To body protect or not to body protect

As I have already mentioned, apart from L, we are not a very animal-centric family. I had a budgie once as a child, but finding it stone dead and stiff on its perch one day rather put me off any further attempts at pet ownership.

I love most sports though, and for a while was a great follower of horse racing. For several seasons on the trot (sorry) my young son G and I would watch the national hunt racing season with great interest. From our armchair vantage points we began to know the horses, the trainers, the form, we could even spot the colours of the silks and we had a pet horse (not literally) which we followed avidly as he competed all over the country. The Last Fling tragically fell and died in the 2002 Grand National, where he had been leading for a long time in the race.

L was four when this happened. She didn't really know much about it, but she grew up loving horses (not necessarily horse sport) even though the rest of us were football, rugby, and athletics mad. She was a brave girl in a house full of non-equine-based sports fans.

When it finally came time for L to start having riding lessons, I was determined that she would be safe. Although I know you can rent riding hats from most stables, we wanted L to have properly fitted kit which was her own and would make her feel safe. By going to Dogwood London I was able to ensure her riding hat and riding boots were fitted correctly and of the highest quality. I was a happy mummy as L went for her first riding lesson in her brand new boots and hat.

It was apparent very quickly that she would progress at a fast pace and that she loved riding. Then out of the blue a colleague asked me what sort of body protector she was wearing. I hadn't really thought about it as she was only a beginner and they are expensive pieces of kit, but, having written about horse riding accidents on many occasions, and having listened to a number of horsey people say they felt all novice riders should wear one, I was sold on the idea pretty quickly. Yet, looking around at the riders having lessons, it was about a forty-sixty split on young riders with body protectors and those without. The last thing I wanted was for L to feel self-conscious, as if she was being forced to ride with stabilisers on her bike when all the other kids are firmly on two wheels, but as she was starting to canter in her lessons I felt sure a fall could be imminent.

So, we got one properly fitted at Dogwood, and L wore it to her next lesson. She seemed happy to wear it. It was a good lesson, but as she was asked to complete a particular movement her horse decided he was not going to comply and L had her first fall (only a little one – the horse stopped, but she carried on going) and I was mightily relieved that we had invested in the extra piece of safety equipment as she landed flat on her back, but was left with no serious damage or pain etc.
Okay, I'm not an expert and I know there are many people who don't wear body protectors because they feel they are ineffectual in a serious accident, but L said she felt more confident in hers and it made a difference to her posture as well. She has never been riding without it and, for me, this is a good thing.

So, we are body protector converts…but you still won't get me on a horse!