Pros and Cons

[Night_Flight]

Thank you, so it seems it wasn’t about air vests specifically!

With regard to the questions about why so many kids are wearing them, I’ve seen multiple kid-oriented show barns inviting an air vest rep in for a day and telling parents that they’re a must-have safety product, like a helmet. I think a lot of it is marketing.

I’m open to believing that that air vests could be safer than riding without, but I’m hesitant, especially considering the rigidity they cause, to come to a conclusion without testing data. Promoting them as being a necessary safety product when they haven’t really been tested (to my knowledge) doesn’t seem right to me.

[HipNo34]

You may yet be thinking of something different – that article just came to mind when I read your comment.

I see a few more kids at my barn wearing rigid vests (no one has an air vest), some of them situationally, I think. There’s a nearby venue that requires them of people trailering in for XC schooling days, IIRC.

The price is coming down, which is helpful to those that want them but it still can be an expensive addition (not that I’m putting a price on safety). Unless of course you’re looking at some of the sketchy way-sub-$100 offerings via Amazon and Temu

[RAyers]

“Riders wearing an air jacket had 1.7 times (95%CI 1.14–2.64) increased odds of sustaining a serious or fatal injury in a fall compared to riders not wearing an air jacket.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1440244018305887

[BeeHoney]

Well, I’d refer to @RAyers, who explains why speed and fence height do not significantly change the mechanics of equestrian falls.

I also think it is a huge misconception to assume that the falls sustained by amateur riders are somehow “little” falls compared to the falls sustained by upper level riders. That’s denial–regular amateurs can and do have horrible falls that can result in serious injuries, hospitalization, and death.

Also, if you have two types of vest to choose from and one type has good data and the other does not, why would you choose the one that doesn’t have good data? I’m genuinely curious.

Air vests are problematic for several reasons.

Air vests do not protect against accidents that occur on the ground while handling horses, right before getting on or off. Most of us middle-aged ladies handle nice horses, but a hard shell vest can offer protection should something unexpected occur.

Air vests do not provide any protection for accidents that happen while mounting and dismounting. This is a very common type of accident for adult amateurs.

Air vests do not offer any protection should you forget to clip in or should the vest malfunction and fail to deploy.

The sound of the canister releasing can spook a horse and worsen an accident. I’ve seen horses kick out towards fallen riders or bolt. Should a rider become caught or tangled by a piece of clothing or tack, the noise could be very deleterious.

The sound of the canister releasing can spook other people’s horses and cause other people to sustain accidents.

Should a horse slip, trip or otherwise fall in tandem with the rider, or rear over sideways or backwards, or have a rotational fall over any size jump, if the rider does not separate enough from the horse the vest will not deploy and will not offer any protection.

We do not know how air vests change the trajectory of falls or how they alter the forces on a persons C-spine on impact from a fall.

Here is the article I’m referencing:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31160233/

[HipNo34]

@BeeHoney

accidents that occur on the ground

I find myself extending the amount of time I wear my helmet – especially coming and going from turnout. Of all the things that make me pee my pants as an adult ammy (and there are many), turn-in and out with the herd is a biggie.

[NoSuchPerson]

@BeeHoney

why would you choose the one that doesn’t have good data?

Did you read my initial post? The one where I explained why the regular protective vest is a no-go for me? I own a traditional protective vest, purchased after a fall in which I broke 5 ribs. I used it until I couldn’t anymore, even with the “cooling gear” I borrowed from the worker health and safety gear closet at work.

In a choice between nothing and an air vest, I’ve heard enough anecdotal evidence to choose air vest. I feel confident that if I ever get dumped in a spook-and-spin and bounce off the arena fence, I’m a lot less likely to break 5 ribs (again) with an air vest than I would be with nothing.

[Peggy]

@BeeHoney

The sound of the canister releasing can spook a horse and worsen an accident. I’ve seen horses kick out towards fallen riders or bolt. Should a rider become caught or tangled by a piece of clothing or tack, the noise could be very deleterious.

The sound of the canister releasing can spook other people’s horses and cause other people to sustain accidents.

I’ve seen a number of them go off and have never seen any reaction from any horse, either the one that was fallen from or fell or any horses in the vicinity. This set of horses is ones that are at or go to a fair number of shows so maybe they’re just used to a lot of stuff. Admittedly, anecdotal evidence.

