Once home I decided to sit on good old google and found a recent study conducted by Dr Jenny Burbage, a biomechanics specialist at the University of Portsmouth, and Lorna Cameron, of Sparsholt College.They found that 40% of 1,324 riders surveyed experienced breast pain, and less than 35% of these riders wear sports bras whilst riding. Shockingly, 59% of participants reported bra-related issues as well.
With the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) reporting that over 74% of riders are women, you'd think there would be more support out there to help us decide on the best bras out there and support, for when riding.
A good sports bra will limit excessive movement using various tricks and technologies, so the impact on the ligament is contained and breast tissues will be better protected from damage.
The old myth that only big-breasted sportswomen need sports bras is absolutely 100% wrong. Not only do small breasts bounce around, but they are moving in three-ways: up, down and sideways. According to Shock Absorber research, 44% of women who exercise regularly, don't wear sports bras and astonishingly, it reported that even small breast move 40mm away from the body.
Now, I don't mean to scare you, but those who regularly exercise without wearing the correct support could be causing 'breast droop', which can happen to breasts of all shapes and sizes when not supported but bounced around, and the ligament is being stretched.
I was absolutely adamant I didn't need a sports bra and even more adamant they were all ugly and rather unappealing to me. That was until the company 'boobydoo' was mentioned to me in a passing conversation.
They make all types of sports bras and have a bra aimed at horse-riders, that is designed to reduce pressure tension on the shoulders and block breast movement.
I must admit, I was wondering what come out the packaging when I opened it up. I had visions of the horrid sports bras I'd seen in the past and vowed never to touch, but honestly I was pleasantly surprised.
Upon initial inspection, the bra didn't look like a sports bra, but more of your normal everyday wear that you do your shopping in, muck the horse out in and then attend a night out at the pub in. It was a thumbs up so far from me!
When I got it out the packaging I had a look at what made this bra different from the type I could buy on my local high-street shop, and then I realised why.
The cups offer full coverage and are specially moulded which offers a natural fit and helps minimise bounce when doing any kind of horse-riding, from your everyday hacking, right through to eventing.
One thing I always find with my everyday bra is usually when it comes to riding in them, I find the straps quickly become uncomfortable and dig into my back, especially if I'm wearing my body protector.
However, this bra has lightly padded straps which are not only comfortable but didn't dig into me when it came to jumping and having to ride in my body protector. Even better, the nude colour was discreet under my show shirt meaning I didn't have to be conscientious about needing to wear a vest top underneath my shirt. Bonus, especially in summer when the less layers, the better!
Since being a small child, I've always found tags of any shape or size on clothes irritating and there's nothing worse than having a rolled up tag on your bra irritating you whilst you're trying to focus on a dressage test, but thankfully this bra has none and the buckles at the back are fully padded, so not only do you have no tags digging into your spine, but there's also no pesky bra clips causing you concern whilst you're trying to concentrate!
Overall I was very impressed, and even more so after realising I'd just done a 45-minute intense dressage session with my horse, and yet I didn't feel irritable and sweaty in all the wrong places like you do with normal, everyday bras. Amazingly, the wire channeling on this wicks away the sweat leaving you dry and comfortable even after riding in the midday sun!
With this bra you can kiss goodbye to sweaty, post exercise breasts that feel achy and that horrible scratching on your back from bra clips if you've rushed and not ensured the padding is down flat. It reduced the bounce and movement a significant amount and for the first time I felt comfortable and was able to sustain sitting in trot for longer than just a couple of minutes. It was that comfortable I almost forgot I was wearing it - which for me is great as I usually find some bras really uncomfortable, depending how the wire sits. 9/10 for this super bra, and it's only not a 10 because I'd still like it to be a little more 'sexy', but then I was comfortable, so for me it was a win! Small breasted ladies, I even urge you to have a look! For just £35, you too can ride comfortably and put the bounce back in those flying changes rather than your breasts!
For more information go to the boobydoo website where you can also purchase matching briefs! Now that's tempting...
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