Body protectors and showing?

[Kite_Rider]

Hi all,

My friend has gone off to her first show in about three years this morning, as a rule she always wears her BP, her mare can be a bit of a handful at times. The girl who went with her told her that she wouldn't be allowed to wear it for ridden showing so she very reluctantly left it behind. I'm sure that can't be right, but as I know nothing about showing wondered if you guys could advise, it is only local show and a novice class.
Surely even at local level they can't be banned can they???

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Nope not banned. I wore mine for our first ridden show and the judge never said anything. I think I was the only one at the show with it on, but better safer than sorry, the goal wasn't to win at that point (nor at this point now haha) so I wore it and didn't care!

 

[Trewsers]

I don't think they are banned, certainly not at low level. Maybe the high up shows have different rules?

 

[Trewsers]

I love the picture flipo

 

[MrA]

Nope at local level she would be fine

 

[MrA]

How did she get on?

 

[PePo]

It might be frowned upon, as it isn't the 'done thing' & showing is about appearance but I wear a body protector for all my riding & although I don't compete, I would still wear one if I did. I'd rather stay safe & lose a rosette than not wear one & regret it. X

 

[eml]

Never banned but it does suggest you don't trust your horse and as a judge that would put a big question mark in my mind and in a higher level class where the judge rides a definite no!

Same goes for professional exams flatwork !

 

[ponylover88]

I don't wear one even on my 3yo, I have a hit air instead which I wear 'most' of the time. For the first few rides on D, I never used it and I don't tend to swap my straps over for different horses so I'd just abandon it for showing. If you felt happier riding in it though there's no harm in warming up with it and just removing it when you go in the class.

Tbf though, I feel safer without my BP than I do with it.

 

[Native Lover]

I have seen competitors placed at local level with BP and esp if doing WHP but most don't I think it is as they are supposed to be well behaved and well schooled with good manners anyway.

Love that photo FM if I was in a ridden show I would probably wear a dark colored planish BP when cantering but I am firmly in novice and low level local shows for my riding lol

 

[Flipo's Mum]

I guess mine was in a novice horse and rider class so it could be forgiven - no cantering and judge didn't ride.

 

[mystiquemalaika]

I find it sad that judges may look at this as a horse not been safe,it's not only about a horse been safe, a lovely lady had the safest horse known to man,you could trust him with your granny,grandchild,dog etc. He tripped one day that was all he tripped,she stumbled over his head and cracked a vertebra,that had absolutely nothing to do with the horse been unsafe it was a complete accident. I think it is awful that a judge may see a bp as a horse been unsafe rather than it been an owner just paying caution to the fact accidents can and do happen. One reason I'm glad not to be involved in competing of any kind.

 

[sjp1]

Can't comment, as I don't know the rules, but would think that someone wearing a BP would indicate that the horse wouldn't be safe. But that would just be my take, and I am not sure I would want to get on a horse where its owner was wearing a BP and I wasn't.

I was at a show this year and not sure what showing class it was,but was hugely impressed with a woman riding a VERY tricky horse. No body protector, and the judge didn't ride the horses, and hers was a nightmare, but she was very calm and didn't retire, which I think I would have done!!

I did actually go up to her at the end of the class and congratulate her on a very difficult ride!

 

[newforest]

Why wouldn't a bp mean a nervous or novice rider? Why does it point to the horse? Or a rider perhaps with back issues where the bp supports it? I say this a know a nervous rider who wears one at all times.

I wear mine for jumping regardless of our height. The shows I have done I haven't used one, unless I was jumping. But I see someone using I wouldn't give it a thought.
The jockey's wear a bp for training, that's a normal sight here.

 

[eml]

Friend's daughter is now paralysed following an accident in the show ring at a county show , horse reared and came down on her and she was air lifted to spinal injury unit, freak accident on a young but experienced horse competing at a high level. BP would not have made any difference. Riding is a high risk sport, even higher than Formula 1. I have lost a young friend eventing in a rotational fall ( my husbands god-daughter) Body protectors and air vests have a place but you can never make it 100% safe, horses are live animals with feelings,reactions and panics.

I wear a jockey level BP with shoulder protectors to hack on safe cobbies as being older falling off hurts more, it doesn't protect me from major accidents but prevents grazes and winding!

 

[mystiquemalaika]

I agree they can't/won't always change the outcome but to actively have judges frowning upon them because of how they feel it makes a horse look is a step to far in my eyes. And for a person to feel they can't wear them as it may effect them being placed or getting a rosette is just madness that I can't get my head around. Tbh I'm not sure what is worse, a judge possibly frowning on them or someone taking it off when they wear one all the time because it might effect the ribbons. Dont get me wrong,I don't wear a bp,personal choice I know the risks but I find it sad people are made to feel they can't.

 

[ponylover88]

BPs do not prevent broken bones, they help to dissipate the force around the body. But you have to land on it correctly for it to do that. All of my falls hurt 10x more in a BP than without one. I prefer the fact that without you can roll, you can put yourself in a better position when falling off (maybe this is where my experience comes in, having fallen off thousands of times in the last 12 years!) to fall without incurring too much damage.

Of course, that's not always possible, sometimes injury is inevitable as much as a bad fall, but a BP won't truly save you. I have an air jacket, which I use mostly, but even that I'm aware won't save me in certain falls unfortunately. It does make falling a damn site more comfortable though!

I used to wear a BP all the time before it was discouraged by an equine college. I don't believe that showing should be so focused on the appearance or judgements that bps are frowned upon, but maybe someone out there could design a BP for showing which is a little less obvious and bulky than the usual for those who want to wear one and show.

 

[Mary Poppins]

I wear my body protector for all riding activities - dressage and ridden showing included. I have never had any judge or any other competitor say anything at all about me wearing it. If other people are short sighted enough to think that my horse is unsafe because of my body protector then that really shows that they have very little idea about anything at all. Why is wearing a body protector any different to wearing a hat? If you are so sure you are not going to fall from your horse because the horse is so safe, why bother with a hat at all?

Of course body protectors are not the saviour to all accidents and of course they won't save all your body parts from injury. I doubt very much that anyone who wears one thinks this at all. For me, I feel that they give me greater protection in the event of a fall and I would rather protect myself as much as I can. It makes me feel more confident and I like to know that I am doing all I can to prevent as much injury as possible.

Anyone looking at my horse can see that he is probably the safest horse on the showground. I agree that I probably give the impression that I am a nervous rider to the judge (which I used to be but am not anymore), but this has never been reflected in our marks and in showing we do very well.

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Well said MP and MM. I don't wear my BP anymore and was a little taken aback at some of the suggestions re judges disapproving. I covet an air vest and when I have the money for one, I will invest and probably wear it all the time. My horse is safe as houses these days, but never say never and BPs are a preference. I like the hat comparison. It seems daft to me to disapprove of something that's about safety. I judge no one for not wearing a bp, but I judge no one for wearing one either.

 

[Kite_Rider]

How did she get on?

She didn't get placed but her and another lady were told by the judge that the reason was because she felt that they were both far more capable than 'novice' my friend is a good rider but went in the novice class because she hasn't shown ridden before.
She did enjoy herself though which was really the point.