“Sharing knowledge will improve garment design and performance.”
The effectiveness of equestrian safety vests – body protectors and airvests – is being scrutinised by a new international working group.
Comprising medics, biomechanics specialists and global sporting bodies, the group was set up by the FEI to improve rider safety via scientific research and product innovation.
Manufacturers, riders and standards organisations - plus other sports such as horseracing and motocross - are to be consulted during the project.
The FEI says there’s “growing concern about the lack of independent data to support safety vests’ effectiveness in reducing athlete [rider] injuries.”
The working group will examine what’s known around thoracic and spinal injuries in equestrian sport; how and when these injuries occur, and whether safety vests help reduce their severity.
“While there is growing support for the use of body protectors and air vests in both sport and recreational riding, there is still minimal data to fully understand their effectiveness,” said Mark Hart, working group chair.
“We lack critical data on how and what specific injuries occur during falls and how protective equipment performs under real-world conditions.
“Athletes and others in the community are asking important, constructive questions relating to how air vests perform in real-world settings, how they affect the athlete’s movement, and whether their use might influence the horse’s behaviour.”
BETA has a say
Claire Williams from the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) was nominated by British Equestrian to join the working party.
“Whilst we have a pool of anecdotal data of the role body protection in all its forms plays in reducing the severity of injuries, there is surprisingly little formal research conducted in this area,” said Claire.
“The FEI work on this will not only help to identify gaps in data and attempt to fill them, but also facilitate the input of manufacturers to that knowledge pool. Through sharing knowledge, we will be able to improve performance and design of garments in the future.”
The working group is expected to propose modifications or new testing protocols to promote safer vest design.
Claire Williams has been asked to convene a separate working party comprising manufacturers of both air vests and body protectors to consider suggestions made by the Scientific and National Federation Committees.
Manufacturers are also being asked to share research that they have undertaken into the performance and efficacy of these garments.
Interested manufacturers should email claire@beta-uk.org to express their interest in participating in the working party and to discuss information that they may have available to share.
Separately from the FEI working group, work on an equestrian airvest standard is understood to be in the final draft stages. Currently, motorcycle standards are sometimes quoted in marketing for riders’ airvests.
