Why so many riders invest in an equestrian airbag?

The era when one had to tighten the stomach (and grit one's teeth!) to move with back protection equipment is over. From now on, it is possible to practice one's sport wearing a thin and highly elastic airbag, like the Horse Pilot – In&motion vest. Making itself forgotten from the first minutes, it allows a highly appreciable total freedom.

Its low bulk is made possible by the use of technical materials and the recognized experience of the Lille-based brand in innovative clothing. The rider's speed is moreover used to optimize interior ventilation during effort, thanks to Aerotech technology. In this way, the airbag is less warm than usual and does not lose comfort during summer.

Small details sometimes taking on crucial importance with frequency of use, it is useful to specify a notable element: a new attachment system, based on the principle of a magnet, allows the vest to be fastened and then detached extremely quickly. Enough to train to remove it in full dismounting movement for the most absent-minded?

It may happen that some riders fear seeing the function of their pelvis and back hindered by their protective equipment. This concern, however, no longer has reason to exist today. Beyond the aforementioned close-to-body positioning and fineness, the deployment unit has been specially designed to allow great ease of movement, particularly in the body's function at obstacles.

The system is the subject of two patent applications. Its originality lies in its horizontal presentation, made possible thanks to the distribution of gas within four small cartridges, as well as in its low thickness.

The protective cushion of the lower back is folded inside the lower part of the vest, avoiding unexpected encounters between it and the cantle of the saddle. Everything has been designed so that actions, balance and position are in no way modified by wearing the airbag.

Good news: the numerous aforementioned advances on recent vests do not reduce their reliability in terms of safety.

The vital organs being, with the exception of the brain, concentrated inside the rib cage and abdominal cavity, the Horse Pilot – In&motion airbag inflates with two air-filled cushions on the front in order to protect these parts in the rider. The spine, whose protection is equally paramount, is secured thanks to an air chamber acting as a mattress at the back of the vest.

The lower back is spared by the deployment of two tubes concealed in the lower part of the jacket, while the cervical vertebrae are preserved thanks to a finely studied ratio between support and freedom of movement.

For the equipment to ensure maximum safety for its wearer, the designers carried out numerous tests and crash tests before its market launch. For example, they positioned pressure sensors in the airbag, then placed it in a sort of vertical catapult (called a drop shaft) to verify its good shock energy absorption capabilities.

They also conducted aging tests to ensure the functioning of the trigger and gas cartridge under all conditions, including several inflation/deflation cycles. The selection of materials most suited to the final use of the product was induced by tests on a wide range of textiles and plastics.