Another way to manage an English stirrup leather

[Trailpal]

A friend just sent me a cool book called "The horse's pain-free back and saddle-fit book" by Dr. Joyce Harmon.

She shows a way to use an English stirrup leather so that the buckle is down by the stirrup and the tail is nice and neat. I made a pdf of that page and you can see it at
www.tigerhorsefarms.com/Stirrup%20Leather.pdf
if you'd like to see how it works.

On the facing page (I didn't copy that), she points out that this is mostly useful on Dressage saddles since the buckle is usually right under your thigh. )n more forward seat saddles, the stirrup hanger is usually in front of your thigh so it isn't a problem.

[DreamQuest]

Cool. Thanks for posting that!

[Trailpal]

You're welcome!

I meant to add in my original post that I think this would be handy for the LJ, I need to try it out.

[KaLioMele]

Hey T-leigh, fix my stirrups like that for me when you send it back, eh?

[ponyexpress]

That's just what I do with my Barefoot saddle/leathers. I was trying to describe it on a previous post re: LJ saddles and leathers....a picture is worth a thousand words!

[Marci]

cool, I gotta try that. Only problem I can see is it would be hard to change leather length.

[Mary Ann]

Yeah, what Marci said. I like the neatness in the pic; it appeals to my minimalist nature. But I share my LJ with my grandsons so I need shorter sometimes.

BTW, those of you who are getting an Equipedic from Stella? Try it under your LJ, with the buckles up. I did that the other day and could not feel the buckles, or the rings. I was astonished. Equipedic pads ROCK.

[DorothyB]

My stirrup length is easy to change. I will be bringing my LJ in tomorrow and I PROMISE to take and post pictures of exactly, step by step, how keet set them up.

[Sheryl]

MA, I am too mentally challenged to figure out how to do this fancy stuff with the leathers. It is all I can do to get the basics right! Honestly, I look at that picture, and simply cannot see what needs to happen.

I use my Skito and so far feel neither ring nor buckles!

[DorothyB]

I'm like Sheryl - the instructions didn't help me. Keet however, was able to read and understand and follow! She fixed my stirrups for me when she borrowed my LJ a while back.

I promised pictures of how it is done. Just to be honest about how confusing it is, remember, I un-did it and immediately did it again taking pictures. I realized it wasn't right so I un-did it all and did it all again turning the stirrup leather around. As I rode I realized that side wasn't as comfortable as the other. When I got home from my ride, I realized that I had the stirrup leather turned right the first time, but had put the stirrup on backwards. So I un-did it and re-did it a THIRD time! This time it is RIGHT!!

So, here goes:

We will start with the end result - same picture. Note how the buckle is on the toe side of the stirrup.



Begin by putting the stirrup leather on the D ring. Put the end with the holes through the underside of the D ring and up over the front of it





Pull it through enough so that the end and the buckle are close together



Insert the end of the leather into the stirrup going from the back of the stirrup towards the part where the toe goes



Put the end through the buckle and fasten as normal





Then comes the key to the whole thing!

When the leather is buckled, the end just sticks out at the front of the stirrup. (I have the stirrup twisted - it is pointing to the back of Shiloh, but the picture shows how the end looks)



Take the tip of the loose end and stick it back through what is now the "upper" part of the buckle (the part next to the leather)



and pull it all the way through. Now the end is inside between the two layers of leather





That's it!!

To adjust the leathers, I pull the end through, unbuckle and slide to the appropriate hole, re-buckle and stick the end back through the top of the buckle. Adjusting is a piece of cake once you get the stirrups on the first time.

[Yip]

Now THAT I can understand!

Thanks, Dorothy! I just wasn't getting any of the others either.

[Mary Ann]

Great job, Dorothy!

[AmberC]

I did it that way but I think my leathers are too long for me, because I've got a LOT of extra length left, and it won't stay between the two layers of leather, and it flops all over the place.

[Trailpal]

I've done various things to hold the layers of leathers neat and tidy.

- use a pony tail bob (the kind with no metal)
- a section of bicycle tire a couple of inches long (they come in different tube sizes)
- a velcro cable strap

They all seem to work. And of course the fleece tubes are great for that as well as being more comfy on your legs.

[AmberC]

I've got some fleece and plan on making tubes to put it through, but I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet!