Air vest, body protector or both?

The Chronicle of the Horse, in a 2019 report, says body protectors aim to reduce the impact energy reaching the torso's internal organs and the risk of sharp objects entering the body, and that manufacturers avoid calling them safe. It says air vests inflate on deployment and can extend coverage to areas a traditional vest misses, such as the collarbone, hips and tailbone, and an air vest maker quoted in the same piece says the two complement each other.

Makers are careful with their wording too. The listing for Ovation's kids' body protector on our site says a body protector offers a degree of protection from impacts by reducing the severity of the energy of a fall, and that it cannot offer complete protection from injury or death. We are reporting what is written there, and we are not adding a claim of our own.

The word vest also covers more than one thing. These are all in or near our safety vests category, and the labels on their listings tell them apart:

• Body protector. The Champion Ti22 listings say certified to EN 13158: 2018 Beta Level 3. The Ovation kids' listing says SEI-ASTM, CE level 3 and Beta level 3.
• Back protector. The TuffRider Flex Pro listing says it is tested and certified to EN 1621-2:2014, a different standard from the body protector labels above.
• High-visibility vest. The Horze reflective vest listing says it meets EN-471, a visibility standard, and the Shires vest listing describes reflective tape and bright color for low light. Neither describes impact protection.
• Air vest. Not covered by the standards named above. We come to that below.

The British Equestrian Trade Association's 2018 standard color codes the levels: Level 1 is green on black, Level 2 is orange on black and Level 3 is blue on black. We did not read the test criteria behind the levels, so we are not summarizing them here.

Rule books name the labels they accept, so the label has to match the rule you ride under. Pony Club (UK) requires a body protector meeting BETA 2018 Level 3, with the blue and black label, for cross-country and pony racing. US Pony Club announced in December 2024 that from Jan. 1, 2025 its vest policy accepts ASTM F1937-04 or EN 13158:2018 BETA Level 1, 2 or 3 for jumping cross-country or solid obstacles. US Equestrian's rule for eventing, as USEA summarized it in 2023, says the Federation recommends a body protecting vest pass or surpass ASTM F1937 or be certified by the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI). The Chronicle's 2019 report adds that ASTM F1937-04 is the standard recommended for sport horse vests, that a separate ASTM standard covers racing vests, which offer less protection but are lighter, and that there is not a huge difference between ASTM, EN and BETA.

There is no matching certification for air vests in the sources we read. The Chronicle in 2019 says ASTM has no standard for them and that SATRA's M38 standard applies to some. US Equestrian's February 2026 report says air vest standards are very limited and that a handful of manufacturers test to motorcycle air vest standards. So a label on an air vest is not the same kind of label as BETA or ASTM F1937 on a body protector.

USEA's September 2023 summary of rule EV9.2 says a body protecting vest must be worn during the warm-up for and in the cross-country phase, and that inflatable vests are permitted when worn in addition to a body protecting vest during cross-country. It also says inflatable vests are permitted without a body protecting vest in the dressage and show jumping phases, and that a violation may be penalized at the Ground Jury's discretion and may result in elimination.

Pony Club (UK)'s 2024 rule is stricter about the pairing. A body protector is compulsory for cross-country, including arena eventing, and pony racing, in training or competition. If a rider chooses to wear an air jacket for cross-country or pony racing, it must be used in addition to a normal body protector that meets BETA 2018 Level 3. After a fall, the air jacket must be fully deflated or removed before the rider continues, and the conventional body protector must stay on. Air jackets must not be worn under a jacket, and number bibs go over the air jacket loosely or with elasticized fastenings. For general use, Pony Club (UK) says the choice of body protector rests with members and their parents.

The FEI, according to the Chronicle's 2019 report, requires body protectors for schooling and competing cross-country without specifying a certification. US Pony Club's December 2024 announcement describes the vest certifications it accepts and does not mention air vests, so we cannot tell you its position from that source.

A caution about what we read. We have USEA's 2023 summary of the eventing rule, not the current rulebook. US Equestrian's February 2026 report says ASTM-certified body protectors have been mandatory in eventing cross-country since 2006, while USEA's 2023 summary says the Federation recommends the standard. Those two sources word it differently, so read the current rulebook for your discipline before you buy. For coats over vests, see our Barn Talk page on riding in your normal winter coat.

In January 2025 the Chronicle of the Horse reported that Mark Hart, chair of the FEI Medical Committee, described the existing studies as limited and sometimes contradictory, with no true testing standards for vests, and said manufacturers are making claims without evidence to back them up. US Equestrian's USEF Insider, in February 2026, quotes Hart saying there is very little current scientific data on the actual effectiveness of air vests, and says some manufacturer marketing claims are scientifically unsubstantiated. The same article says there is no clear evidence that vests substantially reduce the risk of severe chest or spinal injury, and that how fall angle, vest type and impact affect protection is not well researched.

Earlier studies point in different directions. The Chronicle's 2019 report describes a 2018 study of 718 US Pony Club accident reports that found no injury reduction on the flat or in show jumping, and found cross-country body protector use associated with a 56 percent reduction in relative risk, while noting that earlier studies did not separate fall types. It describes a 2016 crash test in which an air jacket reduced the probability of serious chest injury from 94 to 81 percent, and a 2019 Australian study in which air vest wearers were overrepresented in serious or fatal injuries, with no evidence of better outcomes. That study's authors suggested several possible explanations, among them confounding by competition level and phase, the force needed to deploy the vest and possible interference with tucking and rolling, and said the data could not isolate them.

Riders have practical questions too. In the USEF survey, which drew 6,097 responses from active US Equestrian members, respondents raised concerns that fit could limit range of motion and the ability to tuck and roll, and that an air vest deployment could spook a horse. The survey is a snapshot of those members' reported use, not of all riders.

The FEI Equestrian Safety Vest Working Group was formed in June 2025. USEF describes it as led by an International Scientific Panel under the FEI Medical Committee, with a National Federation Advisory Panel and athlete and manufacturer focus groups, and says it will review foam body protectors and air vests and recommend new testing standards. The USEF article gives no timeline. We are not drawing a conclusion from any of these studies, and the research is still under way.

Pony Club (UK)'s rule says body protectors must fit correctly, be comfortable and must not restrict movement, and recommends that a rider's body protector weigh no more than 2 percent of body weight. It adds that BETA recommends replacing body protectors at least every three to five years, after which the impact absorption of the foam may have started to decline.

Ovation's listing says that for maximum performance the body protector must fit snugly, be free from rips or tears and remain securely in position when adjusted for proper fit. For growing riders, the Champion Ti22 listings describe a kids' body protector designed and sized primarily for children and some teens, and a youth slim version for children, youth and small adults who may not fit standard child or adult sizing. The listings carry size charts, so measure before you choose. Our Champion brand page has the full range.

Air vests bring their own care questions, which makers answer in their own instructions. The rule we read, Pony Club (UK)'s, says an air jacket must be fully deflated or removed after a fall before continuing, which is one reason to read the maker's instructions as well as the rule book.

That is from Pony Club (UK)'s 2024 body protector rule, which applies to its cross-country and pony racing activities. We did not find a rule on wearing a regular jacket over a foam body protector, so for that, ask your organization or show.

If you ride in winter and want to know how a normal coat fits around layers, our Barn Talk page on riding in your normal winter coat goes through coat length, vents and reach. Check the vest rule for your discipline first.