Horse Illustrated Magazine

I spent last weekend snooping around the American Equestrian Trade Association show in King of Prussia, Penn. It was great looking at all the new equestrian products on offer. One new item stands out in my mind, the Point Two Air Jacket. This is a vest that you put on over your body protector before you gallop off to jump cross-country fences. If you’re separated from your saddle during a fall, the vest inflates with a loud to help protect to your neck, spine and coccyx and ribcage.

The vest clips to your saddle with a lanyard and if you become separated from the saddle, the lanyard will pull the pin out of a CO2 canister and the jacket will inflate in 0.1 seconds.

The Point Two Air Jacket is already being used by top eventers in Europe and I suspect you’ll see the “big names” wearing them at the Kentucky Rolex Three Day Event in April.

I got to try the vest out and I have to admit—I was a bit nervous. Molly, the Point Two gal, strapped the vest on me over a body protector and fastened the straps. A crowd started to gather around, waiting for the vest to inflate. It was going to be a show!

“You’ll feel a little bit of compression,” Molly said as she pulled the cord. After a loud pop, the vest expanded—and boy was it tight. I could barely breathe. I felt a bit panicky!

After a few seconds the vest began to deflate slightly and I felt more comfortable. It was easy to see how this new safety vest would help to keep all your bits and pieces in place during a nasty fall–I could barely move.

The Point Two Air Jacket is being distributed in the United States and you can buy one for around $699. Watch a video about the jacket:

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