I recently did a poll in my Facebook group - The Confident Horsemanship Community - asking DO YOU WEAR A HORSE RIDING SAFETY VEST?
Since the group offers support for people who have lost their horse riding confidence, you might be surprised at the results. Read on to get the results and why wearing a safety vest can improve your horse riding confidence.
Poll Results - Do You Wear A Horse Riding Safety Vest?
Have never worn one - 34 = 45%
Never ride without one - 22 = 29%
Sometimes wear one - 15 = 20%
Used to wear one. Don't anymore - 3 = 4%
Plan on getting one - 1 = 2%
Did that surprise you that 45% of riders who have lost their confidence are not wearing a safety vest?
Why Wear A Safety Vest For Horse Riding?
I encourage my clients to wear a horse riding safety vest because it gives another layer of protection. Just like a riding helmet or hat does.
Wearing a safety vest reduces the risk of physical injury. And that does a lot for your horse riding confidence.
If you come off your horse while wearing a safety vest, you're risk of injury to your internal organs, spine, ribs and tail bone is reduced. Because horse riding safety vests are designed to protect your upper body.
Are Horse Riding Safety Vests Comfortable?
The technology for safety vests has improved over the years. And different types are now available.
You have the choice of different colours in safety vests. And, it's best if you try a few on before buying one. Some of the safety vests are suitable for ATV, dirt bike and horse riding. And all styles come in both kids and adult sizes.
Traditional Horse Riding Safety Vests
The traditional style of vest is heavily padded, but lightweight. These are the type you’ll see worn by rodeo riders, eventers and jockeys. These crash vests are also worn by long distance riders, pleasure riders and speed games competitors.
This style of safety vest fits snuggly against your body and can be worn under a riding jacket, jersey, or sweater. It’s best to wear a quick-dry top underneath the vest if you're concerned about it being too hot during the summer.
Inflatable Horse Riding Safety Vests
Newer on the horse riding safety vest scene are the air system vests. Much like an inflatable life preserver, the vest inflates when a coil is pulled out of the vest if the rider becomes unseated. Hit Air and Point Two are two well known brands of air vests.
The down side of this type of horse riding safety vests is that they do require a CO2 canister. Once the vest has inflated, the canister has to be replaced before the vest is usable again.
The photo below is of the air vest my client was wearing when she came off her horse. Her horse is 16.3hh and the ground is very hard because we've had no rain this summer.
The dirt on the vest shows where the impact was - on her right side. Along the rib cage. But all she ended up with was a bruised and sore right buttock. No soreness in her torso, neck or head.
Minimize The Risks of Horse Riding
As riders, we all know there is a risk of coming off our horses. The best we can do is minimize the risk.
- By ensuring our horses are relaxed and in tune with us.
- By ensuring we are doing activities within our skill level.
- By using the protective equipment (like helmets/hats and safety vests) that reduce the risk of physical injury.
And when you minimize the risk of physical injury, you can feel more confident when horse riding.
It's like putting on your seat-belt when you get in the car. 99.9% of the time, you don't need it. But that one time that you do, you're really grateful that you put it on.
Share in the comments below, do you where a safety vest when riding your horse?
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