Body Protectors

[LucyHoneychurchsPiano]

Well, after an eventful lesson yesterday (a lady who joins us every other week was thrown from the horse she was riding), I'm thinking a body protector may be a sensible investment.

I've had a little look around and the Airowear Outlyne seems pretty good, especially for people with a significant difference between chest/waist measurements, but to be honest they all feel really heavy and stiff. I haven't tried one on yet, so are they actually more comfortable when they've been worn for a bit?

I've always ridden without one, so have no idea what they're like, but yesterday's events were pretty unsettling - especially as I've ridden that particular horse previously and was going to have him yesterday. He's a bit of a grump, but everyone was shocked by the rearing and bucking - totally unexpected.

[MrTumblesBavarianFanbase]

Thanks horsemadmom - everything has its dangers, both my older kids play football and the 8 year old opposition goalie was knocked out and taken away in an ambulance at the last match we watched (my 6 year old is goalie for the under 9s so it "could have" been him), and one of my son's friends broke is arm nastily, needing re-setting under general anethetic, just at training... you can't (or shouldn't) stop kids doing stuff, but you can and should protect them while they do whatever it is they want to do, as best you resonably can IMO... Football is much cheaper though!!! Ah well, will see what I can do!

[LoveSewingBee]

I understand that you feel pressurized to buy one asap, however, a good fit is essential. A body protector that does not fit properly can actually cause greater injury. For example, I was keen to buy a racesafe for my dd. However, it was a little too loose around her flanks. This meant that in case of an accident it could shoot upwards and bump hard against the skull (from the direction of the neck upwards), thus potentially causing serious whiplash or worse.

I am also not sure why some people tell you not to buy second hand. You can take the cover of the body protector and then you see the internal plates very well, it is not like a riding hat. I would never buy a riding hat second hand. The only reason I have never bought a body protector second hand is because some children depending on their posture need the body protector to be specially adapted to create a perfect fit (like with hats, it is not safe to buy them a bit too big to allow for growth).

Maybe just skip the jumping lesson and replace it with a dressage lesson until the body protector is sorted?

[LoveSewingBee]

Also, body protector should be worn as close to the skin as possible, so top can go underneath but I would wear fleece or coat over it.

[Pixel]

Well mine had labels on it warning against subjecting it to extremes of temperature as this can affect the structure of the materials used and make it less efficient. You don't know if someone has left it near a radiator or in a baking hot car for days on end, or let their great dane sleep on it! It's different if you are getting one from a friend who you know has looked after it, but otherwise I would steer clear of second-hand just to be sure.

[MrTumblesBavarianFanbase]

Oh blimey Love sewing if the fit is that important that a poorly fitted one can cause far worse injuries to the neck and skull, I am rather reluctant to put DD's life / mobility in the hands of a shop assistant We don't seem to have much choice about what kind off lessons she is doing - we didn't ask for jumping, they are just teaching her, and her 3 friends, to ride...

They had to start with individual 1:1 half hour lessons until they were judged competent to ride in the school or paddock without needing a 1:1 or leadrope, and then they started the weekly hour long lessons in groups of 5, they do stable craft before and after, indormally, in that we are asked to have them there for half an hour before and after so they can help with grooming and tacking up...

The stables runs as a Verein, which I don't think there is an equivalent for in the UK but a kind of club (lots of things are Verein here, mainly sports clubs but also things like animal rescue charities). It was recommended by several families who already use it, the mother of one of the girls used to ride there herself... everyone seems very competent but its nobody's full time job except the owner who lives on site ... its a small place, not a polished business... I don't feel like I can bustle in demanding certain types of lesson somehow...

Wish we'd never given into the nagging for riding lessons now

[LucyHoneychurchsPiano]

The shop assistants here are usually trained in fitting BPs and I imagine it would be the same in Germany. They are adjustable and there's guidance charts for fit so you could look at those online and measure DD beforehand so as to get a rough idea re size. It's the same principle as getting a hat fitted - to a certain extent you're relying on the knowledge of the sales assistant - but seems less tricky to find one to suit.

The children's clubs sound nice - are you happy in general with the place she rides at and it's just a matter of getting the correct equipment that's concerning you or are you having other doubts re her riding? For what it's worth, I had to nag my mum for ages to let me have lessons when I was a child and I think it's entirely normal to worry about your children following horsey pursuits - even if you happily ride yourself!

