Help please, my goddaughter got dragged in saftey stirrups yesterday :(

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R2R

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My goddaughter got dragged along with her foot in the stirrup yesterday for 100m :( she lost her body protector half way along and her back is covered in scratches and sprained.

I write because it is the second time it has happened – two different ponies, but the same style stirrups – the elastic ones. The elastic did not ping off in either case.

In the first instance she had grown but the second pair were fitted by the tack shop to her feet.

She was wearing toggi jhod boots, chaps and cotton tracky b's (not baggy)

Can someone tell me why 2 sets of safety stirrups have now failed, 6 months apart? And what I can do to stop it happening again?
 
This also happened to my daughter ,the elastic didn't ping and they were the correct size. Not much help but will be interested to hear any theories. Hope she isn't too sore this morning.
 
your poor god daughter - hope she gets better soon.
how about putting barnes buckles on as well? i'v heard great things about them...but ditto above - i do wonder if they have a lower weight limit to work...
 
I use the bent leg safety stirrups, and I once fell off and got dragged through nettles, so I don't particularly rate them either. :/ but I have heard the elastic ones are worse :( so I'm sticking to the bent leg ones. I think it's really important to make sure the stirrups are the correct size: the ones I got dragged in were, although I could easily fit my feet into them, too small, technically. I bought the size up from that, and have fallen off numerous times, never having the same problem.

Hope your goddaughter feels better soon, and isn't put off riding because of it!
xxxxxxx
 
Also aren't they designed for children and should not be used by heavier people so should work with an 11 year olds weight. We have changed to sprenger style stirrups but she is older.
 
This has happened to us too. We were told that the lighter child won't "ping" the elastics. We've used bent irons since. But we also make sure the quick release buckle on the saddle is free and moves. On the one other occasion this happened it was the leather that came free in less than a stride, not the foot.

Children's feet change size from boot to boot she we have also found that we need different stirrups for different boots. All a bit of a hassle I'm afraid - but once you've seen it once you will pretty much do anything to avoid it happenning again.
 
Thankfully I didnt see it but I did see the state of her afterwards. It was one of those things, the pony spooked as she was trying to get on it, so she was half on half off, and she shouldnt have been trying to get on it anyway becasue noone was holding it - one of those kiddy accidents but still pretty horriffic :(

I might get her a pair of bent iron saftey stirrups then?
 
My daughter has been caught up by these stirrups twice, but each time it was the elastic part of her chaps that passes under the foot that caught on the short metal bit which the leather holder attaches to (sorry, that sounds muddled but hopefully you can follow).

Might this have happened to your god-daughter? There was a letter in H&H some years ago highlighting the danger of chaps when ridden with peacock stirrups, and so we swapped to bent leg irons. I have since seen another child suspended by these irons at a show so not sure they are remotely safe!
 
frazzled said:
Also aren't they designed for children and should not be used by heavier people so should work with an 11 year olds weight. We have changed to sprenger style stirrups but she is older.
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exactly! its shouldn't matter how heavy the child is! i dont like them as i feel that the rubber grips to your foot. i have bent leg irons but iv also got my foot stuck in those and got dragged. i still use them and i use the sprenger ones that move to help my knees. i think there are strirrups that prety much fall appart if you fall off but iv not seen any about.
 
I have had problems with the bent leg stirrups and it just so happens that my size boot fits lovely in the bent section and gets stuck!!!
Tbh I find the peacock stirrups come off really easy. Is everybody useing the leather tab that the band goes through? Not just the band on it's own? Just a though cause iv seen people do this
 
What about getting a toe cage to stop her feet going through so that she doesn't get caught.

Also make sure her stirrups fit the chunkiest boots she owns, and check each pair of boots she rides in. DH finds that his stirrups fitted fine with one pair of boots but are too small to be safe with his other pair and these were checked by a tack shop.
 
This happened to my son once, and I realised that the elastic on the jodphurs clips got caught, lucky the amazing pony didn't move, even with other horses zinging about as he was in a games comp at a show! Since then, he wore long boots to avoid anything catching in the future....
 
As a parent that is always one of my biggest fears. Hope your God daughter isn't too sore today.

I have heard negative reports about the 'swan neck' stirrups. A few people have told me of instances whee they haven't worked. I've replaced them with sprenger style stirrups.
 
I use the bent leg stirrups..can't say if they work yet (thankfully) but my sister had the same problem (or so we think, her foot got stuck though it may well have been in something else, she's not sure if she had her feet in or out as she was tightening the girth) and her boot came off..plus side of having boots slightly too big is they will come off if pulled :)
 
She also needs a new body protector as no way on this earth should a body protector come off when dragged. It sounds like it is the wrong size or has velcro not zips to fasten it. I personally hate the peacock stirrups, I have see people dragged by them and also so nasty injuries caused by them. To be honest I suspect that the stirrup bar was at fault as well as the stirrup should have simply slipped off the bar with that force. Check that the bar was down, not pushed up and that the stirrup leathers are not too thick for the bar.
 
Ye my biggest concern would be the body protector!!!!! They shouldnt come off EVER!

Stirrups, kinda feel that sh*t happens, horses are dangerous. I thiink the toe caps are a really good idea, other than that, I'd just keep trying different stirrups.

And a stern word with the kid about getting on with nobody holding the horse xxxx
 
just a quick question do you have the leather straps that the elastic threads through as mentioned above? because thats the part that should break not necessarily the elastic as theyre actually incredibly hard to get on the stirrup in the first place hence why i dont like them.

also is pony known for being a pain when being mounted as *prepares to be jumped on* i get on mine with no one holding him and infact he is worse with someone holding him often

i hope your god daughter is ok echo new BP needed and get well wishes to her x
 
Sometimes, when very new the rubber section is hard to get off - for very small people I replace the rubber section with a hair bobble and loop that onto the leather inserts... better it ping off too easily than not atall.
 
Have to say I've never been a fan of the elastic sided safety's - I've seen accidents from them coming un done when they shouldn't AND accidents like your goddaughters. I've used my swan-necks for the last 20yrs (OMG can't believe it's that long - they were a 12th birthday present :o) and can honestly say I've never had a problem with them - and I've had more than a few falls in that time. They probably aren't perfect but they are definitely my stirrup of choice.
As others have said - make sure the stirrups fit properly and DEFINITELY get that back protector sorted, it doesn't sound like its fit for purpose from your description.
Hope your GD's confidence hasn't been knocked and that she gets over her bumps quickly.
 
i use the stirrups with a curve in them as i know someone who had a similar problem with the elastic onbes despite being a grown woman who should have been perfectly big enough to ping the elastic. The bent ones have never got stuck on my foot before so i would recomend them.
I hope it hasn't knocked her confidence.
 
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