Plus Sized Eventers HELP with Safety Vests!

[TheBrownHorse]

Hi guys!

I haven’t had the need for a vest since I was a fit athletic young rider in her late teens early 20’s… since then I have gained weight due to some medical issues that knocked me out of the tack for several years, and part of the stipulation for me being able to ride again is a safety vest due to now being a lifer on blood thinners after bi lateral blood clots in my lungs in 2017 and 2019. I need as much protection as I can get while working on all the things I can do to safely make the transition back into the tack.

I was looking at the Tipperary vest as that’s what I always had when I rode 3 Day, and am just not sure the XL is going to be big enough for my chest. I am large chested and not that small waisted tbh and while I am losing weight regularly now that I’m off some of the medication that was causing catastrophic weight gain, and expect to lose weight over the next year, I’d like to ride as well and am wondering if investing in an XL and loosening the sides is safe, or what I should do. So here I am, asking you guys what the best idea is.

It’s a large investment unless I can find one used, which they seem to be hard to come across in that size. How much would you say you can loosen the sides with it still being a viable protection?

Thank you

[AKB]

Look at the Charles Owen vests. My Charles Owen Kontact vest is very adjustable, comfortable and certified. I did have to trim about 1/2 inch of foam at the bottom of the vest, but that was easily done with scissors. I tried a Tipperary and it did not adjust enough to be comfortable.

[Willesdon]

Maybe, rather than body protector which is fairly rigid in construction, consider an air vest that is soft until it is activated.

[TheBrownHorse]

@Willesdon

Maybe, rather than body protector which is fairly rigid in construction, consider an air vest that is soft until it is activated.

can’t do that for fear of inflation and what it would do to my body on blood thinners. I did think about that, but I think it would cause more harm than good…

[Highflyer]

I think you lose a lot of protection when you loosen the sides and there’s a gap. If you really can’t afford to pay full price, there are knockoffs of the Tipperary available on EBay/Amazon going up to pretty large sizes. They are not certified and I’m sure are not as protective as the real thing but would likely be better than nothing.

[Willesdon]

I’m not certain that inflation would cause you damage as the air vest is designed to protect rather than kill you! How about contacting e.g. Charles Owen or Tipperary directly and see what they can suggest? The thing is that cutting pieces off or not doing up laces must affect the integrity of the safety design.

[jump4it]

I really like my Charles Owen, I am fairly large in the chest area and it fits great!

[BAC]

@TheBrownHorse

can’t do that for fear of inflation and what it would do to my body on blood thinners. I did think about that, but I think it would cause more harm than good…

Do you drive a car with airbags? Seems to be a similar risk to me. Although I was under the impression that an inflatable vest was meant to be worn over a regular safety vest, is that incorrect? I am sympathetic to your situation as I have been on anticoagulants for 29 years and rode for many years while on them, its a bit nerve racking but its a risk we take if we want to ride. I am not currently riding but I still worry more about the possible injury from an airbag.

[TheBrownHorse]

@BAC

Do you drive a car with airbags? Seems to be a similar risk to me. Although I was under the impression that an inflatable vest was meant to be worn over a regular safety vest, is that incorrect? I am sympathetic to your situation as I have been on anticoagulants for 29 years and rode for many years while on them, its a bit nerve racking but its a risk we take if we want to ride. I am not currently riding but I still worry more about the possible injury from an airbag.

I honestly don’t currently drive right now, but in thinking about this, as I will begin driving soon, yes airbags pose something similar, though they do not inflate around your whole body. I just don’t know as I always thought the air vests were to be worn over a protective vest.

[TheBrownHorse]

@Willesdon

I’m not certain that inflation would cause you damage as the air vest is designed to protect rather than kill you! How about contacting e.g. Charles Owen or Tipperary directly and see what they can suggest? The thing is that cutting pieces off or not doing up laces must affect the integrity of the safety design.

absolutely, they are there to help you. I have added concerns due to medication that it is suggested largely people don’t even ride taking. Blood thinners are not the safest thing to be taking with risk of contact/injury so the inflation/contact I’m worried would do more harm than good. This is not to say that someone without my medical issues wouldn’t benefit from an air vest.

That’s a great idea to contact them and I will do that! thank you

[BAC]

@TheBrownHorse

I honestly don’t currently drive right now, but in thinking about this, as I will begin driving soon, yes airbags pose something similar, though they do not inflate around your whole body. I just don’t know as I always thought the air vests were to be worn over a protective vest.

