I haven’t been paying attention for a few years, but selfishly am interested in this research, given a recent fall. Is it still happening? Did it not get funded? If so I can’t believe it - there is so much wealth in the amateur show community. We should I get this done (at whatever levels people can give - $5 to 5,000 to infinity)!
I agree but until you or anyone can persuade people to part with their money, it won’t happen. Just because the amateur community is rich does not mean they are generous about funding things they think are unnecessary. Safety isn’t a huge issue for rich folks, they can buy safety. Or, at least, they think they can. Of our big team members, I think only Laura Kraut is wearing a vest, not McLain, Lillie, Karl, Kent, Aaron, none of them. It has to start from there or from USEF itself and that doesn’t seem to be happening.
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The problems started with not having a standard by which to measure the effectiveness of the vests to be tested. So money was needed to develop those standards. The money being raised for the vest testing couldn’t go to the standards research, so the financing is at a loss at the moment.
But there are standards:
"• There are three international equestrian safety standards for foam-based body protectors: CE EN 13158, ASTM F1937 and ASTM F2681.
• There is one specification for air-inflatable equestrian body protectors: Satra M38."
The hard shell or foam vests have been tested with regards to equestrian safety and carry ASTM testing certification. The air vests do not have ASTM testing and the tests they have undergone have not been accepted as such for the VT lab to conduct their research.
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Isn’t there testing being done on the air vests in one of the European countries, or some organization over there? I thought I read something about that not too long ago.
“Ther are no US based standards for air vests”
is NOT the same as
“not having a standard by which to measure the effectiveness of the vests to be tested”,
which oresumably includes both air and “solid” vests.
