Those with children/teenagers that ride PLEASE READ****

soulfull

soulfull

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 July 2007
Messages
6,506
Location
Staffs
Visit site
I was the Medic at a SJ event today.

There were 5/6 falls 3/4 out of the riders all got their feet stuck in their stirrups and one was dragged a short way. Thank god all ponies were fantastic. But one young girl was understandably really upset and worried by it. It could have easily ended so badly


On asking parents and organisers it seems YES stirrups were TOO SMALL:eek: or on in one case, some one said she felt it 'may' have been cheese grater treads with thick soled boots that may have been the cause

Kids grow so fast so please please check them
 
tazzle said:
another suggestion ... all my grandchildren had toe stoppers or similar because the same can happen with stirrups a tadge too big too :o
Click to expand...

Oh I could not agree more!!! however they are not 'cool' so I was told by one of the teenagers today, which of course means none of them will wear them :rolleyes:
 
I'm a teen and yes i agree with the stirrups too small and with the toe stoppers being uncool and i don't wear them but not because they're not cool but because they're uncomfortable for me :) however i also wear a BP and hi-viz and both of these are apparently uncool too, not only according to teens but also to some adults. I don't care what's cool and what isn't as long as i feel safe and comfortable however, what worries me is why some parents and their teens insist on still jumping their 13.2hh pony even though the teen is 5ft10 and has stirrups racing length to prevent knocking down the jumps with their feet. all because they're scared to move on to a bigger pony, not even mentioning a horse :rolleyes:
 
Shandys_mum said:
Makes me grateful that my 10 yo child has adult size 7 feet.
Click to expand...

My 13 year old also has size 7 feet and rides in adult stirrups, however he fell jumping and was dragged by one stirrup the full length of a grass field behind his horse, he was wearing leather riding boots (was at a show) and I only use the bent leg stirrups, it was purely the angle his foot/ankle went at as he flew out the side door, luckily the stirrup leather came off the bar which is when he stopped, he was a bit grazed and bruised, mare was more worried about it than he was, he soothed her, got back on and finished his round (only local show so they let him finish to re-gain his confidence).

As a mother it was horrific to watch, I felt like I moved in slow motion trying to get to him.
 
devilwoman said:
My 13 year old also has size 7 feet and rides in adult stirrups, however he fell jumping and was dragged by one stirrup the full length of a grass field behind his horse, he was wearing leather riding boots (was at a show) and I only use the bent leg stirrups, it was purely the angle his foot/ankle went at as he flew out the side door, luckily the stirrup leather came off the bar which is when he stopped, he was a bit grazed and bruised, mare was more worried about it than he was, he soothed her, got back on and finished his round (only local show so they let him finish to re-gain his confidence).

As a mother it was horrific to watch, I felt like I moved in slow motion trying to get to him.
Click to expand...

I bet it was horrific - daughter is not yet at this stage, but it wont take her long I'm sure :)
 
shiny-ISH said:
I'm a teen and yes i agree with the stirrups too small and with the toe stoppers being uncool and i don't wear them but not because they're not cool but because they're uncomfortable for me :) however i also wear a BP and hi-viz and both of these are apparently uncool too, not only according to teens but also to some adults. I don't care what's cool and what isn't as long as i feel safe and comfortable however, what worries me is why some parents and their teens insist on still jumping their 13.2hh pony even though the teen is 5ft10 and has stirrups racing length to prevent knocking down the jumps with their feet. all because they're scared to move on to a bigger pony, not even mentioning a horse :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Good for you hun!! unfortunately not so many like you. I do understand too what you say about the tall ones on little ponies

devilwoman said:
My 13 year old also has size 7 feet and rides in adult stirrups, however he fell jumping and was dragged by one stirrup the full length of a grass field behind his horse, he was wearing leather riding boots (was at a show) and I only use the bent leg stirrups, it was purely the angle his foot/ankle went at as he flew out the side door, luckily the stirrup leather came off the bar which is when he stopped, he was a bit grazed and bruised, mare was more worried about it than he was, he soothed her, got back on and finished his round (only local show so they let him finish to re-gain his confidence).

As a mother it was horrific to watch, I felt like I moved in slow motion trying to get to him.
Click to expand...

Oh dear as you say horrific to watch as a mom. But making sure stirrups are correct size does cut the odds down and at least you wouldn't feel guilty on top of the accident
 
I've seen too many kids dragged with the bent leg irons. I'm afraid I'm a great believer in the old fashioned peacock stirrups.
 
when my kids were learning to ride, they rode without stirrups at all for ages.

My son fell off he was riding with elastic sided safety stirrups, because he weighed about 20 kg at the time and he got both feet caught he hung upside down from his pony and neither stirrup released. Fortunately the pony did not kick or run off, and after that it was no stirrups for him and his siblings.

