To be undecided about horse body protectors

[IjustGotmy2016diary]

I am really undecided about whether I should get obe or not. Does anyone have any experience with them? They are expensive but in the flip side it could save me from injury. Or wouldn't it?

I looked in The Tack Room but there is not much input there.

Are they uncomfortable to ride in?

Decisions decisions. ...

Many thanks everyone

I went and got fitted. I tried the one that has velcro to adjust the fit and that was fine - covered my lower ribs etc. Felt very stiff but the lady did say it would loosen and mould to me as time went on. Sat on the saddle in the shop and the length was fine.

I then tried on the Racesafe one. It was huge and to long so went down a size. SO much more comfy. I didn't feel restricted at all and again it covered my ribs and did not hit the saddle when sitting.

hefzi yes that's what I've heard - it limits the round and roll which has a disproportionately negative outcome for children.

I need to research further....

Racesafes are about as good as they get. I love my RS but it still only comes out for xc - I'd rather take my chances sticking on, or if not, tucking and rolling, and I definitely find that easier without one.

Project/hefzi

Surely the most prolific users of round and roll would be jockeys, who have been wearing back protectors for decades, and in that time, injury and fatality rates have fallen hugely (mostly, I think, from actively teaching how to fall properly?)

I'd be interested in how the speed and weight of eventers has increased as well, and whether that is a factor in injury rates.
A 16h falling on you at 15mph is going to do less damage than a 17h at 20mph, if that makes sense? This is being based on the commentators of 3DEs talking about how XC course time limits are much tighter than they used to be, possibly to counteract the jumps being made safer and easier?

I had a bad fall over 20 years ago and wasn't wearing my body protector. I always wish I had been wearing it, as the fall has left me with lifelong back trouble which I was told would have been lessened had I been wearing it.

The eventing issue is complicated - not only are the times tighter, the courses are more technical - so you have to take big fences at great speeds, but also take a tight line at decent speed through technical obstacles, which is where the biggest problems lie.

There's also the issue that eventing is now much more a test of dressage - a good dressage score is much more significant in a placing now than it used to be. There is some argument that a horse can be too "dressaged" to be safe cross country - a good dressage horse has a lot less scope for autonomy and decision making than an xc horse. Dressage horses should be listening for fine tuning and minor adjustments, while xc a horse needs to make split second decisions for itself.

I see you bought one, OP. I RTFT before replying with my sorry tale. If I'd worn mine I wouldn't have suffered a broken back & ruined my life. Wear one. All the time. Even if you're just walking round the block on a 30 year old plod on the buckle end. I came off my 17.3hh IDxTB from a standstill. He got stung by a wasp. I didn't put my body protector on because I was only riding for 1/2 an hour in the paddock. Worst decision of my entire life.

Sheep, those are all very good points.
I remember in my old competing days, you made a good eventer by taking a good jumper and teaching it dressage.
Now you get a good dressage horse and teach it to jump. I hadn't thought about the differences in thought processes in different horses, but thinking back at how many times my ID got me out of trouble, vs how many times my WBxTB got me into trouble, it all makes perfect sense!

How old are you, and what do you do? If you're 23 and go for quiet hacks I would be less bothered than if you're 55 and do cross country eventing. The reason I mention age is because generally, younger people fall better or can avoid falls more successfully. I wouldn't personally advise anyone to not wear one, but my friend who is 23 and only hacks (albeit on a slightly crackers pony) doesn't wear one and I find it easier to not nag her than my godmum who is considerably older and less flexible in terms of staying on and landing.

They're rather warm and I quite like wearing one in winter. You really need one that fits you properly though, I've never bought one off the hanger. I don't typically wear one if I am schooling in summer (I do dressage) because I like to be aware of holding myself correctly instead of feeling held by the body protector, and its very hot! But that's my choice and there are lots on the market now, some thicker than others. I would wear one if I was on roads etc before I got to the school.

You get used to wearing them too, they feel rather odd to start with but that does wear off. I think they're becoming compulsory for driving soon. Just be aware though, some have this thing where you fall off and they inflate, but they don't meet the regulations coming in for the likes of driving because all they do is protect you from the bump, not properly covering your body/organs (or so I was told at HOYS by the stall selling them).

This is one of those things where I can let myself not wear 100% of the time and its fine, but if my niece or nephew were going riding there is no question they would be wearing one from the off. As far as my niece and nephew are aware I wear one all the time etc. I'm only 23, but body protectors weren't common where and when I was learning to ride and it was only when I fell off rather badly that my Mum insisted I get one. Not that I came off too bad, I had been knocked out but nothing broken etc thankfully. I hear broken ribs are horrific, so its a risk for you to decide to take or not really.

I really do think it is important to get one which is well fitted though. I have a long back and ones off the hanger ie. standard sizes don't come down low enough over my ribs, nor do they cover my spine as much as they need to. Pop into a shop and ask if you're not sure what to get/try.

I wear mine for XC when it's mandatory, but don't otherwise. I have a Dainese Balios (Lv 3 one) which is made up of loads of hexagons so is actually really comfortable and easy to move in. Last time I fell off with it on I jarred my back quite badly as I was unable to roll and take the impact on my shoulder. I had a fall in the same circumstances last month without it on (yard XC course, BP not compulsory) and was fine because I could 'control' my reaction to the fall better.

