HJJ
Well-Known Member
I've just bought an air vest for the first time and have a query over something in the instructions. They say to close the stirrup bar end after attaching the lanyard loop (and then the stirrup leather). Does anyone do this?
I was always taught that you should never close the stirrup bar as that prevents the leather from sliding out and detaching from the saddle if you fall with a foot stuck in a stirrup and get dragged.
My stirrup leathers are snug in their bars so never had any concerns over them sliding out during riding with the bar end open and the air vest lanyard loop is trapped by the leather behind it, so the lanyard can't escape from the stirrup bar, with the leather there. On that basis, I don't see a need to close the bar.
However, I have Le Mieux Vector Balance safety Stirrups, and wear riding boots (not trainers or yard boots) so unlikely to get my foot stuck/dragged in a fall, so that would make closing the stirrup bar less of a worry.
I'm thinking there must be a good reason for the instructions to say to close the bar. I presume the thinking behind it is if in a fall the leather comes off, the lanyard loop could too, and that would effectively make the lanyard longer and possibly not then long enough to break away and trigger the vest inflation before hitting the ground?
As it's so ingrained in me not to close the bar, I'm reluctant to do so, but wonder if this is actually creating a bigger risk. Am I just too old school, and things have moved on?
I was always taught that you should never close the stirrup bar as that prevents the leather from sliding out and detaching from the saddle if you fall with a foot stuck in a stirrup and get dragged.
My stirrup leathers are snug in their bars so never had any concerns over them sliding out during riding with the bar end open and the air vest lanyard loop is trapped by the leather behind it, so the lanyard can't escape from the stirrup bar, with the leather there. On that basis, I don't see a need to close the bar.
However, I have Le Mieux Vector Balance safety Stirrups, and wear riding boots (not trainers or yard boots) so unlikely to get my foot stuck/dragged in a fall, so that would make closing the stirrup bar less of a worry.
I'm thinking there must be a good reason for the instructions to say to close the bar. I presume the thinking behind it is if in a fall the leather comes off, the lanyard loop could too, and that would effectively make the lanyard longer and possibly not then long enough to break away and trigger the vest inflation before hitting the ground?
As it's so ingrained in me not to close the bar, I'm reluctant to do so, but wonder if this is actually creating a bigger risk. Am I just too old school, and things have moved on?
. I've tested the function of the vest on quite a few occasions now and every time it has inflated before I've hit the ground and the stirrups have not detatched from the saddle. The bar is pretty tight on my saddle for both the stirrup leathers and the air vest attachment. The attachment also has an adjustment so that when you've attached it both sides you tighten it up so it is no longer long enough to be removed or come off on it's own.
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