Protective riding vests

I did it ! I rode my sassy 6 year old , asked for a canter and was thrown like mashed potatoes from a plastic spoon..... splat.. We used to do that when we were kids , food fight , my mothers masked potatoes were the best ! Lol
4 broken ribs and a broken collar bone. Recovering nicely , thanks to my girl friend walkamile and her great suppers she has been bringing over. Sure has made it easy, I am on day 4 and already feeling better.
My question is,, what is a good protective riding vest as I know that is what I am going to want to wear next time in the saddle. I have another horse that will be the one I ride until Miss Ruby comes to an understanding that it is not polite to BUCK!

The tipperary ones are great! My best friend is not allowed on a horse without having hers on... her mom was in an accident a few years ago and she makes her kids wear them now whenever they ride. I've tried hers on before, and it is really comfy too! I highly suggest the tipperary vests.

There are two good threads going on about vests. One is on the jumping forum and the other is on page two of this forum. By the way...ouch.

I have a Tipp, and it's comfy alright, but not certified and it really won't help ya out to much. I am going to invest in a Rohdney Powell very soon, because my mom broke her spine in a riding accident and can't jump now, and I don't want that to happen to me.

Stay away from Tipperary's. They are not worth what their price tags are, and they are neither certified, nor approved through ASTM and BETA. Stay away from them, I wouldn't touch a Tipperary even if I were paid to use one. Forget it.

When looking for a Protective Riding Vest - make sure that the vest has the patches sewn directly onto the vest, stating ASTM Certified and BETA Level 3 *minimal* that way, you know that that line of vest has been tested, tried and proved to do it's job - which is protect you.

Any vest that has those stamps of approvals on it, is worth the purchase.

MIEventer, what is your opinion on this one? It says it's ASTM certified, but not sure about BETA Level 3.

Flex Rider Vest- Womens (Equine - Horse Tack Supplies - Safety - Vests)

Does anyone know ANY store (except on-line) selling Rohdney Powell? I tried to find in my area to try and no success. Have a feeling now you can get one only in on-line store... :(

Walkamile - that is the same exact vest that I have and use. It is both ASTM Certfied and does meet BETA minimal standards of protection - which is level 3.

My vest has both patches sewn onto the vest itself - the ASTM certification and the BETA LEVEL 3 *level 3 is purple*

I love that vest, I know it is going to do its' job. At first I found it restricting, but the more I used it, the more comfortable it becomes and I soon forget that it is even on when I do use it for CC.

Excellent. I liked the price too ( ) since my wallet has taken a hit vet wise for T as of late.

Going to our local tack store tomorrow and see if they carry it or one similar with the same safety ratings. If not I'll order it.

Thanks!

I just got my Rodney Powell Elite Pro and LOVE IT. Super comfortable and I thought it was quite lightweight for a BETA/ASTM vest. I had to custom order as I'm quite tall but slim, so none of the off the shelf vests came close to fitting. Fits way better then my tipperary did.