Fellow 50+ riders, why not wear a safety vest? Why wait till you break?

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=GraceLikeRain;7995080]
I think it is a lot like helmets.

A few decades ago only “chickens” wore helmets because “real riders” were not worried about falling off. Over time, we as a society realized that real riders have accidents and being safe is a part of being a good horseman/woman.

Perhaps in a decade or two we will all feel the same way about vests? I am less than half the target age of this conversation but I have no good reason not to wear one. I would probably worry less actually. Ultimately, I don’t out of vanity. I don’t want to be perceived as timid or novice.

Maybe seeing more top riders take the step to wear a safety vest on a regular basis will change the norm and help dummies like me get on board.[/QUOTE]

It is actually different because the mechanics are quite different.

Your helmet is protecting an area of solid bone. That area is not meant to move and flex. It is fairly easy to design padding for it that works. It is easy to make a single-use helmet (meaning one fall) that will crush on impact, sparing you. It is fairly easy to test the ways a head might impact something in a repeatable way that is applicable to many falls and many people.

A vest is trying to protect many small bones that need to flex for you to ride effectively. It has many more impact points and much more variability in what position your body is in upon impact and what forces would be applied.

The air vests have an additional issue in that there is the possibility that they can inflate after you have broken a bone, potentially causing more injury than without.

RAyers, who posted earlier in this thread, is a researcher in materials science who works in biomechanics and orthopaedics.

I think there’s a lot of work to do before vests are as compelling as helmets, and we may not currently have the materials with the right properties to do what we really want in a protective equestrian vest.

I’ve owned a vest for more than 20 years, and I’m not afraid to wear one. I just don’t think they’re magic.

[alittlextra]

For those who were interested in the Point Two vests, Tack of the Day has them up today for a sizable discount.

[NoSuchPerson]

[QUOTE=Risuena;7995265]
RiderWriter, I read good reviews about how the Airowear Outlyne fits those of us that are not flat-chested, and ended up getting one. Haven’t had it long, but no complaints so far, it’s quite comfortable though I wonder if it will be hot in the summer.[/QUOTE]

That’s what I have and I find it accommodates my, er, womanly curves, very well.

As far as being hot in the summer, yes, it is hot. Miserably hot. There’s just no way of getting around that. I think there is a temperature/humidity above which you’re not going to want to wear it, but I think that threshold is different for everybody.

[Sarabeth]

[QUOTE=Cindyg;7994995]
What happened when you deployed it accidentally? How terrifying was it to the horse?

I really, really want one of these, but I am dissuaded by the cost and by the poo-poos here on this board about their value in protecting me. And I want a Solo Shot more, unless I fall off. Then I want the vest more.[/QUOTE]Yep, like dogbluehose’s experience, my horse also wasn’t too terrified. She leapt to the end of the reins and stood there with her eyes bugged out for a moment, then got over it. The other horse in the ring barely reacted. The noise was described as sounding like a beer can exploding.

When I got home and handed the vest to my husband and asked him to replace the air canister, he laughed and called it my fifty dollar dismount.

[billiebob]

Re: dismounting issues–when I ride the cowpony in a western saddle I unzip the vest right before dismounting. Unfortunately, I figured this out after busting my Tipperary’s original zipper on the saddle horn. I don’t have a problem with english saddles but I guess I do kind of push away when I dismount.

[inca]

Anyone have any experience with the Point2 soft shell jacket. They are on Tack of the Day Too today and seems like an interesting thing for trail riding, jumping or general riding when you really don’t expect anything bad to happen. Kind of a “just in case” type thing. Pricey though.

[NoSuchPerson]

[QUOTE=billiebob;7996388]
Re: dismounting issues–when I ride the cowpony in a western saddle I unzip the vest right before dismounting. [/QUOTE]

:lol: You can’t see me, but I just did a Homer Simpson head smack. Why did this never occur to me?

[Calvincrowe]

I haven’t ever had a dismounting issue with my vest, I just swing over and hop off. I’ve worn a Rodney Powell fully custom and now, an Outlyne. The Outlyne if very comfortable and a bit cooler than the RP. I tried the brand new Tipperary, but the cut is so odd–very high up in the armpit/chest. Totally restricted my movement, but others might find it easier to use.

I will say that in the beginning, you just have keep on keeping on until wearing it is second nature. Granted, I live in a temperate climate so most days wearing it is fine (heck, in cold weather it’s great!), but hot days are uncomfortable. I just deal and drink water!

