Major pet peeve of mine too and seems like dressage riders are the worst offenders! it takes two seconds to do! Shake the dirt off or brush it off with your hand if you are afraid of scratching your saddle and quite honestly, a good cleaning can erase some surface scratches and of course the dirt! If you have ever seen a horse with its’s mouth or foot caught in a downed stirrup you would not be even debating thisissue!
If I have finished riding, I run them up. If I am just getting off to change a jump or move something or walk a course, then I grab my off side stirrup as I dismount, pull it over then just cross the near side over when I’m on the ground.
[QUOTE=Dreamwalker;8846524]
It’s one of my pet peeves too. As above, I might not say anything but I will silently judge you.
My major peeve though is those who stick the end of the stirrup leather through the little leather piece on the flap of the saddle (the name of which escapes me atm) and/or flickers up the hinge on the end of the stirrup bar on saddles that have them. The leather is supposed to slide off the stirrup bar in an emergency! How can it do that if you’ve blocked it?! Both of those things are for when the saddle is being stored not being ridden in. I once had to ring the saddle makers from a pony club cross country event to confirm this to the gear inspector who had been insisting on both things before sending the kids out on the course. muutters away about how this has been going on for years grrrr and I feel like a lone voice in the wilderness
You guys set my off in my rant by talking about stirrup leathers sliding off the bar like they are supposed to further up the page:winkgrin:
Now I usually bang on about using safety stirrups or Barnes buckles because it’s really hard to convince people.[/QUOTE]
Really? I absolutely know not to flick the end of the bar up (I do wonder why it isn’t a straight piece of metal anyway – when would you need it flicked up?) but I’ve never known about not securing the flapping end of the leather in the keeper. Would that really keep the stirrup on in an emergency situation (I wouldn’t think so)?
I know GM rants about excess stirrup end (I’m very guilty of that as I am a very short adult so I have lots of leather left over, but it seems so silly to cut them – some tall person might need to ride in my saddle someday! [haha not likely really]) but I’ve never been told or read about not using the keeper when riding. I am very glad to learn of this.
[QUOTE=Rallycairn;8847126]
Really? I absolutely know not to flick the end of the bar up (I do wonder why it isn’t a straight piece of metal anyway – when would you need it flicked up?) but I’ve never known about not securing the flapping end of the leather in the keeper. Would that really keep the stirrup on in an emergency situation (I wouldn’t think so)?
I know GM rants about excess stirrup end (I’m very guilty of that as I am a very short adult so I have lots of leather left over, but it seems so silly to cut them – some tall person might need to ride in my saddle someday! [haha not likely really]) but I’ve never been told or read about not using the keeper when riding. I am very glad to learn of this.[/QUOTE]
When it is longer than the keeper, it can become a leather strap to catch on things, that’s why GM rants.
You DO want to use the keeper, it ensures you don’t have the tongue of the buckle pop out of the stirrup leather. NO, it doesn’t prevent the stirrup from pulling away from the saddle in an emergency.
The saddles that have a lever at the end is for TRANSPORT. It keeps the stirrups from being pulled off when you’re carrying it around and losing a stirrup. It should always be open when you are riding.
[QUOTE=allpurpose;8845505]
For some reason I have become fixated on watching who - and who doesn’t - run their stirrups up before and after they ride. It’s a safety thing to run them up, right?
I was trained to keep my stirrups up until it was time to mount, then run them up immediately after dismounting to avoid them getting hooked on anything while you’re leading your horse to and from your grooming area.
Am I turning into a old crabby bugger at my advanced mid-50s age? Have the “rules” changed? What gives? What do YOU do?[/QUOTE]
So…how do you feel about those that ride western? :lol::winkgrin:
[QUOTE=copper1;8846965]
Major pet peeve of mine too and seems like dressage riders are the worst offenders! it takes two seconds to do! Shake the dirt off or brush it off with your hand if you are afraid of scratching your saddle and quite honestly, a good cleaning can erase some surface scratches and of course the dirt! If you have ever seen a horse with its’s mouth or foot caught in a downed stirrup you would not be even debating thisissue![/QUOTE]
We are dressage riders and we always run them up, immediately. We also clean our tack after each and every use. So a dirt getting on you saddle is not an excuse for us. I also frankly don’t care how much the saddle cost, it is a safety issue for the horse, and that is the most important thing to me. I am an old crabby thing, but DD is in her twenties, so it is not an age thing either.
Thank you all for the confirmation - or not - of my phobia! Glad it’s not just crabby old age setting in. I witnessed a wreck when someone walked their horse into the stall with stirrups down and one of them caught on the door hook that wasn’t fully pushed out of the way. Panicking horse stuck in the doorway with rider inside the stall ended up badly for both - abrasions and some broken bones. Made me hypersensitive ever since!
Many of you mentioned dismounting, running up stirrups and loosening girth. You must have had the same training I did! I once caught a loose horse at a XC schooling session and, not thinking it through, ran up its stirrups and loosened its girth before I realized what I was doing. That’s just what you do when you see stirrups hanging off a horse!
I got plenty of laughs for that one! It’s automatic.
Meaty Ogre mentioned one of MY big pet peeves, and that is, full cheeks without keepers!
Yikes, is that a disaster looking for a place a happen. Not as common now that everyone in the hunter ring wears ginormous D rings, but back when full cheeks were more common, seeing them without keepers made me twitch.
[QUOTE=allpurpose;8845505]
For some reason I have become fixated on watching who - and who doesn’t - run their stirrups up before and after they ride. It’s a safety thing to run them up, right?