Even as a passenger, you may be protected by an airbag, most newer cars have air bags for at least the driver and passenger seats now, including side airbags as well. And an inflatable vest doesn’t inflate around your whole body either, does it? I really don’t think wearing a protective vest with or without an inflatable vest is as dangerous as a fall without one but that is your decision. I took a couple of hard falls while on Coumadin and it really shook my confidence although the worst of it was where the horse stepped on my thigh, an area that wouldn’t have been protected by a vest anyway. But my doctor highly recommended I drive a car with airbags.

[BAC]

@TheBrownHorse

absolutely, they are there to help you. I have added concerns due to medication that it is suggested largely people don’t even ride taking. Blood thinners are not the safest thing to be taking with risk of contact/injury so the inflation/contact I’m worried would do more harm than good. This is not to say that someone without my medical issues wouldn’t benefit from an air vest.

That’s a great idea to contact them and I will do that! thank you

If you are on anti-coagulants you are not supposed to take part in any activity where there is a high danger of falling, period! My doctor made that very clear. I wasn’t riding at the time of my DVT/PE but when I went back to it, I never told my doctors or anyone at the barn with the exception of two close friends, in the event I was hurt badly enough to lose consciousness they would be able to advise any emergency medical help. I was too afraid that the barn would not allow me to ride at all due to possible liability. Its not like the old days where every barn I rode at had a sign Ride at Your Own Risk and that was sufficient coverage for them. If you want to ride you have to accept the risk, taking all reasonable precautions but accepting that you are riding a live animal and accidents happen.

[skydy]

@Willesdon

Maybe, rather than body protector which is fairly rigid in construction, consider an air vest that is soft until it is activated.

Air vests are designed to be worn over body protectors.

[TheBrownHorse]

@BAC

If you are on anti-coagulants you are not supposed to take part in any activity where there is a high danger of falling, period! My doctor made that very clear. I wasn’t riding at the time of my DVT/PE but when I went back to it, I never told my doctors or anyone at the barn with the exception of two close friends, in the event I was hurt badly enough to lose consciousness they would be able to advise any emergency medical help. I was too afraid that the barn would not allow me to ride at all due to possible liability. Its not like the old days where every barn I rode at had a sign Ride at Your Own Risk and that was sufficient coverage for them. If you want to ride you have to accept the risk, taking all reasonable precautions but accepting that you are riding a live animal and accidents happen.

that was my point

[TheBrownHorse]

@BAC also the point was wearing a inflatable vest without a body protecter, not the inflation vest itself being an issue.

[Blugal]

If you don’t require a vest that is certified to meet competition rules, Tipperary makes one called the Ride-Lite that is easy to adjust, comfortable, and not too heavy or hot. (I picked up a Kan-Tec one day and it weighed about 3 times as much). There is no gap at the sides which I preferred to the lace-up versions. It has a zipper in the front and velcro adjustable tabs around the sides.

I don’t know why it’s not certified. I know the Tipperary lace-ups (now called the Eventer) weren’t because studs could puncture between the foam. The Ride-Lite has continuous flat pieces of foam so it’s not that. Perhaps the foam isn’t as thick?

[BAC]

@TheBrownHorse

@BAC also the point was wearing a inflatable vest without a body protecter, not the inflation vest itself being an issue.

Okay, I misunderstood, I know that you should not wear an inflatable vest WITHOUT a body protector, at least that was my belief so thanks for confirming that.

[Bensmom]

The Airowear vest fits me, and I take a 3x in most “regular” sized (if there were any such a thing!) women’s tops. I’ve even worn a 4x in anything that is not only a women’s size, but a “women’s cut.” bra is a 46-44 depending on the style. The AIrowear vest in the largest one fits with room to spare. Riding Warehouse had a great deal on one back in January, and I added the shoulder pads, just because it was reasonable and that way I’d have them. I haven’t worn it to ride yet, but it is the same version of my older one, which I loved. It fits better when it warms up with your body temperature and is a lot less stiff.

Happy return to riding!!

[seabreeze]

I have the Airowear and the Ride-Light. The Airowear is more substantial and I feel more protected in it. Both vests are comfortable, and both fit my curvy, busty, not-so-tall self well.

[Willesdon]

@skydy

Air vests are designed to be worn over body protectors.

They can be but not necessarily. British Eventing rules are that one must compete in a body protector but one may also wear an air vest over the body protector. That might be the root of the confusion. People out e.g. fox hunting often have only have air vests as they are less bulky than bidy protectors and can be worn neatly over hunt coats.

www.medequestrian.co.uk