Protection

Wicked

about a year ago my friend got flung off her horse when she was walking in a meadow and he got caught up in wire, she got five days in hospital for her troubles

yesterday my bf got flung off his horse when walking up a hill on the road, he's got a lovely set a bruised ribs now

neither were wearing their back protectors - both wearing helmets..

i've often been driving around and seen people out on the horses with no back protectors, sometimes you even see people riding at home with no helmets - even children. i go to hunter trials alot and kids there can be seen not wearing back protectors.

so whats the story everyone.

do ye all wear your back protectors and helmets when riding. if not, why not? why are people so against wearing them?

my friend and my bf explanations were 'sure their quiet'

convert

I don't normally wear a back protector unless I'm working with young horses, schooling (jumping), competing, riding out or riding a horse for the first time. I don't really have a reason, it's just something I've never done. I'll always wear a helmet, though.

li-evo7

I only wear mine if I am doing cross country. I find it restricts you a lot and its easier to move without one.

ecaf

li-evo7 wrote: »

I only wear mine if I am doing cross country. I find it restricts you a lot and its easier to move without one.

+1 for that, I used to just wear mine when hunting or hunter trials

I had / have the old type that went the whole way down your back and had velcro between your legs to keep it in place. I know they aren't recommended any more (not as good), but the new jacket type one's don't protect the bottom of your spine.

Bit of a catch 22, so which do you use?
Haven't been riding for a few years now, when I get back up on my mare (after her maternity leave), I do plan to use one. Because I probably will fall off!

convert

ecaf wrote: »

+1 for that, I used to just wear mine when hunting or hunter trials

I had / have the old type that went the whole way down your back and had velcro between your legs to keep it in place. I know they aren't recommended any more (not as good), but the new jacket type one's don't protect the bottom of your spine.

The back protectors which are mandatory for jockeys (Racesafe Level 1) have the piece that goes between your legs and must be worn. If a rider is found not to be using it they can face disciplinary action and a hearing.

I didn't know that they weren't recommended for 'normal' riding anymore? Is there a reason why? I would have thought it would have helped keep the back protector in place?

Even with a back protector and helmet I feel jockeys - and riders in general - are still extremely vulnerable on the back of the neck, between the helmet and the back protector.

shanagarry

Always, always, always wear my hat, and sometimes have it on when I'm on the ground if I'm doing something with youngsters feet or the like.

I wear a back protector most of the time as well - it was drummed into me as a kid and I've kept the habit. The vast majority of my falls have happened in 'easy' circumstances. I've only fallen once competing. You could fall on the only stone in the field! I need to get a new one though, and I don't fancy the look of some of the new ones, they can be very restrictive.

Wicked

i'd always wear both mine because i'm not long riding and just for the safety.

i don't think there that restrictive

the rodney powell ones are meant to be good

lester76

I always always wear my lid but i never wear my protector,its hanging in the wardrobe since the day i bought it about 2yrs ago:o Silly i know as im only riding 2yrs,have come off 3times in that space of time and funny enough it was 3times in a matter of minutes jumping my biggest fence. Stupid heels down:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Green Hornet

I'm currently learning and we dont use the protectors either. Just helmets. Never even seen the protectos although I'm sure they are available if requested.

ecaf

convert wrote: »

The back protectors which are mandatory for jockeys (Racesafe Level 1) have the piece that goes between your legs and must be worn. If a rider is found not to be using it they can face disciplinary action and a hearing.

I didn't know that they weren't recommended for 'normal' riding anymore? Is there a reason why? I would have thought it would have helped keep the back protector in place?

Even with a back protector and helmet I feel jockeys - and riders in general - are still extremely vulnerable on the back of the neck, between the helmet and the back protector.

I don't know if your talking about the same ones as I am, maybe there are new improved ones.
I can't remember how long ago I got mine, maybe 15 yrs ago?
It was a light blue one that had velcro on the right shoulder and another piece between your legs. The pieces in them went horizontally, where as the jacket ones the pieces in them went vertically, I remember having mine a few years when the jackets came out and people were saying that mine weren't as good as the newer ones.
I haven't worn it or been hunting in years, so I haven't really bothered with it.

