Peacock stirrup accident - has anyone experienced?

[RugBug]

Thanks for your stories/suggestions…

I’ll have to double check the stirrups but they were pretty nubby, not the more hook-like ones. I do see there are some that are very unobtrusive and perhaps that would be a better choice.

I think I will suggest that she put that stirrup over the neck before sliding off for now. She is quite small and it’s a long way down for her, so pushing away as she comes down will lead to a pretty decent drop for her. Pony is also round so it would be quite easy to land on her heels and then fall under/close to under pony. I would bet the pony wouldn’t do anything, but we don’t want to invite other possibilities to the mix.

Little girl was super brave about the whole thing. Not a single tear…

[sixteenhands]

http://equestriancounsel.com/usef-should-immediately-ban-hooked-safety-stirrups-theyre-simply-not-safe-august-2015/

Armand Leone, Jr. wrote this article last year about safety stirrups.

[Outyougo]

Several years ago I caught the lace on a paddock boot on a Peacock Stirrup. Now I use the “Foot Free” stirrups. These stirrups do get VERY POSITIVE comments from BNT ok kiddies and juniors are horrified.

[billiebob]

I had a few lesson kids tear breeches on peacock irons so I just had them toss the stirrup over the horse’s neck when dismounting. The benefits far outweigh the risks, though. Even though I no longer ride with peacock irons myself I still use a safety stirrup (Foot Free).

[Daventry]

Three years ago, a big name R judge told me a story about a little boy who caught his penis on a peacock stirrup on the way down and ended up with a major injury/stitches.

[purplnurpl]

Sounds like a little piece of duct tape to cover the hook may do?

I try not to use fullcheek bits. I have full cheek phobia. Taking a face dive and catching a nostral. Lol.
Or the neck of my shirt… Or braw strap.

[Pipkin]

I’m guessing it was the top hook rather than the bottom one? Pretty horrendous, especially for something that’s supposed to make you safer

Interesting to hear adults riding in them - I thought weight limit for Peacock stirrups was 8 stone?

[charismaryllis]

well, that’s about what some of us (short people) weigh.

[wildfox]

[QUOTE=Pipkin;8916965]

Interesting to hear adults riding in them - I thought weight limit for Peacock stirrups was 8 stone?[/QUOTE]

Weird - I’ve never heard of there being a weight limit for them. I weigh quite a bit more than that and rode with my one pair for years and never had an issue.

From years of having stirrups of all types grab my shirt and scratch up my stomach, I’ve learned to pop off away from my saddle rather than slide down when I dismount.

[2DogsFarm]

If I were more technologically talented, I’d forward this thread & the link to Leone’s article to Peacock & any other manufacturer who offers the hooked model.
You’d think they would consider a redesign and/or Safety Recall of the hooked model & replace with a rounded end that could not hook a kid!

[The_Centaurian]

My son got scratched by the peacock stirrup while dismounting; it didn’t break the skin, but made him say “ow.” I taught him how to push away from the pony a little bit while dismounting, rather than just slithering off her side. He hasn’t had that problem again.

I seem to remember figuring this out for myself at a young age-- jump off, don’t slide off.

No way would I let him ride without safety stirrups at his age! A scratch, even one requiring stitches, is not as bad as being dragged by a spooked horse.

[RugBug]

[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;8917086]
If I were more technologically talented, I’d forward this thread & the link to Leone’s article to Peacock & any other manufacturer who offers the hooked model.
You’d think they would consider a redesign and/or Safety Recall of the hooked model & replace with a rounded end that could not hook a kid![/QUOTE] Someone else linked to the Leone article.

Again, I’m not sure this kid can push away without ending up on the ground. It’s a LONG way down for her despite her being on a pony.

We are thinking of using some tape, but I feel it could impede the release function of the stirrup should the kid come off. It looks like State Line has some peacock stirrups with nubs on them for a very reasonable price. That seems the best option to me.

[keysfins]

Couldn’t that hook be placed on the inside of the stirrup branch and still be effective? (Look like a reverse “J” on the near side stirrup, if that makes sense.) That way there would not be an open hook to catch anything on.

Or make the outside hook in a ‘tilde’ shape, with a smooth downward facing outside bend? Sort of like ~ or something, with a smooth inside branch? Too bad I can’t draw with symbols.

I have never used them regularly, just if they happened to be on a saddle for a particular horse. I know the outward force on the elastic should pop open the elastic and let the foot come free. Would an “inside hook” design need more force to pop open, or break? Or perhaps the leather “fuse” would break, like a breakaway halter? Does the elastic break under pressure on a normal peacock stirrup, or just pop open?

I suppose anything is possible… The posts about genitals getting hung up on that outside hook----<<<shudder>>>. Seems like the Foot Free design is safer?

[mfglickman]

Scary! My daughter ripped 2 pair of breeches (tights) in the span of about a week a couple of years ago. Split from mid thigh to crotch. I shuddered to think if it had caught skin.

I told her to push off a bit more when she gets down, e.g. don’t slide down the side with contact. That seemed to help, but after your story I think the nightmares are starting again! All good thoughts for the little girl.

[bamboopole]

You might research a personal injury attorney. This injury is unnecessary.

[RugBug]

[QUOTE=handwalk;8917438]
You might research a personal injury attorney. This injury is unnecessary.[/QUOTE] Against whom? The stirrup manufacturer? The triainer? The owner of the saddle?

[MHM]

I guess I’ve never seen anything to make me think the peacock stirrups are that much safer than regular stirrups that are the correct size. And certainly the thought of all these injuries would give me pause.

As far as telling kids to flip the stirrup over the neck, or not slide down too close… They’re kids. They might not always remember.

[Pennywell_Bay]

[QUOTE=handwalk;8917438]
You might research a personal injury attorney. This injury is unnecessary.[/QUOTE]

Seriously? WTF? Barn owner? Saddle owner? Pony owner? Instructor? WHO should they be seeking litigation against?

Personally, I can not imagine that even the hook could do that damage. That being said, mine it a little nubby thing for my kid, and they were mid range priced. I guess I’d suggest someone helping the kid dismount. I think the safety for little ones outweighs the one-offs of these types of injuries.

I’ve never seen a kid dragged in safety stirrups, but I’ve seen kids drug around behind a pony. One had to be medivacc’d from a horse show.

As far as the article, the author is an equestrian legal counsel. So I’ll take his opinion with a grain of salt, medical malpractice attorney. But it certainly looks good if any of his clients are on the injured list.

[Christa_P]

I wonder if switching the design would make them safer. Put the knob for the leather tab on top and the hook on the bottom.

The hook inside wouldn’t help as then the rubber-band would tighten and hold with weight against it instead of releasing.

[RugBug]

[QUOTE=handwalk;8917438]
You might research a personal injury attorney. This injury is unnecessary.[/QUOTE]Got to say that I find it seriously disturbing that a horse person would suggest litigation in this instance. It’s one thing when the non-horsey set gets sue-happy. It’s another when it is supposedly a horse person…and I think a trainer? I’m just shocked that a trainer could even suggest this. I’m so disappointed…