Protective vests for kids? AKA I feel I almost killed my kid...

[poltroon]

Myself, and I am a parent too, and an eventer who is totally familiar with vests, I would not put a vest on a child that little. They’re stiff and awkward and they won’t grow as fast as your child does. They’re going to be a little hard to fit properly.

If she was an unusually fragile child, then maybe.

It sucks when your kid falls off when little, especially when you feel you made a mistake in judgement. I learned the hard way to make a rule that I never put her on without lunging the horse/pony without a rider first. In a school horse situation, those horses are worked nearly every day and totally know their jobs. In a private situation, they don’t have nearly the mileage and even normally good quiet horses can have a bad moment.

I’m glad she’s still excited about riding and that she wasn’t hurt.

[Nezzy]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7529308]
Is cushioning on the landing a bad thing somehow?

They work by distributing the force over a larger area along with adding a layer of protection.[/QUOTE]

No, i don’t mean that, i just think if a serious injury is about to happen, they don’t do enough to protect. if you get the wind knocked out of you, they don’t really help with that either. I just don’t think they help much.

[cowboymom]

my kids have had a couple lumps and bumps but I never even thought of the vest. I wouldn’t want to replace my kids’ confidence with safety gear and undermine their ability to handle the situation. The vest is the final layer of bubble wrap to put on there and in this situation, it wouldn’t have meant a thing. If you add it on now you will make the kid wonder.

Riding is dangerous, you take steps but it’s still dangerous. You’re either in it or you aren’t. At this stage you can add the vest if you must and move on but you can’t make it be as safe as sitting on the couch. When my imagination runs away with me I remind myself how I grew up with horses, how I’ve raised the kids, which horses I chose for the kids, and that I brought them up in this and usually I let them go live their lives.

[Cindyg]

Well, this should get interesting.

[Calvincrowe]

I came off yesterday–got catapulted when I said whoa and he said go at the big old Swedish oxer–I landed left arm, back and hip. I wear a vest every ride. I have a bruise on my elbow and hip, but my shoulder and back are perfectly fine. Vest was muddy where I hit, so I know it protected me.

I’ve hit the deck (and fence) twice now in my vest and I’m very pleased with its ability to protect my ribs, collarbones, and back from impact.

OP–a well-fitted vest is simply another piece of safety equipment, like a helmet. I see lots of kids (and adults) wearing them in lessons, and shows, both hunters and jumpers.

[superD]

The kids at my barn all wear them for every ride. Grant it we are an eventing barn but still. They wear them for every ride no matter what.

[toady123]

I think it’s makes sense to consider a vest. When I lived in the Middle East and rode with lots of kids from the UK I was the only one who didn’t own one when I arrived. Teens all wore them for jumping and cross country, the smaller kids wore them for every ride. My friend lives in the UK now and when I asked her about it she says that is the norm.

So just because it is not the cultural norm here I don’t think you are going to damage her confidence, limit her ability to manage issues etc. It’s a proven piece of safety equipment that can reduce certain injuries.

[high_hat]

I teach 2 young children that are from Europe. The parents asked me if they should wear vests. I said if you have them wear them. They have no problem riding in them at all. I actually would like more kids in the U.S. to wear them. All too often kids here are riding horses and not ponies. There can be a big difference in falling off a 13 hand pony and a 15 hand horse.

[pheasantknoll]

The vests DO work. I am a mom of 3 riders. They wear safety vests when jumping. All 3 are in pony club, and PC does not require them.

I have bought different ones over the years. Check out your local tack swaps or find some little people with vests to try one. Most important thing for them is fit. It’s not like adults, where just about everyone can fit in an Tipperary.

Good luck, and don’t beat yourself up. It’s a built in safety mechanism for your kids, hard wired I think. Ask me how I know!

[Stushica]

I think what your feeling is pretty normal, I’m well aware that when I fall off It hurts my mother a whole lot worse than it usually hurts me!!

I have an older version of this.

I don’t wear it everytime but I do when riding green horses or when I just get the feeling I could have an unplanned flight that day. MY parents made fun of me when I bought it around 16(ish?) but lots of cool eventers wore vests and I had been smooshed quite a few times in a short span of time from riding greenies, breaking horses, and my nutty TB. I’m not sure how effective they are but I don’t think they hurt.

As some other posters have mentioned I will say I bought that vest because it felt was way more protective than the “flexible” ones but I do get pretty toasty in the summer, and in the winter if it’s at the barn it freezes solid and is uncomfortable until it warms up to my body. As far as “being a hunter” goes. I just wear it under my coat at shows and no one notices/ cares. I never take off my coat but If they were excused I might just put it under her shirt.

[ccr0009]

My young kids where the Charles Owen kid vest from Dover. It fits them nicely.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/children’s-charles-owen-body-protector/p/X1-40291B/

If the price is a bit high, there is this one. Although it does not have the same certifications as the previous, I spoke with a Dover rep who compared the specs to the requirements and it met all of them.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/tipperary-ride-lite-youth/p/X1-40658/

My kids cross-country school so are all required to own vests. I am a firm believer that a vest is better than no vest. While it isn’t resistant to ALL impacts, it sure will help some. Same as shoulder and knee pads when you roller skate!

And be safe! No you don’t want to tell the riding instructor kid can’t progress, but you as her mother have every right and should vocalize your concerns. There are coaches out there that do put children in some not-so-smart situations. So if you can in a healthy way communicate concerns both you and coach can be aware of what’s going on. I’ve had moms come to me saying they don’t want kid jumping over x-height. A good coach won’t be upset that you are actually concerned for your child’s safety. They will help you understand the risks, but also what types of tools to use to minimize those. Those same parents now have kids jumping over x-height, but we worked slowly having both child and parent aware of what was going on.

