Safety Stirrups

[Dapple Grey]

Should know this but - which way round do bent leg safety stirrups go? Also can anyone advise on reasonably priced non-stretch leathers? These are for a Wintec saddle; is it best to use synthetc to match? Thanks

[Wally]

With any bent leg Iron the bend on the outer side has to go forwards.

Double bend irons are the same.

[Skib]

Dapple grey,
To get bent leg stirrups in this correct position (as described by Wally) you need to thread the stirrup leather through each stirrup in the right direction. They are not interchangeable.
If yours are wrong, simply switching them over to the other side of the horse wont necessarily be enough to solve the problem.
I dont use bent leg stirrups myself these days, so I have looked up for you my notes on how they should look before you mount, because it is contradictory and the opposite of what one might expect.

Single bend UK safety stirrups hanging down alongside the horse.

After tacking up, the bend must hang at the front of the stirrups and going in towards the horse's body.
That's because the left foot is inserted from the front end of the stirrup and will turn the stirrup in mounting, so what is inside as you insert your foot, will eventually be at the outside, with the bend going forwards.

[Frances]

What I do, when I can't remember, is hold them up to the position they would be on the saddle and put your foot in it and see if they work with you (ie give way if you fell off) or not.

I can never remember and have to use my method regularly!

Fx

[Keket]

Not to hijack, but does anyone find them hard to mount with? I had to mount a horse from the ground who had these stirrups and found that because they bent, I couldn't get a decent foothold.

[eventerbabe]

wally describes the correct way a bent leg iron should hang. I use them on my dressage saddle.

The wintec webbers are fantastic stirrup 'leathers'. Easy to get on and off the saddle. I've had mine 18 months and they haven't stretched one bit :)

[Dapple Grey]

Thanks for all the advice - think I've got it now! I shall certainly give the Wintec webbers a try as current leathers as well as stretching are a little thick for getting off Wintec saddle easily.

[Skib]

Keket, yes, I did.
I am in my late 60s. Mounting I dont have a problem with normal stirrups (even if I fall off and dont have a mounting block)
But like you I disliked mounting in bent leg stirrups which was why I spent a lot and bought Sprenger stirrups instead.
I think the feel of insecurity comes when one's weight may press down on the unsupported corner of the stirrup. One needs to take extra care to have one's foot flat and straight on the stirrup tread, before one puts any weight on it.
All the same, I would still rather hack in a bent leg than in a conventional stirrup, as I once got my foot caught when I fell.