Because I am a DQ, I’m posting this here, although I think you probably see more peacock stirrups for younger riders in the H/J world. This is an opinion piece on the front page of the Chronicle this morning. Written by Armand Leone - who really knows whereof he speaks. (He’s a doctor and a lawyer). What do you think? I never considered these as dangerous, but he makes a good case.
Chronicle Piece
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If that is true and it seems to be, would not a change in design, the hook at the bottom, not the top, would make the stirrup safe? 
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I’ve seen them catch on clothes occasionally, never seen or known of injuries but I don’t doubt they’ve happened. Seems like one of those things where the risk of injury is low but there are enough easy alternatives that people could choose to avoid the risk entirely. Good on the author and COTH for publicizing the issue for anyone that wasn’t aware of it.
There are a lot of things with horses though that are mostly fine but have the potential to cause big problems, and we can’t effectively ban them all. Full cheek snaffles are something I’d never use, since they can get caught on stuff too easily and I’ve heard of people basically getting stabbed when a horse catches them with its head, but most people who use them will never have any issues. There’s a thread going on right now debating whether ear bonnets should be banned since occasionally they help bridles to slip off. Where do we draw the line on what we consider an unacceptable risk?
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Once, when I was dismounting, the hook on my peacock stirrup caught the fabric of my breeches on the left thigh. Fortunately, it only caught the fabric and not my skin (something to be said for not having super-tight breeches!), and ripped a huge two-inch plus tear in the fabric.
No more peacock stirrups for me!
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Having been dragged when I was a kid because my foot was caught in a regular stirrup caused me to never feel comfortable riding without peacock stirrups. I don’t ride anymore, but if I did, it would be with peacocks. I think you have to do what makes you personally feel safest. Accidents can happen with equipment. A couple years ago I was adjusting my minis harness and leaned close to fix something and the next thing I know my beltloop was hung up on the overcheck hook. That could’ve been a hot mess had the mini spooked. We take our chances with horses. As far a kids go and peacock’s go, I guess that’s up to the individual parent or trainer to weigh the pros and cons. If I had a kid, it would be peacock’s.
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I ride in safety stirrups, but not peacocks (apart from anything else, the weight limit on them is really quite low.)
There are many better alternatives nowadays. But all of them have their compromises when you start researching!
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I ride in safety stirrups too, just not peacocks.
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This line confused me. If the hooks faced in then the rubber band would not pop off in an emergency.
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But there are other styles of safety stirrups that don’t have the hook issue. Why wouldn’t you want to use those instead?
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I had the same thought when I read it.
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For me personally, I was most comfortable with the peacock stirrups. If I were to ride again, I’d stick with them. All boils down to someone’s comfort zone I suppose.
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When I was a kid, peacock stirrups did not exist. After I was grown I learned that they are not safe for adults (anyone over ca 100 lbs?).
Horseback riding is a risky sport. Somebody, sometime, is gonna get injured. It cannot be made 100% safe. If parents want their kids to participate in a safe sport they can try badminton (the kind with the lower-case b).
ETA: I was also taught as a child to check my stirrup bars before mounting. I always have, and once as an adult it saved my life or at any rate a major injury.
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My guess is cost, or legalities in the show ring. There are some incredible safety stirrups on the market, but they tend to be costly (like double or triple the cost of the humble peacock iron). Its also possible that the peacock is show legal, but some of the newer safety designs are not? I haven’t competed in years, so I have no idea on what the latest rules are.
I rode in peacocks in pony club and was taught to remove my foot, and sling the stirrup over the pommel and then dismount.
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They have been around for as long as I can remember.
Darn.
I am not quite as old as the dinosaurs but…
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I’m not a dinosaur, but I AM an old coot 
. They didn’t have them when I started riding in 1966. I think I got my first pair in or around 1978 ish. Pretty sure I still have that pair on my saddle that’s packed away.
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A bit of tape over the hook would do until you can replace them with something safer?
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Size would be one issue. Most safety stirrups don’t come in kid’s sizes whereas peacocks do.
Another issue may be the amount of force required to trip the safety mechanism. I can see that being an issue for a couple of styles. Little kids are little.
I think the elastics generally give at the bottom button and not at the top hook, [EDIT - I’m pretty sure I remembered this wrong!] so turning the top hook shouldn’t reduce the safety mechanism but would reduce the possibility of an accident while dismounting.
It has been years since I’ve seen peacocks in action though so I may be misremembering.
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Thats one of the solutions he suggested in the article, along with the option of pointing the hook inward instead of out.
Yes, they did.
I didn’t spend a lot of time looking, but here are a bunch of images of the queen of England … at least one has her stirrup twisted the wrong way :o
Anyway, they were available. They were perhaps not that widely used in North America, but they have definitely existed a long time.
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