I was at a show this weekend and someone fell off in a Horse Pilot and while her cartridge blew, the vest did not inflate. This initiated a conversation amongst people in the warm up ring and I was told that this is a common problem with the vest, along with the leash not detaching after a fall. I’m looking around and not seeing that anywhere online. Has anyone had either of these problems or heard about it happening to others? Right now I feel like it might be safer not not wear my vest which is pretty infuriating considering the cost.
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I’m an eventer and more familiar with the Point Two and Hit Air vests. I have seen a number of issues with both. I don’t know how common they are in terms of statistics but definitely not unheard of. In the absence of actual research everyone has to make the decision for themselves-- for myself I’ve opted to stick to a traditional foam body protector.
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There’s a reason they require the foam vest still in eventing; the air vests are known to have issues and have caused issues.
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I think that’s the route I am going to go. I knew there were some issues but watching it happen was eye opening. It was such a hot day too, to be sweating buckets in the stupid thing then have it not do it’s job??!!
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I do not discount the possibility of inherent issues with air vests, but also there’s a lot of room for user error with them too. If the canister is not installed correctly or not completely screwed in, it may not go off. If a rider purchased a misthreaded or dented neck canister, this can happen as well (not sure if I’d call that user error per se. But it’s a ‘reason’). Or if the rider is not clipped in properly, or the tether is damaged in storage, it may not disconnect.
I used to sell the inflatable life vests at work, and these were factors we would inform customers about (except for the tethering). A foam body protector has a smaller margin of error, if fitted properly.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a statistically significant amount of failures in air vests, but I also wouldn’t discount the possibility of user error.
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When I was debating which vest to purchase, I had a friend tell me while she was working a vendor booth at Thermal she witnessed several falls (over the course of the circuit) in Horse Pilot vests where the vest did not inflate.
I ended up going with the Helite vest and I’ve only fallen in it once, but it DID inflate and I ended up breaking my back. I wholeheartedly believe the vest saved me from a far worse break (I know that’s not really what you’re asking here, but it’s why we wear them, right?!).
If you haven’t had any issues with your vest, I’d try selling it online? Although that may be like reselling a helmet in some peoples eyes.
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When my plans to return to eventing were interrupted, I ended up with two new air vests - Hit Air and Point 2. Why I bought both is a different topic. Neither has ever been ridden in.
I can relate from experience that there is zero market interest for a used air vest, even one unused and complete with tags. I have even tried giving them away. No interest from consignment places either. And I live in an active eventing area.
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Has the vest been sent for maintenance? I make sure to after every 4 falls.
I think this is another important note. Many people (that I know at least) have very old vests that I’m not sure have ever been sent in for maintenance. To my knowledge, every company has different maintenance recommendations. I feel like if you maintain your vest regularly, your chances of it working properly are greater. However, that doesn’t eliminate all possible user error, or component malfunctions (defective threading on the canister, improper attachment of the tether, canister not screwed in completely, defective tether, etc).
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The examples provided here are why I do not advocate for air vests. The specific term is “fail dangerous.” That means when they fail they absolutely do not work for their intended purpose. The term “fail safe” is one that means when something fails it is still functional, e.g. typical body armor, the steel variability in car bodies (atomic structure/crush zones).
The more mechanisms needed to make something work correctly, the less reliable something becomes. This is a standard tenet in engineering design.
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I do know it’s under a year old with one other fall and one accidental dismount deployment.
Sadly not many manufacturers have a way of sending in your vest for servicing, could not find anything on Horse Pilot’s site. Point2 is one that does and one reason that I choose them. For those in the USA, Point2 also has a service dept in the USA, so fast turn around.
Hit Air has annual servicing recommendations too.
Horse pilot deff has a link. They provided when I emailed to inquire bc the instructions manual stated to maintenance.
This is so interesting to me, I thought there might be a decent market. I ended up buying my Seaver new, but that was because I knew it was the brand I wanted and I couldn’t find it used. It was also significantly cheaper to buy overseas. Then again, I’m the type of person to buy EVERYTHING used (except for a helmet, of course).
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I suppose that there is no good way to test an air vest at home, new or used, without actually yanking the tether and deploying it. It makes me wonder how the manufacturers test those that are sent in for service.
In a way it’s a bit like air bags in cars. You just pray that you never need to know whether they work or not. You depend on the manufacturer to have gotten it right.
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Interesting. I sold my Hit Air on eBay (I have a Helite now). I had it listed for a while and it sold at the holidays at a decent price. I’d ridden in it all summer so it had been used, but not in any way abused. I made sure the photos showed how clean it was.
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I do have a friend who bought one used off Facebook marketplace and we have one at the barn for people to try that’s from a friend. So some people are buying them used. Both of those are very very lightly used though, and mine is maybe 6 months old with 6 days a week use. I suspect there is no market for that
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Umm…how many times have you had it serviced? This makes me really curious though, how often do riders fall? I assume there has to be some hockey stick curve to the numbers, wherein beginners will fall more than experienced riders, but then pros will fall more than amateurs, in raw falls at least. But would a pro fall more than an ammie in falls per hour ridden?
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First vest I purchased in 2019, I have sent twice. Bought another one and have yet to send it. I ride 5 days a week and 40% of the time have two horses. I do see your point. I’m thrilled with how mine has protected me this far. And completely agree with previous comment, it’s like airbags or walking across the street and choking on a carrot stick
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