[LoveSewingBee]

I don't agree Lucy, fitting a body-protector is much more difficult than a hat and shop assistant need to be trained by the specific body protector supplier as each is different. I tried to take measurements myself, didn't manage, it really needs to fit very well.

Mr Tumble otherwise give the manufacturer say Airowear or whoever you want in the UK a call and ask for their advice, they may know a fitter in Germany.

[LucyHoneychurchsPiano]

Sewing I didn't mean measuring yourself as a substitute for going into a shop (hence the reason I paid extra to get mine properly fitted rather than just ordering one from a website); however, if you have an idea of the makes and sizes/measurements available before you go, then if the shop assistant seems utterly clueless and tries to push you into a size that's way different from the one suggested by the manufacturer's charts then it's a sign to ask questions and query their choice, no? For instance, you do hear, albeit fairly rarely, of people being sold hats and BPs that aren't a great fit because it's what the shop had in stock - personally I like to be armed with as much info as possible, even if I'm ultimately guided by the sales staff. I could see from looking online that some brands weren't going to be a great fit for me due to the waist/chest configuration and that an Outlyne could be good - that's what they fitted me with and I do like it. Everyone's different, though, and some people prefer not to read up on what's available and rely totally on shop assistants and if that works for them, that's great too

Presumably as everyone wears a hat, but not a BP, there's fewer BP options and greater adjustability, so (in my experience) it was far, far easier for the shop to fit me - with my hat the shop didn't stock any velvet hats that suited my head shape and there's so many brands and styles - and that's before you even enter the realm of sizing correctly. I appreciate that I have an odd shape head, however

[LucyHoneychurchsPiano]

MrTumbles do you know what brands the shops near you stock? You may be lucky and find that they stock a range, but I found that the shops I visited only had a fairly limited selection of brands. On one hand, this seems good as they (hopefully!) have plenty of experience in fitting the couple of brands they do sell, but it does mean you can't try on a variety and may need to hunt out a shop and travel a bit further if you fancy a particular type. It's a bit of pain, but worth it to get something suitable that fits well, is comfy for your DD and puts your mind at rest.

[MrTumblesBavarianFanbase]

Lucyhoney I'm fairly happy with the stables she rides at, except that they do seem to forget that families have other things going on and expect people to muck in! I have 2 younger kids and nobody else to leave them with so it can be a bit pesky that they expect me to be happy to help dd with saddles and things... they just assume everyone is horsey ;) but the lessons seem good, and the personal nature of the place (DD is taught by the owner), and the fact they know the individual children and don't do things to please the parents or kids but only let the children do things they judge them ready for. Its not a business with an office etc. though and that can sometimes make communication hard - you have to be able to catch somebody who can help, and the owner is always busy with something so you have to talk to her while she mucks out or feeds or in 30 seconds between teaching.

I don't know what brands the shop near us sells - we got a hat from them and it is HKM - I know from googling that that brand makes body protectors, but not whether the shop sells that brand. We ended up not going yesterday as I had forgotten DS still had footaball training, which was originally supposed to have finished for the holiday the previous week, and I had work in the evening, so time was too tight to fit everything in. I think I may go and look without her this morning, which will give me an excuse not to buy immediately at least!

[LucyHoneychurchsPiano]

Oh that sounds nice, but frustrating in equal measure! Especially when you have other children to deal with - managing everyone's needs can get demanding. I've got 4 children so can certainly relate to that feeling of needing to be in two (or more!) places at once.

Good luck with your visit to the shop. You can check out the brands and sizes in stock. I got talked into a hat that didn't fit and it was terrible - excruciating at the front and gappy, yet stuffed with extra padding at the back, but the other style was sold out in my size and they said that the one they sold me fit well... Fortunately, the shop let me exchange it as it was such a terrible fit (in fact it was dangerous) and the sales assistant was brilliant and found me one that's great. Ironically, the original hat had been fitted by the brand's own rep, but had I found out more info before I'd gone to the shop I would have had the confidence to ask the right questions and query various issues, so I think it's always wise to do your homework (as you are).

Before I bought my BP I thoroughly researched them so as to avoid a repeat of the hat fiasco, especially as they're non-refundable. I found the sales assistant to be really good; she tried a few on me and could immediately see with her trained eye whether it was too short, too big, etc and popped me on the saddle to make sure it was fine. She fitted me with the size that I had thought I needed based on the charts when I measured at home, but I was still glad I had it fitted by the shop as it's reassuring to have it done properly.