I wouldn't wear an air jacket in any circumstances, especially not if there was the risk of a rotational fall. The research isn't there to back up the manufacturers' claims and they have the potential to do much more harm than good.

I'd never ride without a hat though.

I own two horses and I've never worn one in my life. However, I think my attitude is outdated and body protectors now are far better than the old, clunky, heavy ones we used to have.

I'd get thee to the sale and get kitted out. As many other pp have said - could save you from some serious injury.

sparechange

The info I've been given is that since children are far more flexible a back protector can hamper ability to round and roll thus cause more serious injury. As far as I can see in children the answer is not clear.

However I am by no means an expert and it worries me the answer is not clear

I have the Racesafe one. It has helped to keep me in one piece more than once.
BPs also keep you nice and warm in the winter :)

I would be interested in any studies that show BPs hamper a rider's ability to roll. It's so,etching that is often claimed in discussions but I haven't seen any evidence on it.

Also eventing injuries have not gone up relative to the number of people eventing, it's just that more people event so there are more injuries overall.

I have the Racesafe one too, I use it for XC and hunting on youngsters. You can get the custom made to fit better, I have a small rib cage so I had a kids one with an extra long back made. It's comfortable and I don't really notice it once I'm wearing it, still don't wear it very often thought.
I have a point 2 hunter air jacket which I wear out hacking though as I mostly hack out alone so I'd want to bounce rather than break and be able to make it home. It's just like wearing a waistcoat over my jacket.

Have not read all your answers but I find that body protectors could make a fall more likely in the first place by restricting your ability to absorb the horse's movements. During a big bucking spree for instance, you might stay on better if your back can flex with the movement. A sudden spook to one side, I might imagine the same applies.

My second question regarding the body protectors concerns the theory "something's gotta give", and if your spine is protected all the way up as far as, but not including the neck, then in certain scenarios, is the neck more likely to be broken (whereas without the protector you may have had a break lower down the spine)? I say this just because I have noticed how doctors say wearing solid ski boots has prevented many ankle injuries but created more knee injuries in the process.

Finally, with the ones that attach to the saddle and inflate when the attachment is broken, there is the unfortunate loud hissing sound created which I have known to cause horses to kick out in their panic, in the direction of the sound... and then bolt.

apologies to susiella. That sounds terrible.

I wear mine when doing sponsored rides or jumping. Would wear it hunting if it fit under my jacket.

There was an article in Horse and Hound a couple of weeks ago about air jackets and whether they help or hinder. The sample was small, but the risk of being unable to roll away quickly was mentioned - but the study is ongoing, so I don't think that there was a conclusive answer. Gemma Tattersall said she wouldn't ever ride without one after she believes it saved her from very serious injury - another top eventer quoted (can't remember who it was) said they don't....so I guess it's personal preference and one's own personal risk assessment.

My daughter's stable don't advise children wearing them - she said they affect their ability to sit properly and can cause more damage than they prevent, precisely because children aren't as agile when wearing them - a lot of children aren't wearing properly fitted ones anyway because they grow so fast, and parents don't want to pay for new ones every five minutes - making them less effective than not having one.

That said, DD wears one for jumping and XC. I don't wear one, but I only hack out very rarely now and don't do any risky stuff (beyond sitting on a horse which I know carries risks in any case), but I no longer hunt or ride XC - just go to HT and live vicariously that way!

I did my ribs Mermaid, had a beautiful selection of bruises and got soaked through, but the ground was boggy and soft (probably why I got off so lightly). Also it was a 13.2 so not much horse to land on me. He (pony) was scandalised, because the fence fell on him; he had put in a dirty stop, slid in the muck into the fence, I went ahead and hit the ground and he followed just after.

My dad was less sanguine. He went a bit gone with the wind on me, and downgraded through threats from total horse ban to eventual back protector compromise. I was bendier then, and I bounced well.

I will say this though, even 13.2s are bloody heavy.

Now you get a good dressage horse and teach it to jump

Succintly put.

There are a few misconceptions which are common about body protectors - they aren't really designed to protect the spine (hence the term "back protectors" cannot be used in advertising them). They're designed to protect from blunt trauma to the torso - dispersing the force over a greater area. This helps prevent bruising, broken ribs, potential internal injuries. Shoulder pads should help minimise the risk of fractured collar bones.

They also won't help much in a rotational fall - unless you use an Exo which is an actual cage body protector (and that's a whole other kettle of debatable risks). RS and Airowear style body protectors are separate units front and back, thus in a crush situation, they will slide over each other and not protect from the serious crush injuries themselves.

That doesn't mean that they aren't useful or worth wearing - but when weighing up the risks, it's important to understand their limitations - not least to minimise the effect of people thinking they're safer than they are and taking undue risks as a result.

I don't wear one as I don't like what it does to my position. DCs only ever wore them for XC ( because it was compulsory). They found Racesafes way more comfortable than other styles of BP.

Now I am thinking maybe I shouldn't wear it

I certainly won't be taking any risks - I really am not that brave!