Horse Vest

The Airbag for Horses?

You know, I have a certain sympathy for this fellow...

Spectators gasped and expected the worst when the horse ridden by Karim Florent Laghouag somersaulted over a fence and fell on top of him at a prestigious equestrian competition last September in France.

Laghouag had taken a so-called rotational fall, a dreaded spill in the Olympic sport of eventing. At least 13 riders in the past four years were killed and several others were seriously injured in such tumbles.

No problem, though. He had an airbag -- an inflatable vest that is apparently the newest sort of "armor" for horseback riding.

“It’s certainly the biggest step forward in the safety of our sport, ever,” said Oliver Townend, a British rider who was wearing a vest in April when his horse tumbled on top of him at the Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington. Townend broke his sternum, four ribs, his collarbone and the tips of his shoulder bones — but he says he still believes in the vest.

“I walked out of hospital the next day, where otherwise I would be in a box or in America for a month,” Townend said in a recent phone interview.

I think people who don't ride horses may not appreciate just how dangerous it really is. Speaking of which, what do you folks think of this little filly?



Her name is Avalon; we're thinking of buying her for eventual use as a brood mare. She's a purebred Friesian, and her sire is the most extraordinary example of the breed I've ever seen.