Eventing Safety Forum January 1 9 th 2 0 0 8 Breakable Fence Pole - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Eventing Safety Forum January 1 9 th 2 0 0 8 Breakable Fence Pole

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

I ntroduction

The Dutch delegation here to inform you about the breakable fence pole:

• Jacob Melissen
• Piet den Hartog
• Jessica Venhorst

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

How it all started

Boekelo 3 day Event in 1997

• 2 horses died in the cross country
• Impact on public opinion of the Eventingsport
• Dutch government considered banning the Eventingsport

altogether Something had to be done!

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Dutch Federation

Main goal is to improve safety in the Eventingsport for horse and rider without losing the characteristics and ‘spirit’ of the Eventingsport! Also important is improving public opinion of the Eventingsport

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Safety com m ittee

The Dutch NF installed a Committee to investigate:

• What caused accidents such as seen in Boekelo

– The committee analysed the accidents

• How to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future

– The committee looked at alternative fences – The committee advised the Dutch NF in general on the rules and regulations for the Eventing sport

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Alternative Fences

One of the questions that triggered the committee into investigating alternative fences was: “How is it possible for people to survive a car crashing into a tree at 100 km/ hr while a horse hitting a tree in a fence at 45 km/ hr breaks it’s neck?” The answer to this question is the safety zone built into modern cars.

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Breakable Fence Pole

As it is not possible to install a ‘safety zone’ to absorb the energy of a crash in a horse the solution has to be sought in the design of the fences. The characteristics we want in a fence are: – Shock absorbency – The ability to break if needed, creating an escape for horse and rider – Ability to break at different angles, horizontal and vertical

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Several prototypes

Several prototypes were tested before the current breakable fence pole was developed: – Polyurethane pole with a wooden centre – Polyurethane pole with a cardboard centre, the cardboard centre pole was again filled with polyurethane – Polyurethane pole with a hollow cardboard centre All of these prototypes had a coating which resembled tree bark.

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Choosing the current design

Problems with these prototypes: 1. This polyurethane layer breaks and chips off easily leaving the pole useless 2. The wooden centre can cause splinters when it breaks which can harm horse or rider 3. The production of this type of pole was too costly 4. There was no fixed breaking point A solution to these problems was found in the current design, a cardboard pole.

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Design of the breakable fence pole

The current breakable fence pole is a cardboard structure with a special coating. – Produced under ISO standards to ensure a fixed breaking point (the same for every diameter and length of pole) – Lightweight, which makes it easy to handle – Durable – Affordable

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Testing the breakable fence pole

• All models were tested using a ‘dummy’ horse
• A preceding model of the breakable fence pole (with

polyurethane coating) was tested at the Boekelo 1999 Event, unfortunately further testing at international events was not possible as the safety pin had been accepted by the FEI and this has been the standard internationally ever since.

• In the Netherlands the previous models have been tested at

national events.

• Since 2001 the Dutch rules for Eventing state that at national

competitions it is obliged to use the breakable fence pole (the current design) in course design

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Use of the breakable fence pole

• Since 2001 the current breakable fence pole has been used at

all national Events in the Netherlands

• Each national Event has several levels, for the novice to the

more experienced rider, the pole makes it easy to change the height of the obstacle because of the light weight

• On average there are 5000 starts every year

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

W hat m akes the Breakable fence pole safe?

By absorbing a lot of energy from the impact the force of the impact is reduced A fixed breaking point creates an escape for horse and rider preventing heavy collisions and possible rotational falls Every year about 4 poles break during national events. Course designers, judges, technical delegates, riders and spectators all have stated that serious accidents were prevented in these cases. Horses show the same respect for a breakable pole as for a regular wooden pole, the difference is not noticeable from the

• utside.

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Financing the breakable fence pole

Since 2001 every rider at national events contributed to the research, development and production of the breakable fence pole. Every rider contributes €2,50 per start This way riders contribute in making the sport safer

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Conclusion

Through years of testing and regular use of the breakable fence pole we are convinced that it contributes to make the Eventingsport safer. We hope you all see the potential of the breakable fence pole and are equally enthusiastic about this idea.

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Questions ?

Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie

Thank you for your attention, w e w ish everyone a safe Eventing season!