Rigid Stirrups Vs. Hinged Stirrups

Reprinted from 40 5-MINUTE FIXES FOR JUMPING Wendy Murdoch Test Rigid Stirrups vs. 39 Hinged Stirrups

Training Aids: Use this 5-Minute Fix to understand why hinged stirrups are not always Two pairs of leathers: one with a solution to your riding problems. If you prefer to use them after read- a rigid “Fillis” ing this Fix, that’s fine. As long as you know what you are doing and type stirrups and one with hinged why and how it affects you, choose what you want. stirrups

When jumping do you: • Ride in hinged stirrups? • Brace against the stirrups? • Have knee pain? • Want a more secure position?

It is more productive to solve the prob- decades that hinged stirrups appeared on lems that cause you to ride in hinged stir- the scene. rups—and more effective than applying The most common form of stirrup this expensive Band-Aid®, which merely (or “iron,” named for the metal they masks the issues. were made of) in English riding is called Rigid stirrups are recorded as far a “Knife Edge” or “Fillis.” Based on the back as the fourth century in China. English stirrup of an upside down “U” Toe stirrups (loops of rope, which hold shape with a one-inch-wide tread across the big toe) date as far back as the the bottom, these stirrups, designed by second century in Northern India (see James Fillis, made their appearance in the The Stirrup and Its Origins by A.D.H. eighteenth century and are heavier than Bivar). While stirrups have gone through the old English stirrup. Hinged stirrups a lot of changes over the centuries, the are a modiﬁed version of the Fillis style. history of the rigid stirrup has been The advent of the hinged version just that: rigid. It is only in the past few corresponds to the change in riding style

236 SECTION 7: EQUIPMENT T EST RIGID STIRRUPS VS. HINGED STIRRUPS 237 Copyright Wendy Murdoch, Trafalgar Square Books ORDER= www.HORSEANDRIDERBOOKS.COM Reprinted from 40 5-MINUTE FIXES FOR JUMPING Wendy Murdoch

Fig. 39.1 A hinged seen in the 1980s and ’90s, when a forced, stirrup. The hinge is lower-leg position became quite common. soft, therefore the They appeared on the hunter/jumper tread has swung forward, allowing scene first and have been adopted by the rider to continue dressage riders as well. Although I cannot pushing against the confirm this, they seem to have become stirrup with the ball of popular because of knee pain. I find it her foot while swing- ing the stirrup forward interesting that after a couple of thousand to “falsely” deepen years without change, hinged stirrups are her heel. (See also now commonly accepted. Perhaps this is fig. 18.2 B, the same because we have lost the military influ- photo with a line ences on riding where good function was clearly demonstrating how the heel is sig- necessary for survival. nificantly higher than As they are so much a part of the the stirrup tread.) modern riding culture, I feel it is important to present a few reasons why I prefer

Safety Stirrups

Alternatives to the traditional Fillis stirrups are safety stirrups, which come in a variety of designs. Safety stirrups are rigid with the side branch altered to give way or make it easier for the rider’s foot to come out. They come in a variety of styles and have one common goal: to ensure that your foot is Fig. 39.2 A safety stirrup. The outside of the stirrup is not trapped in the stirrup if you formed by a rubber band, which will come free of the stirrup come off (fig. 39.2). in an emergency.

238 SECTION 7: EQUIPMENT TEST RIGID STIRRUPS VS. HINGEDSTIRRUPS 239 Copyright Wendy Murdoch, Trafalgar Square Books ORDER= www.HORSEANDRIDERBOOKS.COM Reprinted from 40 5-MINUTE FIXES FOR JUMPING Wendy Murdoch

my students to ride with rigid rather than hinged stirrups (ﬁg. 39.1). Tread Width