I was trained to keep my stirrups up until it was time to mount, then run them up immediately after dismounting to avoid them getting hooked on anything while you’re leading your horse to and from your grooming area.
Am I turning into a old crabby bugger at my advanced mid-50s age? Have the “rules” changed? What gives? What do YOU do?[/QUOTE]
I’m with you. It’s a safety thing
[QUOTE=allpurpose;8845505]
Am I turning into a old crabby bugger at my advanced mid-50s age? Have the “rules” changed? What gives? What do YOU do?[/QUOTE]
If running up the stirrups qualifies you as a crabby old bugger, then I’m a double-geezer: I run up the stirrups AND take down the girth one or two holes – enough to keep the saddle secure while taking him back, but also enough to let him go “ahhhh.”
About a year ago I purchased new stirrup leathers. When they arrived in the mail I realized they couldn’t be ran up - it’s a single piece of leather and so there is literally no way to do it. It is less underneath your leg as you are riding however. They are Gary Mundy. How do others deal with this? I flip them over the saddle.
[QUOTE=GrayTbred;8847369]
If running up the stirrups qualifies you as a crabby old bugger, then I’m a double-geezer: I run up the stirrups AND take down the girth one or two holes – enough to keep the saddle secure while taking him back, but also enough to let him go “ahhhh.”[/QUOTE]
See, I won’t judge you much with regards to which stirrups you identify with, or what your Stirrup Orientation is… but I will judge the snot out of you if you do not immediately loosen your horse’s girth after dismounting.
1 Like
I used to run them up when I rode in an english saddle- but with my endurance saddles, it’s not possible to run them up (think western type stirrups with cages on them). All my horses have always been taught to give to pressure so not a big worry for me.
Thank you for starting this thread, OP. I’ll admit I have become lazy about this over the years, mostly because I haven’t owned my own horse in a long time, so I needed to check the length of the stirrups each time I tack up. It was just easier to do from the ground and then walk the few yards from the cross ties to the mounting block.
Hearing about some of the horses catching their mouths in stirrups has me being much more cognizant of this as my new youngster is pretty mouthy, so I want to be sure not to tempt him or leave anything where he can reach it. And I will be sure to do it with every horse from now on.
[QUOTE=Dreamwalker;8846524]
It’s one of my pet peeves too. As above, I might not say anything but I will silently judge you.
My major peeve though is those who stick the end of the stirrup leather through the little leather piece on the flap of the saddle (the name of which escapes me atm) and/or flickers up the hinge on the end of the stirrup bar on saddles that have them. [/QUOTE]
Wait … you aren’t supposed to use the stirrup leather keeper when riding? I’m in my 40s and that’s news to me. Thanks for the tidbit! I knew that the stirrup bar was supposed to be down.
I love learning something new 
Details matter - we should try to be horsemen(women) and it is unhorsemanlike not to run them up and looks sloppy to have them swinging.
snap me to… i x them over the neck… as if they u they can get caught on a door just as much down so i cross them over afteri put my saddle on then the stirrups as i have it de- ttached to fit in my car… once out side the stable door i put them down and walk across the field to main gate… i dont get on until iam on the other side of the gate and i have locked it… then i mount from the ground and as i put stirrups on and off they constantly change sides so get the same wear
[QUOTE=Dreamwalker;8846524]
It’s one of my pet peeves too. As above, I might not say anything but I will silently judge you.
My major peeve though is those who stick the end of the stirrup leather through the little leather piece on the flap of the saddle (the name of which escapes me atm) and/or flickers up the hinge on the end of the stirrup bar on saddles that have them. The leather is supposed to slide off the stirrup bar in an emergency! How can it do that if you’ve blocked it?! Both of those things are for when the saddle is being stored not being ridden in. I once had to ring the saddle makers from a pony club cross country event to confirm this to the gear inspector who had been insisting on both things before sending the kids out on the course. muutters away about how this has been going on for years grrrr and I feel like a lone voice in the wilderness
You guys set my off in my rant by talking about stirrup leathers sliding off the bar like they are supposed to further up the page:winkgrin:
Now I usually bang on about using safety stirrups or Barnes buckles because it’s really hard to convince people.[/QUOTE]
actually the stirrup keeper is to secure the the leather think when you have a belt on you secure it with a keeper… and yes the excess is put in the keep so it …doesn’t interefere with to much bulk with your leg aids
the stirrup bar should always be clicked towards down position,but not completely down and not lock upwards if its moveable one nowadays the stirrup bars are slightly pointed upwards thus enables the stirrup to come off if you have a fall.but if you lose your stirrups during say jumping then it its stops the stirrups and leathers from comming off.completely …and having your leather in a keeper… and you lose your stirrup from an error… you can regain it without looking rather than stopping to re adjust your self be cause your excess leather is hanging and is in the way and not in a keeper so you have to stop to move the leathers about to get your foot back in or pick it up off the floor and dismount to put it back on
here is an international show jumper ie my mate see his saddle clearly shows his spare leather is in its keeper over in uk this how it should be
if your riding english
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14088393_490562671133602_3444782344293377317_n.jpg?oh=be516b3afe03edaf892fbba8ce931928&oe=583B8124
same guy
and my fabby mate whos so well known look hes got leather in a keeper to
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13442442_635181273307242_8341241356435494134_o.jpg
For me, running up my stirrups directly after dismounting is like closing a gate or stall door. It’s so ingrained in me that I do it without even thinking.
1 Like
agree, but depends in what you do for ie you got more than one horse competing and they both in the jump off or in warm up area ridden by your groom, you gotta get of and on quick… so there are circumstances when you cant and this where top big wigs have to have a blooming good groom that can change over well quick and prepare the horses for the next eliment
