which is better to ride in? The traditional body protector vest or the Hit-air vest? Just contemplating learning XC and i need a vest.
Most people event in both
they protect you from different things.
please explain… what are the differences?
If you’re eventing in the US, you’re required to have the traditional body protector under the airvest, or buy one of the hybrids that do both. Even under ideal conditions, the airvest doesn’t always go off.
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What are the pros and cons of the various body protectors? The Toklat looks very stiff and uncomfortable.
A conventional vest will protect you from a wider variety of falls. Especially “second impact”.
Both,
i personally ride in either a Tipperary ( lightweight ) when I’m on a horse I trust or a thicker more protective vest like my race safe when competing higher levels or on younger horses.
The crash vest is meant to protect your body from impact, falling into a fence, falling to the ground at a high speed etc it covers your body spine to keep you safer.
I also rode in an air vest, a hit air to be exact because I like the way it deploys outward. If I fall from the horse both my vests will help me, if I fall with my horse only my crash vest will help me. That’s why we ride in both, covers every possible outcome
Along with the above, also the air vest will only deploy if you are separated from the horse more than the length of the lanyard. Ive had a couple of falls where my horse has fallen on me and there was no way an air vest would have deployed.
I dont actually own an air vest as I have injuries that in my research, I believe could be made worse by an air vest deployment.
I’m not sure it should be an “or” question. See, e.g., this, copied from the Smart Pak listing for the ProAir:
The ProAir is designed to be worn in conjunction with a conventional body protector for the highest level of safety. During Cross Country phases in most high-level competitions, the organizers actually require the ProAir to be worn with a BETA approved Level 3 body protector, like the Point Two ProFlex.
I like my Airowear Outlyne, which is a traditional body protector.
I like my Airowear Outlyne vest as well. Comfortable in the saddle, designed for women, lots of sizes for customized fit. Good price too. Until you compete I’d stick with a traditional vest versus the air vest.
Out of curiousity, how would the air vest made it worse?
An anecdotal observation that I haven’t seen mentioned before: I’ve witnessed two accidents in which the rider broke their back or neck. One rider was a cancer survivor who had undergone radiation therapy as part of the cancer treatment. The other had suffered a broken back in an early accident a couple years prior. Neither was wearing any sort of body protection. And neither was doing anything spectacular at the time of the fall (cantering a straight line in one case and jumping a X rail in the other. I’m convinced that it’s vital for any rider with compromised bone density/muscle mass to wear some kind of body protection.
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Im not sure what you mean?
if you mean why dont i wear one because of my previous injuries, i have fused vertibrae in my neck.
I wear a standard body protector, but not an air one.
There have been several discussions here, with contributions from people with some expertise, about why an air vest might make some falls/injuries worse. You might try a forum search to see if you can find them.
oh, I can see where that might have been confusing. I wasn’t referring to you specifically. Just making a tangential observation.
Far from it.
Body protectors and/or air vests do nothing to prevent or mitigate axial or torsional loading injuries. Nor does any body protector and/or air vest other than the EXO offer protection against massive crush injuries, as when your horse falls on you.
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Air vests have become popular among trail riders. Those that already wear helmets at least. They don’t wear the solid vests underneath but I’m at least happy that they are taking steps to stay safe on the trail. I think perhaps that is the context where the OP has seen the air vest used alone.
I’m very pleased with my Airowear. It’s a bit bulky but still very comrptable to wear.
Well if you’re being technical, yes both vests are not going to stop death, but they will help in a rotational fall, or a regular fall or a fall onto hard ground etc. they protect enough to make them worth wearing
Still no substantial proof that vests help in a rotational fall.
Try getting out of the air vest when horse deposits you in poison oak…
