Traditional padded safety vests for fall protection have been on the equestrian market for about 15 years. Initially designed for the cross-country phase of eventing, their use has expanded to other equestrian disciplines.
The move to mandate protective vests—often called back or body protectors—in competition has been much discussed, but I don’t think a blanket rule is necessarily a good idea. A body protector offers the promise of decreased injury from a fall, but evidence of their efficacy has been lacking. Feeling safe and being safe are two different things.
Studying Vest Efficacy
I recently discovered an article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) from 2018. It featured a detailed analysis of an investigation into the risk reduction and benefit of wearing a body protector in equestrian sports. Safety vests showed protection in some areas but not others. Although this study was performed with the traditional body protector and not the newer air vests, it provides a useful perspective on whether safety vests should be mandated in all equestrian competitions.
Traditional padded vests primarily protect the rib cage, back, and torso when hitting the ground from a fall. Like the protective padding worn in hockey and football, these vests blunt and diffuse the effects of impact. However, the actual safety benefits they provide and when has not been established. Certainly, traditional vests are not without drawbacks, including the continual cost of replacing parts, but appear to provide benefits. The BMJ article did a deep review of incident data from U.S. Pony Clubs (USPC) between 2011 and 2017, specifically looking to see if wearing body protection safety vests in equestrian events resulted in a reduction of risk and serious injury. Padded safety vests provide extra protection, but when and at what price?
Equestrian-related injuries can be subdivided into three areas: head and neck injuries, chest and back injuries, and pelvic and extremity fractures. Although statistics vary, head and neck and chest and back injuries account for a substantial number of equestrian-related injuries.
Body protectors are designed to shield against chest and back injuries, and the U.S. Eventing Association and U.S. Equestrian Federation made them mandatory for the cross-country phase of eventing in 1996. This was primarily in response to rotational falls on cross-country courses where horses would fall on riders when hitting solid obstacles. The USPC has collected detailed injury data through incident reports for many years and, although USPC recommends the use of vests, they are not mandated because of lack of scientific evidentiary support.
What the Statistics Say
The BMJ article is a retrospective review of USPC incident and injury reports, and includes a USPC member survey about vest use. The study looked at injuries with and without a body protector and members’ attitudes toward their use. While 75% of members owned and wore vests, most wore them only when jumping. A higher percentage of more advanced riders used vests, but this may be attributable to more cross-country competitions.
The study found no statistically significant difference for injury with or without a body protector for both jumping and non-jumping disciplines with one exception: the cross-country phase in eventing. Safety vests did significantly reduce injuries and the severity of injury on the cross-country course.
Of the 75% of USPC members using a vest, most only used it for riding cross-country. Reasons given for not using a vest included cost as a major factor, as well as being unsure of the benefit, uncomfortableness while wearing, and difficulty with fit. The article does cite a study in which The Irish Jockey Club found that wearing body protectors resulted in fewer rib fractures. Racing and steeplechase have many similarities to riding cross-country in terms of speed and jumping natural obstacles.
Personal Experience: Risk Profiles
It is important to factor in that there are different risk profiles for the same rider on different horses, or even when doing different exercises on the same horse. The discomfort of wearing a vest must be compared to the added protection it affords.
For example, I own a traditional body protector and wear it as I deem appropriate for different horses at different times when doing different activities. Riding young three-year-olds has a different risk profile than flatting older horses. Jumping young horses has a different risk profile than jumping older horses. Riding a young horse at its first horse show has a different risk profile than riding an older, more experienced horse at the show. Training over natural obstacles, like water or banks, has a different risk profile than doing simple show jumping gymnastics. The risk-benefit ratio of wearing a protective vest changes from horse to horse, situation to situation, and from rider to rider.
Leaving aside cost and added bulk, the biggest problem I’ve found is that a protective vest makes me very hot during warm weather. Riding involves short periods of extreme exertion, and a rider’s body temperature rises quickly. When wearing a helmet, boots, and a jacket in 90-degree-plus weather, wearing a vest increases the heat buildup in the body. Heat stroke and fatigue affect reaction time and can cause dehydration and injury.
For example, when riding multiple horses in a jumping class during hot weather, there is a significant risk of heat fatigue and heat stroke, which can lead to mistakes and falls. When the protective vest provides actual risk reduction, there is a clear benefit. However, in other situations problems with discomfort and potential heat fatigue may outweigh safety benefits that are speculative or perceptual rather than actual.
Wearing a body protector does not make you a better rider or allow you to jump beyond your ability. The potential safety afforded by protective vests is easily negated if riders try to exceed their ability: vests reduce injury, but they don’t prevent them. Protective vests do not protect against head injury, pelvic fractures, extremity fractures, and crush injuries.
Other Types of Body Protection
Although traditional body protectors featuring impact-absorbing materials are still widely used, in recent years, air vests—also called air jackets—have exploded in popularity. They attach to the front of the saddle with a lanyard. When detached through force, such as in a fall, a small gas cylinder almost instantly inflates the jacket. Combination-style vests featuring both padding and an air canister are also beginning to appear on the market.
The air vest is designed to reduce force on impact, protects ribs and vital organs and may additionally help protect the rider’s neck. Before they inflate, the vests are lightweight to wear and not bulky, allowing maximum movement.
However, this style has its negatives too. A rider can forget to attach an air jacket when getting on, rendering it ineffective. Forgetting to detach the air vest before dismounting can cause it to go off with a loud bang and scare the horse. Similarly, using an air vest makes it impossible to do a quick emergency dismount, such as from a young horse, or when a rider wants to avoid a tricky situation. A rider who falls off while wearing an air vest in the company of others, like in a crowded schooling ring, may spook nearby horses. The canister also needs to be replaced every time it is activated, so the cost of an air vest can add up.
Notably, once inflated, the air vest prevents a rider from being able to roll away from the horse after a fall. Personally, I always purposefully try to roll away from the horse after hitting the ground so as not to end up under the horse. I think it is something all riders should learn to do, so they can get away from the horse given the chance. It is better to attempt to redirect the flow of the fall and reduce the hard impact rather than trying to fight the fall and abruptly stopping the momentum. Practicing falling and rolling away in a controlled environment can help to prevent rider injuries by diffusing impact and getting clear of the horse.
In contrast, while a traditional body protector may not appear to provide as much protection as an air vest, it does protect the ribs and torso and it allows the rider to roll away from a fall. It is less bulky and restrictive than a fully inflated air jacket.
Although I own an air vest, I don’t use it. I have, on occasion, forgotten to connect it when getting on, and I’m concerned about getting off and forgetting to detach it. I like to know I have the ability to roll away from the horse after I hit the ground. I’ve had several falls with my protective vest, which appear to have protected my ribs. I continue to use it on different horses at different times when doing different activities based on my own risk assessments.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. A multitude of factors go into the decision to wear a safety vest, depending on the age, confidence, and skill of the rider, the level, aptitude, and experience of the horse, the environment where the ride is taking place, and the discipline involved. Protective vests in all their forms should be promoted and recommended, but not made mandatory.