1. The location of the hinge does not cor- Traditional Fillis stirrups have a one-inch-long respond to the anatomy and function of tread while other types of stirrups— Western, the foot. A side-hinged stirrup allows the polo, endurance, and others—have a longer lower part of the stirrup to swing forward, tread. The length of tread determines how much of your forefoot rests on the stirrup. creating a pendulum within a pendulum. Ancient stirrups were as long as the rider’s entire foot. Some riders feel that a longer tread 2. The side-hinge destabilizes the lower gives them more support, preventing the ball of leg. Some hinged stirrups are stiffer than the foot from being pushed down with the heel others; however, they all move if enough lifting up like a high-heel shoe. I find that the force is applied. The rider’s foot moves length of the tread does not cause problems slightly forward as the stirrup gives, sink- with leg function, provided the stirrups are rigid, ing the heel forward and down instead of and a longer tread is often more comfortable, back and down, and this opens the knee especially for long rides. angle. Instead of riding over the base of support, the rider’s foot drops out from underneath her and her weight drops downward. This reinforces the habit of leg away from the horse’s sides and also bracing instead of changing her leg func- increases the hardness of the calf muscles. tion to an effective and less damaging sequence of joint movements (see Fix 14, 5. Hinged stirrups are signiﬁcantly more 18, and 21). expensive than rigid stirrups.

3. A hinged stirrup can create a bounc- 6. The pressure on the horse’s back ing or trampoline effect under the foot; increases when hinged stirrups are used. with each stride the stirrup is slightly At a clinic where we were using the different, so the rider cannot rely on her Pliance® Saddle Pressure technology to base of support for stability without grip- observe the rider’s center of pressure on ping or bracing the knee. a horse’s back, we discovered that hinged stirrups increased the amount of pres- 4. The heel drives down farther because sure under the saddle. When we changed the stirrup gives way. This takes the lower to rigid stirrups, the rider was able to get

238 SECTION 7: EQUIPMENT TEST RIGID STIRRUPS VS. HINGED STIRRUPS 239 Copyright Wendy Murdoch, Trafalgar Square Books ORDER= www.HORSEANDRIDERBOOKS.COM Reprinted from 40 5-MINUTE FIXES FOR JUMPING Wendy Murdoch

out of the saddle and the pressure on the use their joints correctly to avoid damage, horse’s back decreased. stabilize their leg, and eliminate the damag- The bottom line is that many riders ing downward force on the horse’s back have knee pain due to bracing against the created by an artiﬁcial side-hinge. stirrup. Using hinged stirrups alleviates the symptoms but does not resolve the cause EXERCISE or prevent further knee damage. The hip, On the Horse knee, and ankle, when working correctly within the conﬁnes created by the stirrup 1. Review Fixes 4, 12, and 14 to be sure length, do not put pressure on the knees. you are not stiffening your knees or brac- I prefer to see my students learn how to ing against your stirrups.

2. Do the following experiment. Ride 15 minutes in the hinged Correctly Sized Stirrups stirrups you typically use. Stop It is very important to ride in a correctly and change to a rigid pair. Ride sized stirrup (fig. 39.3). Riding in a for another 15 minutes and then stirrup that is too narrow is dangerous switch back. What is the difference because your foot could get stuck (see between the two sets of irons? fig. 17.1 A). Too wide, and your foot Does your horse go differently? could slide through it easily. The tread Once you have done this experi- should be one inch wider than your ment, choose what is best for you boot so that you have one-half inch and your horse. on either side when your foot rests in the middle. You need to get another pair of stirrups for the 3. Outﬁt two pairs of leathers, one with winter if your warm boots are wider so that you still have rigid stirrups and the other with hinged. room on either side of your boot. Far too often, I see heavy Some of my students are ﬁne with rigid winter boots crammed into a too narrow stirrup. Given that horses are often more fresh in the winter, this is not a good stirrups in the ring but not when out fox combination! hunting all day, or trail riding. In these circumstances, I suggest they keep two Fig. 39.3 A correctly sized stirrup for this summer boot. Com- sets of leathers, one with rigid and another pare with figs. 17.1 A–C, where there is hardly enough room for with hinged stirrups, so they can swap the foot even without a boot! out the leathers when foxhunting and ride with rigid stirrups in the arena.

240 SECTION 7: EQUIPMENT USE A NECK STRAP 241 Copyright Wendy Murdoch, Trafalgar Square Books ORDER= www.HORSEANDRIDERBOOKS.COM