[Catersun]

I wish someone had bought me a vest for jumping… even if it had just been for when schooling. As a bodyworker who does pain management, I see LOTS of old injuries that people sustained as young persons that come back to haunt them when they are grownups…

Buy her a vest, it’s an insurance policy for less ouchies when she hits old age. Horse people are up there on my list with high school football players in terms of “I used to play ____ when I was young and suffered ____ and ____ and ____. Now they all hurt.”

Not saying she still can’t get hurt… I’m saying it may minimize the severity if she does.

[Pin]

My 6yo son wears his vest every ride. Also to handle and groom his pony. every time.

He also wears his helmet to handle and groom.

He is six, he will make mistakes, and ponies aren’t made of stone.

[Pennywell_Bay]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;7529750]
my kids have had a couple lumps and bumps but I never even thought of the vest. I wouldn’t want to replace my kids’ confidence with safety gear and undermine their ability to handle the situation. The vest is the final layer of bubble wrap to put on there and in this situation, it wouldn’t have meant a thing. If you add it on now you will make the kid wonder.

Riding is dangerous, you take steps but it’s still dangerous. You’re either in it or you aren’t. At this stage you can add the vest if you must and move on but you can’t make it be as safe as sitting on the couch. When my imagination runs away with me I remind myself how I grew up with horses, how I’ve raised the kids, which horses I chose for the kids, and that I brought them up in this and usually I let them go live their lives.[/QUOTE]

@Cindyg;7529758

Well, this should get interesting.

Cindyg- indeed. :lol:

Oh it’s that pesky thing called technology that can enable safety, like seatbelts and airbags.

Here is the monster (pony) in question…All is forgiven. And my unsafe practices. =)

https://pennywell.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5

[JSwan]

My niece’s worse injuries have been from competitive cheerleading.

My sister frets just like you do. I think it’s normal. Horseback riding is nothing compared to what gymnasts do -without any safety equipment at all.

That kid is going to be an orthopedic surgeon’s dream come true by the time she’s 30. But she loves it - and horseback riding.

A vest will help mitigate bumps and bruises. They won’t prevent serious injury. Buy the vest if you want - just don’t imbue it with powers it does not possess. And beware Booth’s Rule #2. (homeostasis of risk). It’s not just some obscure egghead’s theory.

[Pennywell_Bay]

^^^^ we do gymnastics, too. Hoping that one wears off (just kidding) The horse looking like he stepped on her abdomen is why I was questioning if the vests were worthwhile. We have had minor falls before and even got plowed over by a mini. It is all part of the game and we all accept that part.

[Cindyg]

I get that a vest won’t prevent a broken neck, arm, leg, shoulder, etc.

But it could prevent that horrible side bruising I had the last time I fell.

I cannot wear a vest in the summer, in Texas (no covered arena). But I’m happy to slip it on when I can.

[NancyM]

[QUOTE=Nezzy;7529268]
i really cannot see how those vests do anything except maybe cushion a landing. Maybe. if you hit hard enough, you will still have broken ribs. if a horse steps on you, the vest will not protect you.

i am guessing, If the child of the OP was asked if they want to wear a protective vest, they might say ‘yes’ the first time, but ‘no’ every time after. they are hot, and feel weird.

OP your child already seems fine, don’t overanalyze. it’s all good. Think back to when we were kids. Heck, Helmets were not even required anywhere and if you wore one, you were called a dork. we all survived the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. i think today’s kids are a bit too overprotected. they can’t learn to land, if we don’t let them learn to fall.[/QUOTE]

Nezzy, really, put on a vest and give it a try! As you fly through the air, visualizing the coming impact, then when you do impact, it just often doesn’t hurt as much as you thought it was going to. It is a huge and pleasant surprise! Ribs, back, internal organs are well protected. I had a friend who was a jockey. He was stepped on, by a horse at speed. Same injury as Princess Dianna. But lived, because of the vest.

We ALL survived the 60s, 70s and 80s? Did we? All of us here today and posting on COTH survived those decades of riding without the safety advances available these days. Those who did not survive are not here to comment. They are dead. I can personally name a few who are no longer here, one in particular who died of a crushed chest. When new safety advances are now available, it seems a pity to not take advantage of them, and die or suffer injury that may effect the rest of your life that can be so easily avoided these days. Safety gear helps to prevent preventable injuries. If you are OK looking at your child who is perminently damaged due to a preventable injury for the rest of that childs (and your) life because you didn’t bother to use available protective gear, don’t bother with using the gear available, and enjoy the life you have selected for yourself and your child.

No, the use of a vest and/or helmet and boots with a heel does not guarantee that you will not be hurt of killed while riding/handling horses. But it does improve your chances of avoiding these things. Which, if you care about the body in question, is a good thing.

Feeling weird or being called a dork by the uneducated isn’t really a good reason to not do the intelligent thing. IMO.

[betsyk]

Slightly different questions: how often does she fall off? is she the kind of kid who’s going to try things on her own (with or without mom’s permission?) is she the kind of kid who needs to go faster, higher, wider with everything? cautious vs. thrill seeker? At either end of the spectrum, I might consider a vest: for the very cautious child, if it gives them confidence, or for the daredevil, who’s gonna do it anyway and at least they can be a little safer. For the average kid on the average safe pony supervised adequately by responsible adults… maybe not. Only you know what feels right for your child and your situation.

[Dewey]

Great post, Nancy.