Hit Air
What is a Hit Air Vest?
Designed to help protect riders from injury by inflating an air cushioning around the torso in the event of a fall from your horse, Hit Air Vests were originally developed for motorbikes. The Hit Air Vest is designed to act as a shock buffer and stabilising system offering added protection to the neck, spine, collar bone, lower back, rib cage and vital organs.
Air Jackets made their way into the equestrian market in the last couple of decades as a safety device for many types of riding including hacking or as a 'top up' in safety to body protectors in eventing and cross country.
The Hit Air Equestrian Air Vest is designed to inflate outwards. This means that the vest can be fitted closer to the body and is less likely to move when deployed. It will not 'wind' the rider and inwards inflating design fitted too tightly.
The cushioning of the air in the vest can help reduce injuries when contacting the ground or a fence by acting as a shock absorber. The Hit Air vest is designed to rise up and help stabilise the neck somewhat without interfering with the riding helmet to help reduce whiplash and whiplash-type injuries.
Fitting A Hit Air Vest
We would always recommend that you try an Air Vest on in person and have a professional look over the fitting.
Using a soft tape measure the widest part of the chest under the arms and your waist. Check out the size chart below.
The sizing of the Air Vest is broad to allow many body types to fit into a single size and the sizes overlap by a fair way. You may fit into two sizes and it is up to you to decide which is the best for what you intend to wear under the vest such as a body protector or a winter coat.
You are looking to ensure that the Air Vest fits comfortably, as the Vest inflates outwards you do not need to leave the space as you would if the Vest inflated inwards. It should be a snug yet comfortable fit to ensure that when the vest is deployed the air cushioning is where it is intended.
The Hit Air Vest can be altered at the waist with touch close straps inside the vest to allow a neater and looser fit. The chest cannot be altered on the Vest itself.
If you are planning on wearing a body protector under your Hit Air Vest, it would be useful to bring it to your fitting or measure over the top of your body protector to ensure enough room.
Hit Air do make extending straps these can be purchased to allow you to select the best fit for you without a body protector then increase the circumference at the chest and waist to allow for a body protector.
Hit Air Equestrian Vest MLV3 Size Charts in cm and inches
Sizing Information:
To determine the right size for you, please measure your chest circumference and waist-shoulder length and refer to the table.
The waist-to-shoulder measurement is taken vertically 5cm above the top of the iliac crests to the top of the shoulders. The chest measurement is taken horizontally with soft tape around the body at the point of the breasts.
| HIT AIR VEST | CHEST | WAIST - SHOULDER | BODYWEIGHT | CANISTER |
| X/SMALL | 70cm | 28cm | Over 30Kg | 50cc |
| SMALL | 80cm | 32cm | 50cc | |
| MEDIUM | 85cm | 34cm | 60cc | |
| LARGE | 90cm | 36cm | 60cc |
Hit Air VH Advantage Air Vest
Lightweight and versatile this air vest is designed for hacking, show jumping and schooling.
| HIT AIT VH ADVANTAGE AIR VEST | |||
| SIZE | SMALL | MEDIUM | LARGE |
| CHEST | 80cm | 85cm | 90cm |
| WAIST TO SHOULDER | 32cm | 34cm | 36cm |
| HEIGHT | 150 - 165cm | 160 - 175cm | 165 - 180cm |
| WAIST | 66 - 74cm | 72 - 80cm | 78 - 86cm |
| CANISTER | 50cc | 50cc | 60cc |
- Recommended max length of the bungee lanyard: 39cm
MLV2
How does a Hit Air Vest Work?
The Air Vest is designed with tubing inside a outer shell that fills with air when the trigger mechanism is initiated piercing a pressurised canister.
The trigger mechanism on the vest is in two parts, the keybox (casing) and the keyball, the Keybox is integrated into the vest while the keyball is attached to the layard which attaches to the saddle, when the rider leaves the saddle, the weight on the rider pulls the keyball out of the keybox and the spring inside the trigger is activated pushing a spike (needle) into the canister to open it. This happens very fast in less than a second, 0.25 seconds on average.
Saddle Strap Fitting
The saddle strap for the Hit Air Vest or grab handle as it is sometimes called acts as a base to attach the lanyard to. The saddle strap should be hooked over the bars of the saddle (stirrup bars) on each side of the saddle then the stirrup leathers put back into place.
The saddle strap should not be attached to the D-Rings of the saddle as these may not be strong enough if they break then the Air Vest may not activate.
Riders using multiple saddles with their Hit Air Vest will usually have saddle straps on each of the saddles rather than swapping to saddle straps onto each saddle. Some riders especially those that are riding multiple rounds of cross country will have the saddle strap and lanyard attached so they can mount and clip in their Air Jacket.
How Long Should My Lanyard Be?
Generally speaking, you should be able to stand up in the saddle with the lanyard attached to the saddle without the lanyard pulling the keyball out or being slack.
