Whether I’m schooling or competing, I always ride cross-country in a safety vest and Point Two air jacket, an inflatable vest that I wear over my regular safety vest. I know these vests can seem expensive but, in the long run, they’re well worth the investment—especially if it means saving on medical bills for a broken rib, collarbone or worse. The sport of eventing will always be inherently dangerous, but the safer we can make it—with protective measures like this—the better.
I also always jump cross-country with a neck strap, no matter how experienced the horse is that I’m riding. The great William Fox-Pitt doesn’t ever ride cross-country without one, so I feel like I’m in good company! You can grab it whenever you feel as if you’re losing balance,…
