T bar stirrups vs 'normal' stirrups

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Paint Me Proud

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So whilst I'm on my tireless dressage saddle search I've started thinking about accessories (and also thinking about my bank account emptying!).

I've been looking at the t-bar style stirrups and wondering if they give a better feel with less bulk for a dressage saddle, compared to the conventional leathers.

Any personal experience of t-bar stirrups would be gratefully received to help me in my decision process.
 
Yup, they do give better feel :) They also dont ever nip me if I ride in unsuitable clothes, but that might just be luck! I love them! The only down side is they are a PITA to adjust when your on board, but again that might just be me not being flexible enough! But in case you missed it, I LOVE them :)
 
I love them :) much less faffy than normal stirrup leathers but I agree with FrankieCob about adjusting when you're on because you can't pull the leather round to get to the t-bar like you would with a normal stirrup leather with a buckle.
 
I also love them and have them on my jumping and dressage saddles. I have the ones made by Wow as you can buy them in 2" increments rather than just a few different sizes. You need to get the t bar to fit in the gap between your stirrup and ankle to avoid any rubbing of you or your saddle, so getting the right size is key.
I hate normal stirrup leathers now! I just pull my stirrup up to me to adjust if I need to :o BHS examiners would have a fit ;)
 
Agree with Milliepops, regarding the placement of the actual T bar. If it is on the saddle flap it will rub and scratch (learned this on by experience unfortunately!)
 
They are good but I don't feel they give your legs enough stability, they feel very flimsy to me, but maybe its just pychological.
 
Casey76 said:
Agree with Milliepops, regarding the placement of the actual T bar. If it is on the saddle flap it will rub and scratch (learned this on by experience unfortunately!)
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Mine have an inch square piece of leather that slides down and covers the actual bar. The bar doesn't go through and stick out the other side though it sits inside the leather
 
Mine do as well, but it's definitely more comfortable with just a leather strap and no metal etc between leg and saddle flap :)
 
Just to add another point of view, mine stretched very badly making the hole too big and and the T would slip out of the hole. I was on the road one time and had to ride holding the stirrup in one hand until I could turn onto a bridlepath and sort it out.

Could have caused a accident if it had been busy and i had a less amenable horse.

These were Jeffries T bar leather and they have a nylon core.
 
I had a pair which were fine, can't say the were any better or worse than normal ones. I never knew which way round to put them. I had them so that the T-bar was facing my leg and the flat side was facing the front so it looked nice and 'clean' from the front, but I was told that was wrong way to have them and the T-bar should be facing away from the leg. I can't see why you'd have all the gubbins on display?
 
I tried some but didn't like (probably weren't the right size), i found the chunky bit where the t-bar goes through the hole to be uncomfortable under my leg. I imagine if they were to stretch it would be more of an issue than normal ones stretching.
 
Mine had a little leather loop to go over the bar so it wasn't on show.

To be fair they were marketed as dressage leathers so aren't necessarily designed to take the weight you might put through them if you come out of your stirrups for fast work. I had them on my dressage saddle but usually would go for a hack before or after schooling to warm up/cool down so arguably wasn't using them as designed.
 
I've used mine for everything - jumping, galloping, hacking and dressage with no issue. i inspect them regularly, well, daily, before I use them! I've had the short pair on my jumping saddle for about 6 or 7 years with no signs of a problem coming. TBH I do think of stirrup leathers as long-term consumables. The normal plain leather ones will eventually stretch or give, or need new stitching etc.

ShadowHunter it sounds like you had the wrong size. You shouldn't have anything under your leg ideally. For me there's about a 6" space between the top of my iron and the bottom of my saddle flap where I want the T bar to sit. That's why I like the Wow ones as you can pick exactly the right size :)
 
I (think I) have WOW ones...v important to get the T in the right place. Mine are fab for dr, but when at jumping length I always end up with a bruise on each leg mid-shin. Also one of the leather protector things has stretched - to the eye, it looks fine, but it works its way over the bulge & I have to push it back every day. I am not sure whether it's fixable as it really doesn't look loose, but obvs it must be or it wouldn't slip.

I still prefer them to normal leathers & they don't appear to have stretched at all with 7 years of pretty much daily use.

T x
 
This wasn't the sort of stretching you see on normal stirrups where the leather starts to look thinner - the ones on my GP saddle started to show this after about 6 or 7 years.

This was stretching around the hole where the T pulled and took less than a year. Bear in mind I only used the dressage saddle when I was schooling (followed by a hack) so only about a third of the time.
 
catembi said:
Also one of the leather protector things has stretched - to the eye, it looks fine, but it works its way over the bulge & I have to push it back every day. I am not sure whether it's fixable as it really doesn't look loose, but obvs it must be or it wouldn't slip.



T x
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If they are Wow ones, ring up HQ and ask for a new 'woggle'. Mine also stretched and they sent me some replacements in the post :)
 
criso said:
This wasn't the sort of stretching you see on normal stirrups where the leather starts to look thinner - the ones on my GP saddle started to show this after about 6 or 7 years.

This was stretching around the hole where the T pulled and took less than a year. Bear in mind I only used the dressage saddle when I was schooling (followed by a hack) so only about a third of the time.
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We are all going to have different experiences and it boils down to preference in the end IMO :) I've had normal leathers and irons (!) snap in the past with no warning, I know someone who had the stirrup bar fall off their very expensive branded saddle - nothing is infallible ;)
 
annagain said:
[...]I never knew which way round to put them. I had them so that the T-bar was facing my leg and the flat side was facing the front so it looked nice and 'clean' from the front, but I was told that was wrong way to have them and the T-bar should be facing away from the leg. I can't see why you'd have all the gubbins on display?
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I have mine with the t-bar facing my leg too, as if it's the other way it marks my saddle. I really like the ones on my dressage saddle and need to order some for my jump saddle - it's surprising how different they feel without the bulk under your thigh.
 
I k
milliepops said:
I also love them and have them on my jumping and dressage saddles. I have the ones made by Wow as you can buy them in 2" increments rather than just a few different sizes. You need to get the t bar to fit in the gap between your stirrup and ankle to avoid any rubbing of you or your saddle, so getting the right size is key.
I hate normal stirrup leathers now! I just pull my stirrup up to me to adjust if I need to :eek: BHS examiners would have a fit ;)
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I know this is a zombie thread but I couldn’t be bothered making a new thread lol

thinking of getting these and wondering how you measure for them?
 
Equi said:
I k

I know this is a zombie thread but I couldn’t be bothered making a new thread lol

thinking of getting these and wondering how you measure for them?
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Um... can't remember ? I will measure mine tomorrow if that helps and report back? I *think* the wow ones are measured end to end and so you need to account for the bit that's doubled back. But I will check ?
 
Equi said:
I k

I know this is a zombie thread but I couldn’t be bothered making a new thread lol

thinking of getting these and wondering how you measure for them?
Click to expand...


Measure the length of your current stirrup leathers from bar to stirrup. Add between 75 and 150mm to allow for the loop back, and buy a pair that sits in that range. Shorter the better if you have long flaps and don't want the bar to run the flap. Ideally it will suit below the flap. Too short are a devil to bend back above the stirrup and get in the hole though.
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