Stirrup leather issues

[smiggy]

Sorry this is very dull but need advice
i bought a pair of non stretch leathers from eBay, new . Used them on Saturday and had to put one up a hole as felt wonky. Assumed just me as am a but wonky anyway. Today instructor rode and asked if they looked equal, when I looked they were really off so again had to have on non matching holes. took off saddle and holes don’t line up, by about 1cm by the shortest hole, which I am.
messaged seller today and she said to keep using them as they will settle and drop , but surely non stretch means they won’t .
have never had this issue before but am I being picky ?
failing that anyone suggest a good make ?

 

[Lady Jane]

What make are they?

 

[smiggy]

What make are they?

I’m not sure, it didn’t say on advert , not a well known make. They look nice though, soft non cracked leather.
last pair I bought were premier equine and they are awful, really poor quality.
was given a free pair with a new Albion saddle and used them every day almost for four years and they still look like new !

 

[asmp]

If you hold them up with stirrups in and buckles on the same hole and they don’t line up, then they are faulty. Mine are years old and are still level. Apart from stiff leather relaxing nothing else should be out.

 

[Red-1]

They are faulty. Ebay gives you 30 days to return, I would do.

I would get some quality ones, I have some, used daily for 10 years, still perfectly usable. As you have found, the good saddle makers will sell their own. Equipe etc.

 

[Sir barnaby]

I have recently bought some expensive stubben stirrup leathers as wanted good quality and fed up of feeling wonky!!
well beautiful leathers, nice close numbered holes L and R on my leathers so all good to go. They were very Difficult to put on saddle but hubby did it for me, my friends who ride Barney ride on holes number 12 each side and have no problem look level feel level. I got on to ride and I am on number 15 on the right and number 12 on the left I just don’t get it, I feel perfectly level, so I can only assume I ride tilted, or my right leg is shorter from having a bad break many years ago, bit disappointed as wanted not too have to ride on different lengths of stirrups, but I have accepted it’s me and certainly not the stirrups. People say I’m not crooked in the saddle and my saddle perfectly straight on horses back and not moving, very weird.

 

[1523679]

I’ve got exactly this ^^^ problem with an expensive set of stirrup leathers from a (well known? notorious?) saddle fitting company.

Lovely quality leather and with numbered holes - a great boon for a halfwit like me.

Except ... after having them for a few months I found I was riding on hole 14 on one leg and hole 17 on the other.

I didn’t believe I was quite that misshapen, so laid them flat on the floor and measured them with a steel rule. There’s a 3.5cm difference between the buckle pin joint and the first hole.

Leather varies across the hide and from one hide to the next. Obv, one of my leathers is from a stretchy bit of cow and the other one is not.

 

[pansymouse]

I have classic stirrup leathers with a nylon backing; they're at least 20 years old and still perfectly level. It's a style that is very hard to find but worth the search - mine are Kate Negus and they don't do them any more. I don't rate soft leather covering a nylon core type leathers at all - the leather becomes scruffy far too quickly - it's just not robust enough for the job in my view.

 

[Sir barnaby]

Going to measure mine to see if they are equal

 

[Leandy]

For those who find their leathers unequal after a period of time, I've always swapped my leathers over periodically so they stretch evenly. If you don't, they are likely to stretch unevenly because none of us are perfectly straight and even in our make up or balance and you will be leaning more heavily on one side than the other, however much you think you don't. This should be common practice. All leathers should be well matched leather and with even holes as new obviously!

 

[Sir barnaby]

I am the same as leandy I have previously swapped my original leathers regularly as when hunting you tend to lean quite heavily into your stirrups most of the time so they do stretch, but I have only had my stubben since 12 April bought specifically for a xc event, so I generally thought that having the L and R on each one they certainly wouldn’t have stretched in this short time as I have ridden on odd number holes since the first time I put them on I am very happy with them I just find it odd. On my old hunting leathers I had punched my own holes in between so thought that’s why they became mismatched, but I’m not so sure now I just think I am riding more to one side than the other but feel perfectly straight when I’m sat in the saddle, and my three other riders are actually riding on equal holes so it just has to be me !!! Which I find quite weird.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I have recently bought some expensive stubben stirrup leathers as wanted good quality and fed up of feeling wonky!!
well beautiful leathers, nice close numbered holes L and R on my leathers so all good to go. They were very Difficult to put on saddle but hubby did it for me, my friends who ride Barney ride on holes number 12 each side and have no problem look level feel level. I got on to ride and I am on number 15 on the right and number 12 on the left I just don’t get it, I feel perfectly level, so I can only assume I ride tilted, or my right leg is shorter from having a bad break many years ago, bit disappointed as wanted not too have to ride on different lengths of stirrups, but I have accepted it’s me and certainly not the stirrups. People say I’m not crooked in the saddle and my saddle perfectly straight on horses back and not moving, very weird.

It’s likely your horse is crooked and pushes more strongly with one hind and that will push you over. Mine is and my saddle has to be shimmed and even then I have to ride with different length leathers. I’m working on trying to even him out but he’s been that way long before I bought him and passed a 5 stage!

 

[Carrottom]

I’ve got exactly this ^^^ problem with an expensive set of stirrup leathers from a (well known? notorious?) saddle fitting company.

Lovely quality leather and with numbered holes - a great boon for a halfwit like me.

Except ... after having them for a few months I found I was riding on hole 14 on one leg and hole 17 on the other.

I didn’t believe I was quite that misshapen, so laid them flat on the floor and measured them with a steel rule. There’s a 3.5cm difference between the buckle pin joint and the first hole.

Leather varies across the hide and from one hide to the next. Obv, one of my leathers is from a stretchy bit of cow and the other one is not.

If they are long enough you could have them altered so they match.
I had a pair of leathers that stretched so much over the years that I ran out of holes. Rather than make new holes and have a long end hanging down I had them shortened (I did swap them over fairly regularly so they were equally stretched). I'm still using them now over 20 years later.

 

[Branna]

If they are new leathers and are unequal lengths off the horse then they must be faulty. They aren't going to suddenly even up especially if they are non-stretch!

I have a pair of Bates non-stretch leathers that have done 9 years of regular use so far, still in great condition and completely even.

 

[1523679]

If they are long enough you could have them altered so they match.

Thanks! I hadn’t even thought of that ? I’ll ask my saddle fitter about it ?

 

[Skib]

Our saddler sold me a pair of excellent unbranded Italian leathers (nylon lined) but the 2 holes I use streched over the years and I then bought myself some very pricey Amerigo. Calf skin over nylon apparently.
They have not yet stretched. I see to my amazement that I bought them in 2011 and apart from a year out for Covid lock down, I hack in them once a week.
I take my own stirrups and leathers and fit them on the saddle randomly left and right. When not in use I take the irons off and hang the leathers behind our cellar door so I remember to clean them.