Frangibles: the future of the life-saving devices
Frangible devices have had a huge impact on horse and rider safety — and new ideas are under development
RIDER education, training of the horse, protective equipment, minimum entry requirements and course design all influence the safety of eventing, but what is being done to make cross-country fences safer?
Frangible pins and MIM clips have had a significant impact in reducing the severity of falls since they were first introduced in the early 2000s.
The original forward-facing frangible pin, developed in 2002, was tested at 13 British Eventing (BE) and 14 international horse trials that year, including Badminton and Burghley.
Four years later the pins became mandatory at BE competitions on all “eligible fences”. Their use was also growing at international events.
In 2011 testing of the reverse pin was completed and four years later the MIM clip passed BE’s frangible standard.
Currently the frangible pin and the MIM clip are the only FEIapproved safety devices — but more are in development.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
FRANGIBLE pins sit under a fence’s top rail, attached to the upright post.
The pins are designed to cause this rail to drop by at least 20cm if the fence is hit to prevent the horse from rotating over the jump.
The front-facing pin is more effective with vertical forces while the rear-facing pin and
MIM clip are more likely to break under horizontal pressure.
The different devices lend themselves to use with certain types of jump.
The front pin is “very useful” where the ground is lower on the landing side, according to David O’Connor, who chairs the FEI’s eventing risk management steering group, while the reverse pin works well on fences such as open rail corners.
Mr O’Connor said the MIM clip is useful for the same applications as reverse pins as well as with gates and vertical fences.
But there are cases of frangible devices not breaking as expected, as no two falls are the same.
“There have been situations where you think it should have broken but didn’t,” Mr O’Connor said. “But every action is different and horses are not mechanical.”
Course-designer Mark Phillips echoed Mr O’Connor’s point.
“You get different horizontal and vertical pressures for different falls,” he told H&H. “That’s why there is no one answer [to which device is best to use].
“It can’t be more dangerous than if there wasn’t a frangible, but they’re not guaranteed to break. It depends on what the device was designed for and the pressure of the particular fall.”
NEW TECHNOLOGY
NEW developments are emerging, offering safety solutions for a wider variety of fences.
David O’Connor and coursedesigner Mike Etherington-Smith have been developing a concept for the front of table and spread fences featuring sections that retract if they are hit.
The top 30cm of the fence is divided into 15cm wide sections. These “bricks” are on a 45-degree slope and will deform if they are struck from the front.
A prototype of the fence was showcased at the FEI eventing risk management summit at Tattersalls, Ireland, in February.
“One of the problems we’re trying to tackle is solid spread fences, is there a way that we can make the front deformable?” Mr Etherington-Smith said. “We believe we’ve found a way. It needs to be tested and would necessitate some change but we think the theory could work.”
Mr O’Connor has been trialling the fence at his base in the States.
“I’m playing around with it,” he said. “It’s too early for it to be used in competitions but we’ve got some people looking at it from an engineering point of view.”
A device using magnets was also showcased at Tattersalls.
The jump, aimed to reduce falls at corner fences, has been used at national competitions in Germany.
It incorporates magnetic sections that hold the fence together, which disconnect when sufficient force is applied (see picture, bottom left).
“It’s a portable fence which uses five magnets,” creator Christian Zehe told H&H. “I have a company that builds and designs fences and I built four samples. I presented my ideas at Tattersalls and after this I developed the design so it can be hit harder [before the magnets release].
“The magnets hold about 100kg each. I can lean against it [and it stays together], but if someone throws themselves against it, it gets broken.”
Mr Zehe has also created a table with a retractable front edge, which has been used at national horse trials in Germany.
Next year Mr Zehe plans to
‘Every action is different’
DAVID O’CONNOR
provide a set of mobile deformable fences, including his two new designs, that can be hired out for use by several different venues within the same season.
The company behind MIM clips has also developed a system designed to be used with tables.
The FEI-approved table can collapse back and down, the front of the fence dropping first.
“It only works with horizontal force, and it is still possible to “bank” on it,” said Mats Björnetun, the creator of the MIM systems. “It was used in the arena in Luhmühlen in June.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
A MAJOR cross-country safety study is being conducted on behalf of the United States Eventing Association and it is hoped it will help inform fence designs.
The research project started in 2016 and is expected to continue until next summer.
“The study is focused on developing computer simulations of horse-fence contact that will enable us to understand design requirements for new deformable and frangible devices,” said Dr Suzanne Weaver Smith, who is carrying out the research with a team at the University of Kentucky. “The simulations will enable designers to develop new devices with information on what direction, how far, and how fast [the devices] must operate.
“One challenge in the past has been not having this information. To accomplish this requires bringing together many different studies with new data.
“Having better information for device designers, course-designers, course-builders and others will enable the best design and use of frangible and deformable solutions.
“It’s a large effort, but we have made excellent progress and are on track to achieve our goals.”
Former course-designer David Morton told H&H he would like to see frangible devices used more.
“In June the FEI made a strong recommendation for reverse pinning and I would like to see cross-country officials embrace that recommendation,” he said.
“I think the FEI needs to give technical delegates the tools to implement its recommendations — it’s highly recommended but it’s not a rule so they can’t enforce the issue.
“My Facebook post [campaigning for wider use of frangibles] has been shared 114 times and I’ve been taken aback by the responses in support.”
A spokesman for the
FEI confirmed that the international federation made “strong recommendations” for national federations to use FEI certified frangible devices for all national and international events.
“Also, developing new frangible technologies is encouraged at national level,” she said. “The FEI works with national federations and other stakeholders to maximise uptake of all measures related to risk management.
“It is important to note that frangible devices are one element in a wide spectrum of risk management initiatives and, while they are clearly an important component, they will not in themselves eliminate all risk from the sport. It is also important to note that not all fences are suitable for frangible devices.”
Mr Etherington-Smith highlighted the difficulty of finding new frangible devices and collapsible fences.
“It’s bloody hard to come up with anything,” he said. “A lot of people have been chewing over ideas but we need to keep balance and integrity of sport — we don’t want them to become knockdown fences. It’s far from easy, if it was there would be lots of ideas.”
He added it is essential that the eventing world continues to collaborate on safety.
“At the Tattersalls meeting, it was highlighted that there’s a need for everyone to work together to share ideas and knowledge; fences are just one part,” he said. “There’s a cocktail of different issues; coaching coaches and riders, training horses — there’s a need for massive education. A lot comes down to how horses are ridden in terms of risk management, it’s not all about fences.
“Everybody has responsibility, officials, riders and coaches. The sport has taken significant steps and needs to keep momentum.”
‘A lot comes down to riding’