Eventers have a reputation for being tough as nails, handy, and finding ingenious applications for duct tape. That last bit should not apply to your safety equipment — so we’re here to share some helpful information about when your safety gear should be replaced.
Helmets
Photo courtesy of Ride EquiSafe
Dents and divots are not a badge of honor — on your helmet or your head. If you’ve had a fall where your head has impacted the ground, your helmet needs to be replaced. Most helmet manufacturers offer an accident replacement program where you can buy a new helmet at a discounted rate depending on the age of your helmet.
If your helmet hasn’t had an impact with the ground, it generally needs to be replaced every 3-5 years. Whether it’s three, four, or five years depends on multiple factors, including: how often and long you ride, if your head is particularly sweaty, climate (heat and humidity grows icky stuff, which can degrade its important inner workings and also put you in contact with bacteria), and storage conditions.
Key things to check the condition of your helmet:
- Obvious scratches and dents in the shell.
- If your helmet has a brim, it shouldn’t be misshapen.
- Indents or cracks in the polystyrene (the inner shell).
- A crushed liner that no longer has padding.
You only have one head, so follow these guidelines to keep it looking and thinking like normal.
Body Protectors
Body protectors follow similar guidelines to helmets. We love the stalwart Tipperaries, except for when we see the 30-year-old ones that are hanging on by a thread and a rider proudly announcing that they’ve had it since they were 12 (they’re 56 now) or that they found it in a Middleburg second hand shop for five dollars.
So, replace your body protectors every 3-5 years depending on usage. Heat and moisture have a significant impact on foam, so if you’ve been unlucky enough to go swimming cross-country on too many occasions, you’re a prolific sweater, or enjoy riding in the rain, this will shorten the life of your body protector.
Things to check on your body protector for condition :
- Foam: Foam should be an even thickness without obvious dents or divots. It should still have a thick, dense feel to it. If your fingers can squeeze into the foam, it’s degraded. When you squeeze the foam, the little bit of give should bounce back quickly.
- It stinks: If it’s stinky, it’s a sign of bacteria which can degrade the foam.
- Condition of the laces or Velcro: The laces or Velcro should have as much grip as day one. If there is no elasticity left in your laces, the grommets are missing or the Velcro doesn’t stick any more, the equipment is unlikely to stay in place the way that it needs to fully protect you.
Air Vests
Photo courtesy of Ride EquiSafe
You’re going to sense a theme here – air vests should be replaced every 3-5 years. Notwithstanding the fact that we’re starting to see more rapid innovation, but because air vests are mechanical and it’s imperative that all components are regularly checked to be in good working order. All air vests offer a warranty and also have servicing guidelines. Like the Tipperaries, we often see Point Two and Hit Air vests that look like they have been through battle (isn’t that what a cross country course is anyways?) and when we ask when they were last serviced, we get a blank stare.
There are six main components to an air vest that need to be regularly self inspected or checked by the manufacturer:
- Textile: This is the outer shell that houses the air bladders. Inspect these to make sure that there are no rips or snags. You can also do the stink test.
- Air chambers: The majority of air vest manufacturers don’t want you touching the air bladders themselves at risk of changing how they lie within the vest. But you can still test the condition by intentionally deploying the vest to make sure that the vest fully inflates and stores air for the appropriate amount of time. Yes, we know people loathe blowing a perfectly good canister, but it’s not without good reason .
- Trigger: Your trigger is mechanical and is responsible for setting in motion the inflation of your vest. You want to make sure that none of the parts are rusted or corroded. Your trigger should be kept clean and dry. If you take a dunk in the water or get caught in a monsoon, make sure to dry off the trigger afterwards. As with the air chambers, the best way to check the trigger is functional is by doing a test inflation.
- Lanyard and Key Ball: Your lanyard is a bungee. If it no longer has stretch left or is stretched out, it needs to be replaced. If your key ball is misshapen or gunky, it should be replaced. The way that the key ball sits in the trigger directly impacts if the trigger will fire correctly. You want it to fire when it should and you don’t want it to when you don’t (seems obvious, right?).
- Saddle Strap: For the love of Pete, DO NOT hook your lanyard to a D-ring. The worst thing in the world is to be flying through the air, waiting for your vest to deploy and out snaps your D-ring. Always use a saddle strap installed on your stirrup bars and make sure that the loop that you are clipping onto is centered. Ensure that the nylon isn’t torn or frayed. ZIP TIES ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE REPLACEMENT FOR YOUR SADDLE STRAP. (Sorry, didn’t mean to yell there.)
- Gas Canister: Your gas canisters should be stored in ambient temperatures. This means they shouldn’t be kept in your car or horse trailer (yes, I’m talking to you). If they are stored in extreme temps for a prolonged period of time, you risk the gas losing mass. Most gas canisters have a weight printed on them, so at a minimum it’s recommended to check the weight on a kitchen scale at least annually.
If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid falling all year, I recommend deploying your vest just to ensure it’s still functioning properly.
Stirrups
I’d love to think that everyone is using safety stirrups, but I know that’s not the case. Gone are the days of rubber banded peacock stirrups being your only option. Have you seen videos of riders getting dragged? It’s terrifying and would send anyone running to the tack store to buy stirrups with a release mechanism.
Regardless of what kind of stirrups you have, here are a couple of things to check:
- Footbed: The footbed is what gives you grip. Whether it’s metal, rubber or polymer, make sure that there is still sufficient tread left.
- Material: If your stirrups are metal, just make sure there’s no rust or corrosion. If it’s composite or non-metal, check for cracks. If you have composite stirrups, I actually recommend replacing every 3-5 years, just like your helmet and body protector. Look for any changes in shape, as this can mean that the material is compromised. If you have a safety mechanism, make sure that the components such as joints or flexible branches are in good working order.
Safety equipment is there to do just that – keep you safe, and the only way it can effectively do that is to make sure it’s stored properly, used properly, inspected properly and maintained properly. Duct tape and zip ties are not substitutes for good, working equipment, so put your old stuff in a shadowbox and invest the appropriate time and money into your safety.
Remember – functioning safety equipment is cheaper than an ambulance ride!
View this post on Instagram
This article was sponsored by Ride EquiSafe — your source for all things related to equestrian safety. Ride EquiSafe provides expert demos, fittings, and guidance for the most important part of the ride: your safety. To shop air vests, body protectors, safety stirrups, and more, head to their website.
