALTOR, GRI, SRES / Price & Co. Real Estate 2015-2017 SMDRA Diamon Circle Club Member CELL: 303-956-9691 OFFICE: 303-955-5571 andrea@pricecohomes.com RESIDENTIAL / COMMERCIAL / EQUESTRIAN

    [Read more]

  • CWD SELLIER IS RECRUITING!
    Sales Reps-Multiple Territories Katie Nubel 206-883-7125 katie@cwdsellier.com www.cwdsellier.com/us/en/jobs

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022
  • Better Business with Malvern Bank: Michael Meller’s Secrets to Success
  • Third Annual Painted Ponies Art Walk takes over Southern Pines, NC!

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Jung Ends as He Began — On Top — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™
  • ROLEX TESTIMONEE DANIEL DEUSSER WINS ROLEX GRAND PRIX AT 2022 DUTCH MASTERS
  • STABLE VIEW IN AIKEN POSTPONING ‘A’ RATED $400,000 H/J CHALLENGE SERIES DUE TO RESTRICTIVE MILEAGE RULE

Category

Recent Posts

  • Cutest Horse Races Ever: Leadline Racing at the Aiken Horse Trials

    Photos by Barbara Magrogan   Young partici...
  • From Patient to Powerhouse: Lauren May Woodruff & RecoverEase

    When did you start your company and what gave y...
  • Kimmy Cecere: Finding Her Life’s Calling

    By Haylie Kerstetter Portraits by Alex Banks &n...
  • Amazing Adventures From the Olympics to Pirates to Arena Footing

    Karen Leeming Liverpool, England, originally; n...
  • To Succeed, You Have to Start: Jill Slater & RIATA Designs

    By Britney Grover   Jill Slater isn’t afra...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!