The pony club and local saddlery are always checking that the kids have correct size stirrups. We did use the toe stoppers at pony club when they started, but now they will not use those either.

I also know of two people who rode in sneakers, both who got there foot caught in the stirrup and snapped their ankles, with surgery needed and long periods or recuperation.

The correct shoe and stirrup are important. I like the heavier stirrups, some are so light they do not swing down with their own weight. i think you are more likely to get caught up in a light weight stirrup.
 
My 15yr old (small!) daughter always uses safety styrup irons & by god they've done there job - the amount of times she's lost the bands is a far better option than being dragged!! & although she will not wear a bp (other than xc) she always wears a hi-viz ...in fact she bought herself a hi-viz t-shirt the other day as her tabbard annoys her! It's a fab polo shirt, nice & cool for the bargain price of £2!!! :D
 
I think the bent leg stirrups aren't as safe as people hope, as when my daughter was younger her foot got caught when she fell off. Luckily the pony stopped quickly so she wasn't actually dragged but was stuck until I could help her get her foot out. Since then I have always used peacock stirrups and never had a problem since.
 
Shandys_mum said:
Makes me grateful that my 10 yo child has adult size 7 feet.
Click to expand...

soulfull said:
wow wonder how big they will grow lol
Click to expand...

devilwoman said:
My 13 year old also has size 7 feet and rides in adult stirrups, however he fell jumping and was dragged by one stirrup the full length of a grass field behind his horse, he was wearing leather riding boots (was at a show) and I only use the bent leg stirrups, it was purely the angle his foot/ankle went at as he flew out the side door, luckily the stirrup leather came off the bar which is when he stopped, he was a bit grazed and bruised, mare was more worried about it than he was, he soothed her, got back on and finished his round (only local show so they let him finish to re-gain his confidence).

As a mother it was horrific to watch, I felt like I moved in slow motion trying to get to him.
Click to expand...

I have fulmer stirrups (or whatever theyre called) My 13 yr old daughter is still learning and on lead rein at present,but she has size 5 to 6 size shoes (depending on make) . I think safety stirrups are good.

I cant imagine how you were feeling watching your child being dragged.Was he ok???
 
Please excuse me for being thick but what is the best/safest choice? At the mo my little one is still using her thoroughgood saddle, where we hack landrovers go greenlaning so sometimes the path is all bumpy so we let her hold the handle as well as reins for confidence cos pony likes to pop over the ruts lol she doesnt mind the little jumps and she is always on a lead rope with either me or daddy but she will need to upgrade to a larger saddle soon. She does have nasty plastic ones that we were told to put on thoroughgood by saddlery but what would be best moving forward? Any advice greatly appreciated xx :)
 
I use Barnes Buckles on my stirrups- they are designed to release the stirrup in the event of a fall. Coupled with safety stirrups they make me feel safer.
 
jesstickle said:
She was 25 at the time and a competent rider. Us grown ups should probably be careful too!
Click to expand...

Echo this - not just the kids/teens that need to be careful. The amount of people i see riding in wellies, hiking boots or boots with really chunky soles is worrying. I've bought boots in the past for mucking out/general horsework and decided they're too big for my stirrups, so i make sure i wear my 'slimline' riding boots even tho its a hassle to change in/out of them when you're in a rush! But after being dragged from a riding school pony out on a hack years ago, i know how scary it is and don't really want a repeat!
 
Us grown ups should probably be careful too!
Click to expand...

Echo this - not just the kids/teens that need to be careful.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. I bought some neoprene lined riding boots to use in cold weather and I needed to buy 5" stirrups to go with them as my normal 4 1/2" stirrups were too small for them.
 
nicolenlolly said:
Please excuse me for being thick but what is the best/safest choice? At the mo my little one is still using her thoroughgood saddle, where we hack landrovers go greenlaning so sometimes the path is all bumpy so we let her hold the handle as well as reins for confidence cos pony likes to pop over the ruts lol she doesnt mind the little jumps and she is always on a lead rope with either me or daddy but she will need to upgrade to a larger saddle soon. She does have nasty plastic ones that we were told to put on thoroughgood by saddlery but what would be best moving forward? Any advice greatly appreciated xx :)
Click to expand...


not thick at all!! I think like the different posts show there can be good and bad with all. however my own personal choice for a child would be peacock stirrups AND toe stoppers. Not only are you covering them twice BUT one of the other things I notice is just how many of the riders had their feet far far to forward when riding. They all started off in the correct place but the more they jumped the further forward the feet went.

Riding in toe stoppers will teach them just where the feet should be!!

In fact one girl told me if she rode in the toe stoppers she would lose her stirrups. It was not my place to tell her that it was her foot position that was wrong not the toe stoppers
Also recovering from ankle surgery I recently started using the toe stoppers myself and one thing I have noticed is how much more you can relax you foot and calf
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top