I am working with a nonprofit org and am trying to help them get their tack upgraded a bit. All the stuff they have was left to set for a prolonged period and most of it is not well kept and/ or very outdated (we threw out 15 year old helmets, have some dry rotted leather to toss, etc). One thing that is a newer focus in the equestrian world since they last got tack in is safety equipment like quick release stirrups. I have only safety stirrups on my tack now, for example. The riders in the org are minors (11-18 yr olds) so safety is paramount. However, they don’t have a big budget to buy $100 stirrups for each saddle. I found these Waldhausen Quick Release clips that might work and was wondering if there was anything else like them on the market or a cheap safety stirrup we could look into. I’d really love to find something that can be used on English and Western saddles as they have a mix of both. I think Peacock Stirrups are out due to the horror stories of people and kids getting caught on them (unless they could be used with the rubber band against the horse and that would reduce the catch risk?).
With a “limited budget”, you are looking at using the Peacocks. Yes, there is a risk. But the risk (IMO) is relatively small. There is a risk in everything we do. Every time we get in an automobile, and drive down the highway. Every time we get on an aircraft. Every time we walk down a sidewalk to go to the park or go shopping. Every time we get onto a horse’s back. We try to minimalize risk, if we can. If we can’t, we accept that risk. Good luck.
I have Peacocks on some of my saddles.
I would look into stirrup toe cages. They’re cheap and you can put them on whatever basic stirrups you want to use, English or Western. We also used S curve stirrups at the therapeutic riding program I worked with: https://www.statelinetack.com/products/equiroyal-safety-stirrups?variant=43800753176713&&srccode=GPSLT&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADou2UzkclSMGrdWQvqpZPASCJNWA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh_i_BhCzARIsANimeoH6C6OokLmGyS9jiNQLuPW0h7Md2Ic4WJMwSi0l5WSXWhGUcS4sBX8aAmhZEALw_wcB
I wouldn’t use peacocks, in addition to the risk of getting caught they also bend over time without the outside branch to hold the rider’s weight. Putting the rubber band on the horse side doesn’t change the risk of getting caught while dismounting and would make it harder for them to release when needed. There are safer and more effective options available so to me it’s a pretty easy risk to eliminate.
Get the S shaped stirrups.
I also second toe cages, but if you want to use the peacock stirrups you can put a little piece of tape where the pointy part of the stirrup is to make sure that people don’t get caught on it. The tape will release from the pressure if someone gets their foot stuck.
problem to me is If/When there is an injury $100 would be cheap, so cheap it would have been forgotten
I had a daughter nearly have her right foot amputated because her foot hung the stirrup, the surgery to reassemble her to many hours as nearly every bone was broken or splintered. The only reason she lived horse when horse fell it was taught to ground tie, so when the horse went down when it stood up it remained in place rather than rub off (a good friend watch his daughter die as her horse drug her off after they fell at a jump)
Even after over twenty three years she still has problems with her foot
A hundred dollars per saddle is nothing
While I understand the sentiment, that is not applicable to a non-profit that is wildly underfunded and is essentially starting over at ground 0. $100 per saddle is a 4 figure amount for stirrups. I agree that safety is paramount, which is why I am pursuing this but there is no chance of spending 4 figures on stirrups when the org needs the arena and driveway redone, new horses brought in, substantial work in the barn, etc. We have to do what we can with what little funds we have (to be quite frank, I will likely buy the stirrups or safety clips and donate them so that the org doesn’t have to put up the funds themselves).
That’s a pretty privileged statement to make, and really not applicable for a non-profit that needs to make necessary equipment purchases, in bulk, now. Stores don’t accept hypothetical savings from a possible accident as a payment method. No one is suggesting they ignore safety concerns, but there are plenty of safe options for less than $100 per saddle. And practically, $100 doesn’t really get you anything in this area - the options are sub-$50 for s-curves or peacocks, but otherwise you’re looking at easily $200+ per saddle for nicer quick release stirrups.
privileged ? well we spent a lot of money putting daughter’s foot back together… have an incident were a person is injured then comment
I have worked with nonprofits before, there were things we could not or was decided would not do due to costs.
If this program can not afford the proper equipment than they need to reevaluate their program, maybe this program might want to not have riding as part of their outreach.
It is not nothing if the non-profit type setting simply does not have $100/saddle to spend.
We can’t forget that everyone does not have the same amount of pocket change as you do.
I am sure this organization would love it if you wanted to donate those more expensive stirrups.
Yes, I’d say suggesting people shouldn’t be allowed to ride if they’re not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on stirrups when there are perfectly safe cheaper options available IS privileged and out of touch. Your daughter’s accident sounds terrible and I’m sorry your family went through that, but expensive equipment wasn’t necessary to prevent what happened. This thread has provided several affordable suggestions that do basically the same thing.
I hate to ask the question, but exactly how many saddles are we talking? How many saddles do they have versus how many do they need? Maybe some can be auctioned off to pay for the stirrups?
Why was equipment left in poor conditions?
I have struck out on finding affordable safety stirrups for Western saddles. The design of the Tough 1 stirrups with a giant pin at the top means they will not open in a twist scenario, causing me to return them.
How long do you have for an explanation? I jest, mostly. I was a member nearly 2 decades ago and haven’t been involved in a long time. The org has historically run with heavy alumni and volunteer involvement, but some time ago those groups were pushed out by a board that seemed to have self-serving agenda. Several months ago the org posted they would have to shutter their doors due to XYZ reasons and alumni members were shocked to hear it. The alumni and other volunteers have stepped up and taken over the dying org to attempt to revive it to its previous glory. There is a ton of work to be done to get it up to where it was before. There is some tack that we can try to sell off, however, most is not really sellable. Why the existing stuff was not really cared for, I can’t totally say. It may have arrived in not the best condition to begin with (as is often the case with donated tack, we rarely get new or EUC items donated). I’ve gotten a few new items and donated them and had success just yesterday getting a deeply discounted saddle to replace one of the damaged (tears in the seat) saddles there.
ETA They currently have about 4 decent (a generous term) saddles and about 8-9 that they are going to try to sell as a lot to recoup some funds (no name English saddles akin to the ones that sell for $150 as a set new on Ebay and some ancient Western saddles, one with damage from mice and one that is extremely heavy). A good number to have on hand would be 3 or so English saddles and likely around 7 Western saddles (org is predominately Western based, though discipline choice is up to the rider).
Good to know about the Tough 1s, those were on my list to look into as well.
I think in your case I’d take the top 5 saddles and put either S stirrups on them, or peacocks. You can probably find both types at consignment shops/used.
I can’t really think of a reason that a rescue-type place would need more than 5 saddles in workable condition, unless they were giving large group lessons or something on the side.
I just read your edit. I’d get the safety stirrups for the 3 english saddles, and when it’s time to acquire the western ones I’d just be sure they’re standard width (none of those super thick trail stirrups), and wide enough for the boot that the rider is using.
Or just slip the leathers off of the saddle after each ride rather than permanently dedicating irons to saddles.
I’d suggest looking for used. I know used and safety equipment don’t typically go together, but if you join some of the English and endurance tack resale pages (I don’t know anything about western), there are so many basically brand new items listed for a good price. Especially if you don’t care about color, brand, etc.
If you post your ISO with an explanation of the program you’re supporting, you may find people who are doing a tack room clean out might be happy to make you a deal. I had a pair of Acavellos that I rode in twice sit for a couple of months on a few different FB pages; l was listing them for about half of what I paid because I hate having clutter sit around when someone else could use them. If I still had them for sale I’d offer them to you for whatever was reasonable to you. So don’t discount looking that way
