the older i get the more safety oriented i am, do any of you use safety stirrups and which do you prefer
I hear you.
Iām the same way.
My solution was, safety stirrups on an aussie:)
I like the EZ Ride stirrups with the cage.
I have a set of the EZ rides with cages, and my aussie and english saddles all have the curved Foot Free safety stirrups. I only use the regular irons for showing. I want a few more pairs of the EZ rides in leather, but it seems like thereās never enough extra cash sitting around to replace whatās already working.
Iāve never found any economical breakaway western stirrups. I wish someone could make a pair that werenāt ugly and expensive!
i saw those western breakaway stirrups you see on rfd and several other brands, looks like if your foot points up it breaks away and theres another western stiruup i saw that is basically open on one side like a peacock which doesnāt look right to me
if i get a cage i think it would be a good idea to get one of those attachments that turns the stirrup to a more comfortable angle
I have the peacock on my english saddles and the caged stirrups on my western. Got dragged when I was a kid and it is still with me 50 some years later so Iām all for safety. Nothing is much scarier than watching those hind feet just miss your face.
I use the Herm Sprenger type flexible stirrups. They are supposed to decrease the chance of a foot getting caught in the stirrup. Does anyone know if there are any studies that show which stirrups are safest?
I have the EZ ride stirrups with cages & I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Iām ashamed to say I often ride now with sneakers because I feel better wearing them then boots, but I KNOW I should probably still be wearing some sort of shoe with a heel. Itās so nice when I get off & walk to be wearing my sneakers, I stand a lot at work & my lower back, knees and heels were giving me trouble so to be able to wear a really comfortable sneaker while riding it feels soooo good. And the cushioning on the EZ rides stirrups are great too! My riding instructor said unless I wanted to lose my husband to being dragged by a horse I had better get him a pair of stirrups with cages too. He rides often with his toes pointing down and jammed into his stirrups, although EZ ride stirrups are a little expensive I went & got him a pair too, couldnāt live with myself if something happened to hubby & I didnāt try to prevent it 
And yes, Iāve tried correcting him but it only results in a VERY LONG & unpleasant trail ride together, heās one of those thatās always right if you know what I mean :winkgrin:
I use the simple Peacock kind with the rubber band thingies on the side.
Those are interesting. I wonder if thereās any upper limit on how much the rider should weigh? The downside of peacocks has always been that they arenāt suitable for a heavier adult - BTDT, managed to bend the darned stirrups when I was only 160#. These could potentially have the same issue, although the side looks pretty thick.
I will ask her and let you know about the weight limit.
Looks like you can buy those EZ ride cages and just drill holes and add them onto your regular western stirrups. They are pretty inexpensive that way.
Caution with Peacock Stirrups
I have a friend who was severely hurt dismounting while using peacock stirrups two years ago. She swung her right leg over, kicked her left leg out of the stirrup and slid down the side of the horse. The little stub on the outside of the stirrup caught her in a rather private part, right through her breeches, and ripped her open nearly to her navel. Thank goodness there was a doctor in the barn at the time to staunch the bleeding and get her to a hospital where she had multiple stitches and reconstructive surgery. Just wanted to pass it on as it never would have occurred to me that this could happen.
Oh my gosh!!! That is terrible!
I guess it goes to show you can get hurt in SO MANY WAYS! I am so sorry for your friend.
The Safestyle stirrups have been tested to thousands of pounds, and the opening of the stirrup is on the inside, not the outside.
Have you heard about Mountain Horse boots? They have a couple of boots that have grooves that fit into a special pad on your stirrup, to keep your feet from slipping forward. I was told endurance riders really like themā¦ ummm, I donāt think so! Not this end rider anywayā¦
I use OnTyte
It is a magnetic stirrup system. It keeps your foot where you want it. Iāve had the misfortune of falling off a couple of times in them. I found that since my foot did not slide further into the stirrup I fell clean every time.
I loved my Sprengers, but a couple times my toe hooked for a fraction of a second on the rubber - just enough to affect my aging knees
[QUOTE=Diamond Jake;3876227]
Have you seen these?
They are just beautiful. And they have a US Distributor.[/QUOTE]
I realize this is an old thread, but just in case anyone still cares, I saved $100 (50%) by buying them directly from the Netherlands. The guys was good to work with despite English not being his first language and the first pair sent getting lost in the mail. The second pair got here in less than 1 week! I havenāt ridden in them yet, but they are very nicely made and very sturdy - I cannot imagine them bending under any circumstances. I have tried two other kinds of safety stirrups - the ones where the whole side and foot flip open, and the ones where one side can flip open and is closed with a magnet. I like both in terms of looks and safety, but both bent either from just weight over time or from a very awkward jump where I landed in my stirrups strangely. I am hoping this third pair will be the right pair!
I am glad you posted on this older thread. I was just researching stirrups last night so this is very timely for me.
I have come by a ātrooper saddleā that has the wide very heavy wooden stirrups covered with tapaderos (sp?) ā¦so Iāve been researching a replacement stirrup that would be comfortable and safe. I understand that its easier to get hung up in a wider stirrup.
I have other saddles but this one was a freeby and it seems REALLY comfortable for trail riding with a gaited horse.
Has anybody done this?
Iām expecting an Abetta endurance saddle to arrive any day now ā I donāt want to spend much, but would like a safe stirrup ā I believe the stirrups that come with the saddle are nylon ā Iām concerned they would break if I tried to drill holes in them ā Would like to hear from anyone whoās tried this ā
Google ātoe stoppersāā¦they are an add-on cageā¦altho if your stirrup is a little tightish on your foot they may not work.
