What influences how you set your stirrup length?

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Dr David Marlin

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WHAT INFLUENCES HOW YOU SET YOUR STIRRUP LENGTH?

Stirrups appear to have been invented around 1000 years after the saddle in 200-300 CE (AD) but today are an essential part of tack contributing to both safety and performance.

We are interested to try and understand how UNITED KINGDOM (UK) based riders in who compete in DRESSAGE, SHOWJUMPING & EVENTING (both UNAFFILIATED & AFFILIATED) decide on how to set their stirrup length.

The survey below consists of around 20 questions and should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. There is also an opportunity to make your own comments. The survey is ANONYMOUS and no data that can identify you is collected.

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

The results will be made public.

Thank you

Dr David Marlin, Cambridge, UK
Prof Hilary Clayton, Michigan, USA
Charlotte Farmer-Day, Brooksby-Melton College
Melissa Andrews, Brooksby-Melton College
Jane Williams, Hartpury College

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Stirrup_Survey
 
PaddyMonty said:
Survey gets a bit long winded if you compete all three disciplines in pure form. :(
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Thanks for contributing. I agree it is longer and a little repetitive if you compete in all 3. There isnt an easy way to avoid this. We do need the detail to run meaningfull analysis. And we need to ask the same questions for each pure discipline to be able to compare.
 
I think there is another big influence that I tried to explain in the extra comments at the end regarding how you started out riding (e.g. me as an adult and not doing much jumping). Happy to expand if at all useful.
 
Done, and felt quite embarrassed to admit I have my set schooling length that's comfy, up 1 hole for hacking (2 if they are fresh!), And 2 for jumping. Habit seems to determine stirrup length for me !
 
Since I always ride my own horses in their own saddles (dressage riding) there is almost no need to ever change the stirrup length once it has been set.
 
I don't do any of the 3 disciplines and my stirrups vary wildly at work! I hack out like John Wayne, canter the stirrups go up 8 holes, for a piece of work they go up 12. Jumping hurdles is 8, poles is 6.

Riding my own at home the only variation to stirrups is if I actually have a saddle on or not! Otherwise those ones don't change.
 
Dr David Marlin said:
Dr David Marlin, Cambridge, UK
Prof Hilary Clayton, Michigan, USA
Charlotte Farmer-Day, Brooksby-Melton College
Melissa Andrews, Brooksby-Melton College
Jane Williams, Hartpury College
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Just out of interest why not list the (commercial?) organisation you're representing along side the Colleges? I assume you didn't mean people to assume you had a connection to Cambridge University? Which seems unlikely...
 
GirlFriday said:
Just out of interest why not list the (commercial?) organisation you're representing along side the Colleges? I assume you didn't mean people to assume you had a connection to Cambridge University? Which seems unlikely...
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I really don't think Dr Marlin has any need to sprinkle dazzle dust over his credentials.
 
Auslander said:
I really don't think Dr Marlin has any need to sprinkle dazzle dust over his credentials.
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Was asking who was sponsoring the research and why it wasn't being made obvious.

ETA: I understand OP has/had a business address in Cambridge so location wise it is fine, just sometimes people say what company they are acting on behalf of.
 
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GirlFriday said:
Just out of interest why not list the (commercial?) organisation you're representing along side the Colleges? I assume you didn't mean people to assume you had a connection to Cambridge University? Which seems unlikely...
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Dear GirlFriday

Perhaps you would like to identify yourself rather than post unfounded accusations from behind a pseudonym?

I put Cambridge UK as that is where I live. I'm representing myself. If I wanted to use an academic affiliation I would use Oklahoma State University where I hold the position of Professor of Physiology. I guess by implying that I have a commercial interest in this research that you are also implying that I am misleading my colleagues, Hilary, Charlotte, Melissa and Jane as they are certainly not aware of any commercial angle on this survey?

I have been supervising Charlotte and Melissa for the past year to help them establish themselves in an area of research. I am in the fortunate position of being able to fund a lot of my own research these days.

If your aim was to try and derail the survey then you are way too late.

Please do consider when making comments like this the UK laws on defamation,

Regards

David Marlin
 
GirlFriday said:
Was asking who was sponsoring the research and why it wasn't being made obvious.

