Crushing injuries to the chest are the second largest cause of death in equestrian sport and recreation, second only to head injuries. Falls from height and at speed involve significant forces which can lead to life-changing injuries, and in too many instances around the world, death. A 2010 study in the US found that accidents in the equestrian sector had the highest likelihood of requiring hospitalisation. Worryingly, the activity has the highest mortality rate of all sports globally.
Compared to more regulated and high-profile hazardous activities such as motorsport, the equestrian industry to date has not been proactive in driving forward innovations in body protection. Suppliers in the sector generally state that they meet stipulated safety standards, but none has sought to raise the safety benchmark. Whilst it has been researched, there have been no notable concerted efforts in the sector to move to understand how methods of protection currently used discretely (such as technical foams and textiles, air cushioning and engineered structures/exoskeleton) can be combined to provide for much-improved protection for the rider. From a commercial perspective, there is significant 'white space' globally in which a high-performance technology can be protected and exploited.
In the Pro-SAFE project, Teqnox will leverage its extensive knowledge of the issues, and its own IP-protected advances in equestrian body protection to prove the viability of a system in which the optimum combination of technologies is implemented to provide superior resistance to blunt & sharp impact, and crushing injuries. Development of solutions will be followed by extensive physical and mechanical testing, and crucially, by an extensive schedule of end-user evaluation.
A positive outcome from Pro-SAFE will allow Teqnox to progress to pre-commercialisation activities, and to a significant UK and export market opportunities.