Caged Stirrups

I have them...I thought they were great but last summer and a few months ago one of the cage got caught in a gate like the ones you find when riding..quite narrow.
1st time I was quick enough to take my foot out, get down and unstuck the cage which was stuck in the gate and had gone off its hinges as my horse had realised we were stuck and had started walking forward.
2nd time, I got scared, it got stuck on a gate latch as at my stirrups height..and my horse started to panick a bit, walked forward, cage staying stuck.
My foot got completely stuck in the damaged cage and the stirrup and as I am on a treeless saddle there is no safety ring for the stirrup leather. I was stuck on the top of my horse with him pulling, the saddle started to turn as well so quickly i managed to make him reverse and eventually undid the girth and kind of "hopped off" him with my foot stuck and the saddle!
Anyway..I still use them (although one is half broken) but i now put my stirrups up on the saddle before a gate!
 
I will be ordering some. I have some really ugly ones. To know that your foot can't go through the stirrup makes them really sensible. A local riding school use them on all their ponies.
 
I would suggest getting endurance caged stirrups. The cage is made out of plastic so if gets caught on gate will break (personal experience). They also have a wider tread which makes them much more comfy. Can get them from most endurance companies. Beware, don't go for cheap foreign imports on ebay as some of them are very flimsy and a foot can distort the cage so the foot can still go through.

BTW, if you use caged stirrups you don't have to wear footware with a heel, as the heel is there to help reduce chance of foot going through.
 
personally I prefer open stirrups, I have mine short anyway cause I've got short legs and I never seem to lose them. I tried some leather cage ones that can attach onto stirrups with velcro and didn't like them. I do wear boots with a heel so don't need them anyway.
 
I use these (er, in black ;) ) with a treeless saddle that has closed stirrup bars for safety reasons. Easy to fit and they don't look too bad. If I thought I was keeping the treeless longer term, I'd probably buy the caged endurance stirrups, but in the meantime they work well :)
 
An alternative would be hooded stirrups, a bit like tapaderos but smaller. No chance of getting caught on gates or brush, and they keep your feet warm and dry in winter.
 
i used to use these because I had problems sitting to my previous horses canter and kept either loosing my stirrups or getting the stirrup wedged up my boot, i found the cages helped a lot. Most people at the yard thought they were ugly and for chidlren but I didnt care tbh!
 
Wiz201 said:
personally I prefer open stirrups, I have mine short anyway cause I've got short legs and I never seem to lose them. I tried some leather cage ones that can attach onto stirrups with velcro and didn't like them. I do wear boots with a heel so don't need them anyway.
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my brother has them as he has had two ankle fusions and cant bend his ankle to keep his heels down, they give him the security that his feet aren't going to get caught in the stirrups.

they are fab, got them from my local tack shop, RB Equestian, for around £20 last year and they are still as good as new.
 
Ego is fine if you don't have issues. Once you find how much they can help you, you see they are worth others sticking noses in air. End of day I don't give a gnats what others think, I want to be comfy as possible. They can keep painful traditions. I knackered my ankle falling off a kerb years ago out running (oncoming car didn't dip main beam lights), have been told now is bone on bone. I need stirrups with a little give as my ankle doesn't have any, wide footbed spreads the pressure so less likely to get numb foot or painful area under a narrow footbed, and extra safety as I can't get my foot caught.
 
Brilliant - I love them and regularly use them for hacking. They are useful as I have nerve damage in my feet/lower legs and it helps to distribute pressure. Couldn't care what people think, tbh!
 
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