Theponylady

I always wear a helmet when riding. After having a bad fall as a kid(was riding my pony bareback, at the WALK, a bird flew out of a bush behind her, she leapt forward, and I landed with my head on a rock-I wouldn't be here now had I not had a helmet on at the time), I learned there just wasn't a "safe" time to be on ANY horse without a helmet.

Interestingly, most of my bad injuries in my years of working with horses have been while riding at the walk, or handling the horse on the ground, NOT while galloping racehorses, jumping, or doing other things where you would expect injuries.

I don't wear a back protector though. Basically because I do NOT have a rider's body shape(I'm short and round), and I've never found one that fit me correctly and was comfortable enough to wear consistantly. If they don't fit correctly, they can be just as dangerous as not having one at all. As a riding instructor, I've seen a number of accidents that happened as a direct result of having a poorly fitting back protector. If seen kids that tumbled forwards off their ponies and landed on their head and necks as a direct result of the back protector being too long for them, with the back of it hitting the back of the saddle. I've had them fall while getting off the pony because they got caught on the saddle or stirrup while dismounting. Many of my students dismount now by throwing a leg over the neck and sliding down, which prevents the back protector from catching on the saddle, NOT the method pony club recommends! Some remove their back protectors first, which is fine on my lesson horses, but might not be a safe manuever on some horses, who might spook at it being taken off and bolt forward or buck. I saw one person riding on a western saddle, who got the back protector caught over the horn, and her horse bolted with her hanging halfway down and unable to either get back on or get off. It wasn't pretty. I had one student, a very thin girl, whoose back protector was too loose(fit her lengthwise, but couldn't be tightened up enough to fit her very slim frame), and when she fell off her pony, there was a huge gap between it and her back, and the pony caught a hoof under the back protector, and dragged her around a bit, stepping on her back because it couldn't get free of her(she was only bruised, not badly injured, it was one of the most frightening moments I've ever had in my 30plus years as an instructor).

That being said, I've also seen accidents that could have had much worse consequences had the rider NOT been wearing a back protector. People falling on jumps and fences, getting stepped on, and horses falling on top of them, where the back protector did it's intended job and prevented major injury.

It's really really important to make sure a back protector is fitted by someone who is trained to fit them. The companies who make and sell them usually do provide training to any tack shop interested in providing it to their employees. But many tack shops do not avail of this training, or they only have a few of their staff trained, and if those staff don't happen to be there the day you go to buy one, then you could have a problem.

Buying a back protector or helmet is NOT like buying clothes. If your clothes don't fit quite right, it's no big deal. If you helmet or back protector don't fit right, not only will they not give the expected protection, but they can CAUSE injuries as well. A too big helmet can come down over the eyes, causing an accident because you can't see, or crushing the nose and face in the event of a fall. Badly fitting back protectors, I've already noted the wrecks that can be caused by them if they aren't fitted correctly.

When buying helmets and back protectors, buy from a reputable shop, one that will make sure the item is fitted correctly, and that will take it back or exchange it if you wear it once and decide it isn't quite right. Don't try to buy protective items for someone without having them there to try it on. Correct fitting is essential, and often if something "almost" fits and has been given to someone, it will get worn and not get taken back to get something that fits correctly. Stay away from the Lidl protective stuff, the quality is poor and it's often not up to standard. Make sure they meet all the required safety standards(if there isn't a lable sewn in that states the standards they meet, then there is no way to know if they meet them or not), and make sure they are fitted by someone with training to fit them.

Censorsh!t

I'm guilty of not wearing one.
I always wore one when I kept my pony in a riding school, but after moving her to a field, i just kinda forgot about it, and after a while of getting used to not wearing it, it just felt uncomfortable to put on.
I've also had the problem of it getting stuck in parts of the saddle when I'm dismounting, or it can get in the way when in the jumping position too sometimes.
So far I've fallen off countless times, and never broken anything or damaged anything.

Saying that, I'm pretty sure I would definitely wear one of i was doing cross country, but I dont take my pony to competitions anymore. It's also an advantage that with a pony theres not such a great distancec to fall!

I almost always wear a helmet, but there was a few times that I just wasnt bothered, but those times i'd never be doing anything more than some trotting around the field.