ETA: I understand OP has/had a business address in Cambridge so location wise it is fine, just sometimes people say what company they are acting on behalf of.
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If you had been interested in who was sponsoring the research you could have phrased your question in a non-confrontational way e.g. "Can you say whether this research is grant funded or commercially funded". You also did not have to imply that I was trying to give the impression that I am part of Cambridge University.
 
Dr David Marlin said:
If you had been interested in who was sponsoring the research you could have phrased your question in a non-confrontational way e.g. "Can you say whether this research is grant funded or commercially funded". You also did not have to imply that I was trying to give the impression that I am part of Cambridge University.
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I didn't read GFs post as confrontational, more just curious, as I was to be honest, because you list colleagues from a wide range of geographical areas but not really what the research is for....?

It's also not unusual to use a pseudonym on here, and is no indication of someone's intentions as a regular poster
 
DabDab said:
I didn't read GFs post as confrontational, more just curious, as I was to be honest, because you list colleagues from a wide range of geographical areas but not really what the research is for....?

It's also not unusual to use a pseudonym on here, and is no indication of someone's intentions as a regular poster
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"I assume you didn't mean people to assume you had a connection to Cambridge University? Which seems unlikely..." Why would that seem unlikely?
 
GirlFriday said:
Just out of interest why not list the (commercial?) organisation you're representing along side the Colleges? I assume you didn't mean people to assume you had a connection to Cambridge University? Which seems unlikely...
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I read it as meaning Cambridge University.

David, I think if you find this post confrontational them you may be a little too delicate for this forum :D

I tried to do the survey but gave up half way through because of the repetition if you do all three disciplines and because you don't seem interested in the vast majority of riders who do none of those disciplines at all. Without the latter, I think your survey will be very biased I'm afraid.
 
Dr David Marlin said:
"I assume you didn't mean people to assume you had a connection to Cambridge University? Which seems unlikely..." Why would that seem unlikely?
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Because there's no equine studies faculty at Cambridge? I did think that you meant Cambridge University but I thought it was very odd that Cambridge would be doing research into stirrup length.
 
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ycbm said:
I read it as meaning Cambridge University.

David, I think if you find this post confrontational them you may be a little too delicate for this forum :D

I tried to do the survey but gave up half way through because of the repetition if you do all three disciplines and because you don't seem interested in the vast majority of riders who do none of those disciplines at all. Without the latter, I think your survey will be very biased I'm afraid.
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30 years in academia and business! :) I'm far from sensitive, but thank you for your concern. I just don't see any need for confrontation for the sake of it. If you don't like the study, me or anything else about it - scroll on :)

The survey has been designed by myself, Hilary Clayton and the two lecturers. It has been piloted. The design is specific to the aims of the research. The survey is intentionally biased - towards competitive riders in SJ, DR and eventing - but then we wont be making any inferences about how riders who don't compete choose their stirrup lengths. We wish to compare how eventers set their stirrups in SJ versus people who only ride SJ, etc whilst also looking at SJ v dressage. Whilst you may have found it tedious, 1300 other riders haven't. In the future we will likely look at non-competitive riders and then make comparisons.
 
Don't you know who I am :D ?

Perhaps you should have explained that earlier, David?

Could I please ask what the point of this research is? It's a lot of effort for five academics to go to, and I'm not aware of anyone feeling that there's a big problem with knowing how to set your stirrups?
 
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Dr David Marlin said:
30 years in academia and business! :) I'm far from sensitive, but thank you for your concern. I just don't see any need for confrontation for the sake of it. If you don't like the study, me or anything else about it - scroll on :)

The survey has been designed by myself, Hilary Clayton and the two lecturers. It has been piloted. The design is specific to the aims of the research. The survey is intentionally biased - towards competitive riders in SJ, DR and eventing - but then we wont be making any inferences about how riders who don't compete choose their stirrup lengths. We wish to compare how eventers set their stirrups in SJ versus people who only ride SJ, etc whilst also looking at SJ v dressage. Whilst you may have found it tedious, 1300 other riders haven't. In the future we will likely look at non-competitive riders and then make comparisons.
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But that's not how a forum works, and your reply to GF was very confrontational.....
You are using this forum as a resource for your academic research (a free resource at that), people are entitled to ask what the research is for.
 
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