[NancyM]

Well, having been involved in the racing industry for 25 years, vests are mandatory. One gets accustomed to wearing them. Not a big deal. Yes, I have a Tipperary. It’s old now, and not pretty. I use it a lot of the time at home, and sometimes at small shows with a greenie. I don’t always use it, depends on the horse and the situation.

I had a potential buyer come and try out a green horse for sale. Great horse, had never done anything like try to drop me in two years of riding. I wear a vest with him, he’s green. She got on him, and he dumped her. Hard. She looked at my vest, and mentioned that perhaps it might be an improvement on hitting the ground without one. I agreed heartily. I pointed out that the bull riders wear them, and not because they are smart people. She got one.

Having hit the dirt many times, broken bones on occasion, I can attest that it often hurts less to hit the ground while wearing a vest. As you fly through the air, thinking how much this is going to hurt when you hit, one is often pleasantly surprised on actual landing. There are parts of your body that the vest does not help or protect. And there is never a guarantee that one won’t be hurt or killed while attempting to ride any horse while wearing one. But it helps IMO.

I have a friend who was a jockey. During his final spill at the track, during a race, he was stepped on, on the chest. Bleeding into pericardial area, Princess Diana’s injury. The first responders opened him up in the ambulance, and removed the accumulating blood. He was wearing a vest. He survived. Would not have if not for the vest.

Yup, they can be a bit bulky, and hot. Sometimes not fashionable. But one chooses what is important in life, and acts accordingly.

[RedHorses]

Years ago, after an incident with one of my horse’s that resulted in him being a terrified mess, I started wearing my vest every time I rode him. I already owned it for XC and figured it would be a little extra protection should I miscalculate about when the bomb’s timer was going to hit zero (I knew it was a bomb, with an active countdown timer, but I couldn’t see the display). I wore that vest for almost a year after that incident, until the horse was back to normal (no longer a ticking time bomb).

But I didn’t wear the vest when riding my other horse, unless we were riding XC. Mine is a Flex Rider and relatively short behind, but I still found it bumped my cantle enough to irritate me unless I was essentially riding two point all the time.

It did make for a nice warm layer in the winter.

[ParadoxFarm]

Those of you that worry about snagging yourself while getting off your horse with a vest on, how do you mount? Do you use a block? If so, if you really wanted to wear a vest, you can just use the block to get off. Or worst case, take it off when you dismount. At least 99% of your ride will have been while wearing a vest. If that’s your only concern, think outside the box!

I have one, and wear it sometimes, but not always. I’m on the fence. This thread almost makes me want to wear it more, though. So I probably will.

[SendenHorse]

I have one of those hit air vests, and have used it in boring old dressage and cross rails when my horse was in an “I’m being a jerk” phase.
It really helped me mentally, though I didn’t really need it physically. I say use what ever you need to have a safe and good ride!

[khailee]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents in case anyone reading this thread has the major concern of fashion, especially while showing. I have worn my Tipperary vest under a hunt coat to show for the last 2-3 years and its absolutely not noticeable unless I’m dismounted and you’re up close and personal. I cant wear any of the hunt coats made from cool tech fabrics, because they cling too much, but that’s the main restriction. If it’s super hot out I just warm up without the hunt coat on and put it on right before I walk in.

[DoubleDown]

Those of you that worry about snagging yourself while getting off your horse with a vest on, how do you mount? Do you use a block? If so, if you really wanted to wear a vest, you can just use the block to get off.

Like normal. I don’t use a block when I get off, just kick both feet out, and swing off. I’ve never had it snag, or feel super weird.

[RAyers]

[QUOTE=dogbluehorse;7992201]
To the person who said it has not been proven to reduce broken bones, that’s an interesting statement…[/QUOTE]

It’s pretty easy to work out. Working both as a research scientist in the spine division at a major university and hospital (including the region VA), and as a board member of the EMSA, there is little a vest can to to protect from spinous fractures.

The best place to look for this data is in the military. Here are guys who where true, full body armor. The data shows that the more protective the armor got for preventing bullet/shrapnel wounds from IDEs, there was a corresponding INCREASE in spine fractures. The reason being is that THERE IS NO WAY TO UNLOAD the spine. ALL forces imparted on the body MUST go through the spine. Hence why there is evidence of spine fractures even with air vests.

Daniel G. Kang, MD, Ronald A. Lehman, Jr., MD, Eugene J. Carragee, MD, Wartime spine injuries: understanding the improvised explosive device and biophysics of blast trauma. The Spine Journal 12 (2012) 849–857.

Whole body translocation is where the blast wave energizes and propels individual to tumble along the ground or thrown through air to strike hard surface (just like bering thrown from a horse)

This instance causes:
Blunt injury
Crush injury
Compartment syndrome
TBI