Boots. Riders should always wear boots with a heel. The heel helps prevent your foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. If your foot slides through as you begin to fall off, you could be dragged a long way. Stirrups with rubber bands as the outside portion are also available in which the band snaps off and frees the foot in case of a fall.
Gloves. Gloves are a sensible piece of safety equipment. If your horse gets strong, gloves allow a better grip on the reins.
Body Protectors. Event riders are required to wear body-protectors for the cross-country jumping phase. These are made of strong but lightweight foam panels sewn inside nylon cloth. Although not designed to prevent all possible upper body injuries, they lessen the impact of a fall to the ground or onto a jump. Most models can be fitted with shoulder pads as well. Many riders put theirs on whenever they jump, whether it is schooling over stadium jumps in the ring or galloping over the stone walls in the field.