When setting the saddle strap and lanyard up it is important to realise that the length will have an effect on the Hit Air Vest and when it deploys.If you set it too tightly then any movement that is out of the range of your saddle with decent force can activate the trigger, so there should be a reasonable amount of play on the lanyard to ensure it does not deploy by accident, you should to able to achieve any position that you would find in your usual style without the lanyard being under stress, if you are using the Hit Air Vest for cross country the consider your position when taking a drop especially if you are doing quite a big drop fence as riders all have different levels to which they will lean.
The counter point is that you do not want your lanyard too long as the Vest may not have time to deploy fully before you complete your fall.
It is best to try the positions on your saddle with the saddle straps attached, on a saddle horse if available so that you can judge the length and make alterations before getting on your horse. Then when you climb on board you can alter the lanyard again if you need to.
How do I change an Air Cannister?
Unzip the pocket on your Vest that houses the Keybox inside you will find all the information about your Air Vest.
The Key information:
Model: MLV-CM
MLV-CM - this is the model identification on the example Vest. Hit Air make a number of different models of Air Vest.
CO2 Gas Cartridge size: 60cc
On this example the Cartridge size is 60cc. There are 3 sizes of gas canister available 48cc, 50cc and 60cc.
Key Box Type: B-Type.
There are two main Key Boxes B-type and Y-type.
You will need:
An unused canister, the setting bolt and hexagon wrench (Allen Key), the key ball and your user manual (for reference).
1. Insert the setting bolt into the bottom of the trigger mechanism. Screw the setting bolt using the hexagon wrench. You will see the key box coming down as the spring compresses so that the hole where the key ball is placed is fully accessible. It should sit in the centre of the box.
2. Put the key ball and metal ring into the hole. If it is blocked then tighten or loosen the setting bolt until you can press the keyball inside.
3. Lower the red guard, if the red guard lowers fully then the keyball is inserted correctly. If the red guard is blocked by the ring tighten or loosen the setting bolt or press down on the edge of the ring around the keyball.
It is important that the keyball is secure and correctly fitted for the operation of your Air Vest. Be aware that if the keyball isn't in correctly then while you are finishing off inserting your new canister it can slip out and set the vest off.
4. Unscrew the setting bolt and store safely.
5. Lift up the red guard. The Red Guard acts as a lock. If you do not lift the red guard and activate the Air Jacket with the guard down it can cause damage to the vest and a malfunction.
6. Unscrew the used gas canister. (Don't worry if you unscrewed it earlier, it is recommended that you leave the used canister in while you are resetting in case the key ball slips out, it ensures that the needle is secure and can only pierce an empty canister)
7. Check the needle inside the vest is not damaged or bent.
8. Remove all air from the vest by pressing down on each of the cushions with your hands. Do not fold or roll up in an attempt to speed up the process as this may damage the Hit Air Vest. The vest must be completely free from the air before you continue to reassemble it.
9. Re-pack all the air cushions and fasten all the buttons and velcro.
10. Screw in a new canister. The White paint on the screw end is to help guide you. The White must be fully covered by the housing to ensure that it is deep enough. Take your time with this - a miss-thread and can take a lot of fiddling to resolve.
11. Take the connector out through the hole of the key box cover and zip the pocket back up.
How often should I service my Hit Air Vest?
It is recommended that the Air Vest should be serviced every year or after a heavy fall to ensure that all parts are fully operational.
The tubing inside the air vest can become stretched with multiple deployments, this increases the area that needs to be pressurised and can alter the performance negatively.
To arrange a service for your Hit Air Vest call Hit Air 0845 894 2868. The vest will need to be sent (without a canister) to
Hit-air Servicing, Tweseldown Racecourse, Bourley road, Church Crookham, Fleet, Hants, GU52 8AD.
Do I have to wear a body protector with a Hit Air Vest?
If you are competing in the cross country stage of eventing or involved with any disciple that involves cross country elements then yes you must wear a up to to standard body protector under your air vest, this will be in the rules of the competition or in the rules of the venue if schooling. The Air Vest is additional protection and can reduce injuries however it does not cover the whole of the torso which it has been necessary to ensure you are as safe as possible.
If a class you have enter states that you must wear a body protector or back protector then the air vest would be worn on top as additional safety.
If you are out hacking or competing in any other discipline than one with a cross country element then a body protector is recommended however it is not deemed essential.
Why is there a weight limit on the children's air vest?
In order for the Hit Air Vest to work the Keyball must be pulled free of the Keybox, to do this force must be applied. The child must weigh enough that when they fall their weight is enough to pull the keyball free.
The Junior version of the Hit Air Vest is only suitable for children over 25Kg.
Children who weigh 35kg (5 st 7.16lbs) or more can choose the small adult vest.
Here at Houghton Country our staff are trained to fit Hit Air Vest's.
If you have any queries please call out office team on 01661 853110 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