@BeeHoney

Should a horse slip, trip or otherwise fall in tandem with the rider, or rear over sideways or backwards, or have a rotational fall over any size jump, if the rider does not separate enough from the horse the vest will not deploy and will not offer any protection.

I was on a horse that slipped on the road and we went down together, separating when we were close enough to the ground that I could have extended an arm and touched the ground. The horse and I were close enough together on the ground that he rolled onto or landed on my knee and calf hard enough that I was initially reticent to put weight on that leg because it felt so strange and both hurt for some time. The vest deployed. Admittedly n=1 though my friend’s vest deployed when she fell with her horse, so n=2.

One thing that the vest did for me that a body protector would not have done is protect my neck from the sideways whiplash that can happen when a horse slips sideways. This also meant that my head didn’t slam sideways into the pavement.

But IMHO let people wear what they want–both body protectors and air vests afford protection that is better than nothing. It’s better to wear one or the other than nothing because it’s too hot or too rigid or you’re concerned about accidental deployments.

[NoSuchPerson]

@RAyers

“Riders wearing an air jacket had 1.7 times (95%CI 1.14–2.64) increased odds of sustaining a serious or fatal injury in a fall compared to riders not wearing an air jacket.”

In a subsequent reanalysis of the data in order to account for a potential confounding variable pointed out by a reader, the odds ratios decreased to 1.67 (95% CI 1.05–2.66) in one modelled scenario and 1.69 (95% CI 1.07–2.66) in the other. Yes, still increased but you can see that the CI is approaching non-significant. This is a typical pattern once you start accounting for confounding variables.

The authors also said:

We would like to reiterate that the reported associations do not necessarily mean air jackets are the cause of increased serious/fatal injury. Further, the potentially confounding effects would need to be measured to gain a better understanding of the data, hence our recommendation for more comprehensive research data and investigation as stipulated in the original manuscript.

https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(19)31683-4/pdf

Let me be clear, because I’ve said this before and people seem bent on misinterpreting what I’m saying:

Based on limited data and anecdotal evidence, I believe that in some cases, air vests may indeed provide no additional protection or in fact be detrimental. I also believe that in some cases, air vests are beneficial, especially in situations where traditional protective vests have characteristics that result in riders not being willing to wear them, and they provide valuable additional protection compared to the alternative of not wearing any kind of protective vest at all.

[fivestrideline]

@Peggy

I’ve seen a number of them go off and have never seen any reaction from any horse, either the one that was fallen from or fell or any horses in the vicinity.

Same here. When air vests first started to be common, we were rather surprised at how the horses seemed unfazed by the canister noise. I’ve also seen plenty of horses kick out at a falling rider without a vest at all - losing a rider is startling and scary for many horses. Anecdotes, again, but I don’t think spooking horses and kicking at falling riders can be blamed on air vests enough to assign those as specific risks with the vests themselves.

The studies linked are interesting, but limited in scope and not definitive. I really hope we see more research being done!

So far the biggest risk as I understand it is in a situation like a true rotational fall where the rider doesn’t separate from the horse at all, and then the vest goes off and adds force to existing injuries. True rotational falls are quite rare - though slightly more common when jumping solid obstacles. I’d also be interested in the data on air vests over traditional vests (ie eventing rules).

ETA: I’m just saying I don’t think we can definitively say air vests are helpful or harmful either way for most riders.

[Fun_Size]

To OP’s question - last October I purchased a Helite from a local tack shop, and I wear that over my (same color black) show coats. Surprisingly I think it looks fine in pictures.

I also had a spectacular fall over a very small (2’6”) jump the first week in April when my (too big for me ( know I know) horse fit an impossible stride in before a jump, chipped me off, then kicked out on the way down.

I landed on my rear right side, just about even with my hipbone, and just at the bottom edge of my air vest. The speed of my fall flipped me backwards and over, and I also got my head on the ground - and then landed on the other side. Backwards roll basically.

And since it was at a show, we got video! My horse didn’t care about the canister going off at all. In fact tried to walk slowly away like he wouldn’t be noticed

Anyway, PT and my docs had x rays taken and somehow nothing broke. Doc at least partially credits the air vest for nothing breaking or chipping. They also credited my MIPS helmet for a less bad concussion, because the way I pivoted over my head, that’s the exact force the MIPS is for, that sliding spinning situation.

