Luigi vd Bisschop was jumping well in the $137,000 CSI3* Grand Prix at the Desert Circuit—so well, in fact, that Matt Archer’s air vest reacted.
When the gelding gave a particularly hard jump over an oxer, Archer caught some air, and his vest deployed. The veteran rider didn’t let it stop him. He completed the round and managed to finish the technical track with just a single rail, ultimately securing 10th honors.
Air vests feature a lanyard that attaches to the saddle, and when the rider separates from the horse, the lanyard triggers an activation device. The device punctures an air canister, inflating the vest. In this case, the separation between horse and rider over the fence was great enough to deploy Archer’s vest, despite him not taking a fall from his horse.
Watch it in action:
And in slow-mo…
Read all of The Plaid Horse‘s coverage on air vests:
Body Protectors, Air Vests & Other Safety Gear: What You Need to Know
Normalizing Rider Safety, One Vest at a Time
