I wear a vest pretty much every time I ride now. I have an Airowear (fairly bulky) that I wear at shows and in the winter when it’s cold, and a purple Tipperary that I wear at home. With both its quite obvious that I’m wearing one! I have had a few bad falls and I just don’t need a repeat of broken ribs and collapsed lung. I used to show jump, and now I’m in an eventer barn, and I ride in both h/j shows and at events.
I’m the only one at my barn who wears a vest all the time, even though I get comments from some of the adults that I’m smart to wear one. The eventers pretty much only gear up for xcountry. The vests are far more comfortable than I had imagined. The biggest downside is they can be hot in the summer.
I even wear mine when I go to h/j shows. I used to never see vests at h/j shows, but now you do sometimes see them being worn - and sometimes I see only the air vests. I really don’t care if anyone thinks I’m odd for wearing it. Sometimes people ask me about my vest, like if it bothers me, and I’m happy to provide feedback. Too bad I never wore one before my accidents, I might have avoided a couple of long hospital stays.