Our ski team kids ski in back protectors, so I figured, why not? I was glad I had it on. Certainly no issues with rolling - I rolled with the fall and was (after some minutes and being checked by the medic) able to roll over and sit up without the vest getting in the way.

Of course this is 100% anecdotal evidence and not actual evidence. Also must take into account really good bones - per the docs that did my bone scan last year and my x ray after the fall. I hope they come out with better studies soon.

[Cameraine]

So as the OP, let me rephase my question because this thread went off the rails. For those who currently ride in an air vest in the hunter/jumper discipline, what do you like and or dislike about your specific air vest. I will specify that I’m not talking about the hard vests that eventers are required to XC in, but the air vests that inflate when you part ways with your horse. I used to event, still have a hard vest someplace in my tack room. However having spent the last two years, while my young horse grows up, riding H/J and Dressage I am most likely going to stay within those two disciplines. My new riding horse (to help with the waiting game of baby horses) is a huge mare, with big gaits. She is also very, very green, so looking at air vests.

[onlyTBmares]

I’ll tell you how you learn. You forget one time, fork over $50 and feel like an idiot.

[onlyTBmares]

I have the horse pilot. I watched a barn mate who had the same vest come off, heard the cartridge explode, and the vest did not inflate. Another trainer told me she has heard of that happening although I didn’t find anything online supporting that, possible she was trying to get in my head which was a weird move especially at a schooling show……I digress. The cartridge is also a pain in the a$$ to change and more expensive than other brands.

[giddybiddy]

I’ve told this story a few times here at this point, but worth mentioning again.

I’ve “used” my Helite vest only once, in 2022. I’d been competing in the 2’-2’3, so definitely very small sticks. I was hacking in our indoor, and the horse I was leasing tripped onto his knees at the canter. In trying to find his feet, he rolled on top of me. My vest had gone off, and everything under the vest was unscathed. I broke my nose and he knocked out his two front teeth — it was by far my scariest fall to date. Without the vest, I would have had many broken ribs. In my case, it did exactly what I wanted it to do.

Especially now that I’m a new mom, I don’t ride without it!

ETA: For the topic at hand, I wore the vest over both a navy and a green coat (and a black shadbelly) and it looked totally fine!

[Peggy]

Likes - it’s worked when it needed to, it has a decent profile, and you can get a three-pack of canisters from Dover for $90.

Dislikes - it’s warm which OK at times and not others. My former go-to for slightly brisk days was a vest but it seems odd and bulky to wear a vest on top of another vest. So I found a thin jacket or two (one $$$ from REI, another from Costco) or wear a thin V-neck sweater (Amazon, not Ariat).

It looks OK with a navy coat. Maybe I should have gotten a black coat, but now I have a navy thing going. I have also worn it over a black shirt on warm days. I show jumpers.

Catherine from EquiSafe helped me.

[Peggy]

Adding to previous.

As far as the look, I think people are just getting used to it. Like safety helmets or helmets without velvet or helmets with shadbellies. The last one with both hunter derbies and dressage.

Your eye adjusts.

[Foitin]

Just a note on a specific air-vest compatible coat: I tried the Equiline compatible one with my vest underneath and thought it looked much worse than wearing the vest over a nicely fitting high quality regular coat. I wear my blue Helite over a black coat and a green coat. I think they both look pretty good. I recently sized down on the airvest and think the tighter fitting vest is more flattering than it being a little roomy.

[MHM]

I thought of this thread again yesterday when I saw somebody come off at a horse show. She landed on her back, and it certainly looked like she was not able to move in her inflated vest until somebody came in the ring to help her up. I don’t know if she might have also had the wind knocked out of her, which could have been an additional factor.

Luckily for her, her very sweet horse stopped dead in his tracks next to her as soon as she came off. He even turned to face her so he could keep an eye on her until another human being showed up to help her. Bless him.

The rider was able to get up with assistance and then walk out of the ring on her own after a minute or two.

[Willesdon]

Often problems that occur with air vests, in particular, are because they were not correctly fitted at time of purchase.