Point Two Hybrid
At Equitana Sydney 2011 Southern Stars Saddlery launched the first CE-approved combination body protector and air jacket from Point Two and Racesafe, offering record levels of protection to riders. Launched in July in the UK, the Point Two PS-RS Hybrid jacket has been developed over the last 18 months by industry leaders Lee Middleton from Point Two UK and Tim How from Racesafe, together with safety experts and leading riders such as eventer Oliver Townend and top British jockey Ruby Walsh. In Australia top riders such as Heath Ryan, Sonja Johnson and Hamish Cargill are among the international riders that are now competing in the P2-RS Hybrid.
Oliver Townend wears Point Two vests
Oliver Townend has been competing in the Hybrid all season, including using it for his Badminton cross country rounds. He said: “The P2-RS is comfortable and much more convenient than using an air jacket and body protector separately. I feel safe in a Point Two.” The Point Two P2-RS carries the European Standard EN 13158:2009 Level 3, offering top spec levels of protection to the rider whether inflated or not, meaning riders can now choose the option of wearing a single jacket. The jacket is approved for FEI competition and eliminates the need for the rider to wear both a standard foam body protector with a Point Two air vest on top. This new garment is a combination of the Hows Racesafe RS2010 EN 13158:2009 Level 3 body protector with CE-approved Point Two airbag protection. It inflates at speeds of up to 0.093 of a second, and is almost 20% lighter than using a separate Racesafe body protector and Point Two ProAir jacket together. The Point Two P2-RS works in exactly the same way as the Point Two ProAir. A lanyard attached to the jacket is clipped onto the horse’s saddle. Once the rider leaves the saddle during a fall, the lanyard detaches itself from the Point Two Hybrid, triggering the release of CO2 gas from a canister.
Point Two inflated
In 0.093 of a second, the air bag inflates on the outside of the body protector, offering almost instantaneous, enhanced protection to all the major thoracic and upper abdominal organs, the spine and the collar of the neck. The Point Two P2-RS has passed the European Standard EN 13158:2009 Level 3 both when uninflated and inflated. In addition, rigorous checks were made on the inflated Hybrid body protector to ensure it did not impede riders should they need to roll away from danger when on the ground. Sizes are the same as Racesafe body protectors, but Point Two recommends riders have the P2-RS fitted by an expert. A Southern Stars Sales Agent in Australia can correctly fit the vest and run a test inflation of the jacket so the rider can experience what it feels like. Notes: • Tests have shown that the airbag system can help prevent impact damage to the foam’s cell structure, by cushioning the blow in a fall. This will increase the service life of foam body protectors, when used in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions. • The Point Two Hybrid is fully reusable, and requires servicing annually or after every six falls. • The Lanyard is attached to the saddle via a stirrup bar strap and is designed to release and separate from the jacket at 35kg of pressure. The lanyard is designed in such a way to be almost impossible for an accidental inflation to occur, and will only trigger the inflation system in the event of fall. • In the event of a fall, the Point Two Hybrid will inflate within 0.093 of a second, hold a rider tight for 10sec and then slowly deflate. During that time the rider will have full movement of their arms and legs. If you want to know more or take a test run contact Southern Stars Saddlery, the exclusive Australian distributor for Point Two www.southernstarssaddlery.com
