I received the USEF email on body protectors/vest survey with a link to complete. Seems like an admirable task, but every time I try to complete it only allows me to do so on behalf of my child. I don’t have a child and am completing on my behalf!
Any one else have a similar problem and maybe solution?
I’ve emailed USEF to ask, but thought I’d try here too.
There is a repeated typo (or just awkward phrasing) that makes it seem like it’s about your child only, but you can totally fill it out as yourself. e.g.
“What is your/your child’s current age (years)?“
Should be
“ What is YOU/your child’s current age (years)?”
(If you read the / as “or”)
Oh my, thank you! That is quite confusing and clearly my coffee had not kicked in yet.
Same confusion happened to me!
Same here. I ended up just shrugging and filling it out as me. It was very poorly worded.
I was going to fill it out, but it only ask if you compete. What about all the members who don’t compete? I have yet to hear back from USEq in the last 4 days.
Oh, boy. I think I sent the survey into a direction they don’t anticipate.
I was also totally thrown by all the references to my child until I really parsed it out.
I also think the way they asked discipline and competing possibly muddles their data. I chose dressage because that’s my most recent competitive experience, but my habits reflect my identity as an eventer.
Is every USEF member supposed to get this email? I haven’t seen it yet.
I got it several days ago, but after I answered the first question, that was the end of the survey for me. OK, whatever.
I will add that they held out the carrot of doing the survey and entering for a chance to win a gift card or something like that. But that did not actually materialize in my case.
I just found it on their site. I found it a little disappointing. I have and sometimes wear an air vest, but I feel some real ambivalence about it and long for better safety testing. I didn’t really feel like there was any place in this survey for me to express this view.
I will be upset if USEF starts requiring them without really knowing more about the safety profile–especially since there will then be zero incentive for the companies to invest in evidence.
I would be extremely, extremely, extremely surprised if that happened.
The discussion about vests at the USHJA annual meeting a few weeks ago definitely covered the fact that they don’t really have any definitive research yet, so there is no proof of whether they help or how they might help or how they might actually hurt.
The new head of the safety committee also seemed to be an extremely fact-based person. I believe she is also a doctor. So she did not seem like someone who would be swayed by anything other than the evidence.
The offices were closed until after 1/1, I believe. May be why you haven’t gotten a response.
My Hit Air vest has a European safety rating that wasn’t listed, so I had to check “I don’t know,” which isn’t accurate. Hunh.
Its correct as it. If it said you, it would be “what is you current age.”
“What is your/your child’s current age” meaning “what is your current age” or “what is your child’ current age.”
The question about whether you/your child is a declared professional or amateur is weird - if you’re filling it out for a child, why wouldn’t there be a junior option?
I haven’t seen the survey but this feels like a situation where just asking questions like “what is the rider’s current age?” would have been much clearer, following a sentence at the top asking adult riders to fill it out for themselves, and parents to fill it out for juniors.
@MHM correctly summarized the discussion at the USHJA conference. I was surprised to hear that there’s some evidence showing that the vests may be creating dangerous situations (doesn’t inflate, doesn’t disconnect, etc.). Obviously, that’s all about air vests. Lots of gaps in the data side, so the safety group has a ways to go on this one.
There was a discussion a few years ago on Facebook or here on the BB or maybe both about somebody who had a horse fall down with her, so she was not disconnected from him initially. But then when the horse stood up and separated from her while she was already on the ground, that was when the vest popped and caused more injuries because the air canister was driven into her ribs or something?
I don’t remember the exact details by now, but it was quite eye-opening to hear about it.
Obviously that was not an everyday occurrence. But it’s still something that could happen to anybody at any time.
I believe she did make a full recovery, thank goodness. But it took a while.
Apparently the USEF got some feedback on the vest survey, because they just sent out an updated version. Or maybe it’s the same version, but with an updated introduction to explain the phrasing of it.
It also showed which choices on the first page would send you straight to the end of the survey. So with that information, I was able to take it again and actually have my answers be included.
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