riding vests for protection of upper body

[ICit]

We don't want to hurt her if she falls and gets tangled up in the strap, we just want to watch her bounce when she hits the ground so we can point and laugh. Think giant sumo wrestler outfit, but with bubble wrap and duct tape.

yeah..... that sumo suit is awsome... you cant move in it.. and yes.. you do bounce... I have worn it!! (and you cant get up on your own)

 

[SoMDGirl42]

(and you cant get up on your own)

bring the strap, we may need to assist in getting up

 

[Phyxius]

There must have been something in the air last week. I took a tumble on Thursday afternoon. I was bruised up but helmet took the brunt of it.

I have looked at the Tipperary vests also.

Oh and I replaced my helmet.

To Katelin - horses are flight or prey animals. Last week my fall was because I did something stupid and he reacted. It was also a windy day and he was full of it.

Ack, sorry to hear about the tumble! I'd recommend NOT getting a Tipperary, they are not certified and are little more protection than an extra sweatshirt.

 

[ArkRescue]

There must have been something in the air last week. I took a tumble on Thursday afternoon. I was bruised up but helmet took the brunt of it.

I have looked at the Tipperary vests also.

Oh and I replaced my helmet.

To Katelin - horses are flight or prey animals. Last week my fall was because I did something stupid and he reacted. It was also a windy day and he was full of it.

My mare is normally non-spooky, but when it's windy she gets full of it, and gets pretty spooky and prancy - so I understand.

 

[ArkRescue]

duct tape will hurt when you pull it off the horse....

strap her down... like when you haul furniture!!!

OMG you two are mean LOL

tip-of-the-day:

moisture weakens duct tape, so if someone is tying you up with it, try to perspire a lot, or if it's across your mouth, spit into it.

 

[ArkRescue]

Ack, sorry to hear about the tumble! I'd recommend NOT getting a Tipperary, they are not certified and are little more protection than an extra sweatshirt.

I think I'd want to try it on any good candidates to see how they felt. Good point.

 

[Eventer29]

Dont have time to check right now but I believe that the one tipperary is certified. Not the eventer one that so many people wear but maybe the ride lite or another model.

 

[paintedpony1234]

I am going to put a recommendation in here for the Point 2 Air Vest and I know just how expensive it is because I bought mine a couple months ago. And that meant drastic cuts to my planned show budget, but it was completely worth it.

I have worn safety vests my whole life being a Pony Clubber they are required. I find them so uncomfortable and have settled into wearing the Tipperary, (you can find them on sale at the Crofton Cosignment shop) I happened to luck out and get mine new for $100.


I hate the safety vest and only wear it XC because it is required. And I have fallen although I am pretty good at falling and generally land on my feet (a skill I have practiced to perfection after years of riding naughty ponies and teaching them crazy things like games, polo, eventing). Stop, drop the shoulders and ejection! Now that translated to training OTTB and I have a taste the the "hot" ones, but hey somebody has to love them.

Anyways the air vest is awesome, its light weight, it takes a little while to get used to but then you forget you almost have it on and you have to remind yourself to unclip. If you want a professional recommendation on safety vest particularly the air vest, check out the first pages of Cross Country with Jim Woffard.

I wear my safety vest (air vest) now whenever I jump, even at home. Or when I am riding horses that feel particularly fresh. I wear the air vest at home without the safety vest underneath or out schooling, for eventing you have to wear both if you want to wear the air vest, but it gets too hot and uncomfortable to be a regular thing for me.

It is expensive, but given the alternatives, your spinal cord controls everything in your body from how you walk, to how you breathe and other internal functions. To me it was a small price to pay when I consider the risks that I am taking.

They also have a less expensive versions, the Hit Air Vest, I know one person that has it and loves it. I don't know anything about it so I cannot recommend it.

 

[photo]

I have a question.
Are the Air-vest a single use item or can/do you re-use them?

 

[Phyxius]

I'm not familiar with all of the brands but, the ones I know about all have replaceable CO2 canisters so, they are reusable. Basically you're connected to the saddle by a bungee. When you fall off the bungee pulls a pin lose and the canister releases the CO2. You land, deflate yourself and can then replace the canister.

 

[paintedpony1234]

you can shop around for cannisters ~ this is where the whole Hit-Air vs Point- Two comes into play... for eventing the Point Two people seem to have the on-site tack trailers carrying the cannisters so its sometimes more convenient to have a Point-Two air vest although I am not sure how much it matters

Cannisters are around $25 each and you can shop around at Dover and SmartPak and other distributors ...

one important note is to remember to unclip before you dismount, I have gotten lucky and dismounted close enough to my horse that I could stand on my toes and unclip ... but its a shame to waste $25 for forgetfulness

It takes 85 lbs of pressure for your air vest to go off and you feel it during your falls .. at first we considered shortening my strap to my saddle because I slipped off when my horse stopped at a fence and landed on my feet and my horse pulled back and then it went off .. .. but then I really came off and it went off right away.. the nice thing is if you lose a stirrup and can recover your air vest is not going to go off on top of the horse but when you really need it, its there

They had a really great sale during Black Friday last year I think Air Vests were 40% off

 

[photo]

Sorry I didn’t mean to imply I was in the market for a vest. I was just curios I saw one inflate this past Saturday but the rider did not have it on when she came back for her next trip. I was kind of think exactly what you said about a replacement CO2 cartridge.

 

[ArkRescue]

you can shop around for cannisters ~ this is where the whole Hit-Air vs Point- Two comes into play... for eventing the Point Two people seem to have the on-site tack trailers carrying the cannisters so its sometimes more convenient to have a Point-Two air vest although I am not sure how much it matters

Cannisters are around $25 each and you can shop around at Dover and SmartPak and other distributors ...

one important note is to remember to unclip before you dismount, I have gotten lucky and dismounted close enough to my horse that I could stand on my toes and unclip ... but its a shame to waste $25 for forgetfulness

It takes 85 lbs of pressure for your air vest to go off and you feel it during your falls .. at first we considered shortening my strap to my saddle because I slipped off when my horse stopped at a fence and landed on my feet and my horse pulled back and then it went off .. .. but then I really came off and it went off right away.. the nice thing is if you lose a stirrup and can recover your air vest is not going to go off on top of the horse but when you really need it, its there

They had a really great sale during Black Friday last year I think Air Vests were 40% off

I was wondering about that, and I would be one to forget.