FEATURE

by Helen Pollock photos by Kristin Lee

Say “Yes” to the Vest!

THE AIRBAG THAT HAS YOUR BACK

It is certainly an understatement to say that 2020 brought change to our world. Not only did the pandemic put a pause on what we thought was ‘normal,’ it also raised our awareness on health and safety in all aspects of our lives. The more conscious I was about washing my hands regularly, sanitizing surfaces and always leaving the house with my mask, the more aware I became of taking safety and precaution measures at the barn. One new trend I have noticed, both at horse shows and in my weekly riding routine, is that more and more riders are wearing airbag vests. I am now a proud member of this group. I’ve said “Yes” to the vest!

I know I am not the only rider who is scared of falling off his or her horse. Ironically, when I first tried the airbag vest I was less afraid of falling off my horse than I was of having the vest go off while riding, and subsequently spooking my horse. That might sound silly, but having ridden for over 35 years, the idea of wearing a deployable C02 canister gave me the jitters.

Nerves aside, I decided I wanted to give it a try, and, after my first ride I became very comfortable in my vest. Six months in, I am hardly aware of it while riding. I remember skiing as a young girl wearing a knit hat and goggles. My parents were one of the first to make me leave the hat in the car and try this new thing called a ‘ski helmet.’ Now ski helmets are everywhere, and I can’t imagine being on the slopes without wearing one. I truly believe this will be the way of the equestrian airbag vest.

Ever since I started wearing the vest and writing about it on both my Instagram page and blog, I have had dozens of messages from fellow riders. Many have asked why I chose Horse Pilot’s vest in particular. Before buying, I tried on both Helite and Horse Pilot, which are equally great vests. But, in the end, Horse Pilot was the vest for me for two reasons. First, the Horse Pilot vest was the only vest that had additional coverage through my lower back and tailbone area. Second, I chose Horse Pilot for their structured fit and overall comfort. The Horse Pilot vest has neck coverage that offers support without forcing my head forward which was a better match with my particular helmet. This was my own process and reasoning, but the most important thing to do when looking for an airbag vest is to TRY THEM ALL ON and pick the one that fits best for you.

As it happened, in November of 2020 I had an unplanned dismount that put the vest to the test. I was in the jumper ring at Desert Horse Park and I thought it was a good idea to ask my horse to leave long, while cross-cantering to a skinny vertical.

Needless to say, my mount felt otherwise, and added a giant chip which shot me out of the tack. This was, of course, Rider Error and – as my fellow equestrians know – these things happen. I was a few feet out of the saddle, over the top of my horse, and I distinctly remember thinking (while airborne, nonetheless), “The vest is going to pop! My horse may react and kick me!” The airbag inflated; the vest enlarged like a life jacket and my horse didn’t even flinch at the sound of the airbag being deployed. Of course, I can’t speak to the reaction of all horses, but I was relieved that the inflation noise didn’t cause any issues and I was able to get up with nothing more than a bruised ego and rear, and an inflated airbag vest in need of a new cartridge.

With that fall behind me, I am grateful to have been wearing the vest and continue to use it for every ride, especially when jumping. Just like regularly wearing a ski helmet, wearing my vest doesn’t make me more risk intolerant, rather it provides a sense of comfort and confidence in the knowledge that, if I take a tumble, the airbag has my back – both literally and metaphorically.