Greetings All! I am an english rider who is just starting to play with Western. I bought a Wintec western saddle. I have to put the stirrups all the way on the highest hole. Can someone please tell me what to do with the excess stirrup “leather”? Any western saddle I’ve ever seen the excess wraps around on the inside of the leathers & fenders. The excess on this saddle is actually against the horse so if I wrapped it around it would be on top of the fenders! That CANT be right. Does someone have this saddle? What is the answer? Thanx so much. I am perplexed.
I ride in one of these - so I get what you’re coming from. Can you cut them down and then singe the ends to prevent them from unraveling?
Eek, no need to cut! Just fold them back the other way and buckle them in the stirrup hobble (the strap around the bottom of the fender). You can order new stirrup hobbles if yours are gone, or tie a piece of shoe string around that place. They do have a safety function too, they help prevent your foot or say a tree branch when trail riding from getting stuck between the straps.
Thank you so much for this, I just put my new Wintec on my horse and had the exact same problem! They’re crazy making them like this, the excess should be on the inside! I just folded them under, and held it all with the hobbles, but it sure makes them bulky 
I have this problem in pretty much every western saddle, I have short legs so the excess hangs down and slaps against my feet. I’ve learned to ignore it, but maybe now I’ll see if I can’t fold it up as described.
On my leather saddles, I cut the excess leather.
In other saddles, just fold over, the stirrup hobbles are made long enough for that.
The extra bulk should not be against the horse if the fenders are turned properly, but toward’s the front and so out of the way.
