Importance of Stirrups

Whenever you see someone ride a horse or ride one yourself, you will find stirrups hanging down from the side of the saddle. Some horseback riding excursions allow anyone to use the stirrups, while others require specific types of footwear to use them due to certain risks, such as your foot sliding through the stirrup if you fall. However, these stirrups were not always used with horseback riding. The Chinese began using them sometime between first and fourth centuries A.D. European knights began using stirrups similar to their current form during the medieval period

  1. Balance

    • Riding a horse requires some degree of balance to avoid falling off as it moves. Some people ride without using stirrups, but it is more difficult. When your feet are in the stirrups, you are able to shift your weight from one side to the other as necessary without falling off the horse. Instead of allowing your feet to dangle freely, they can be pushed against the stirrups as they would against the ground.

    Mounting and Dismounting

    • Horses are very large animals, often taller than their riders. This makes getting on and off the horse more difficult, especially for a person who is shorter and a horse that is taller. Stirrups can help a rider get on and off the horse. The stirrup hangs lower on the horse and makes a good foothold. When you place one foot into the stirrup, you can use it as leverage to swing your other leg up and over. When you get down, you leave one foot in the stirrup and swing the other one over the back of the horse to the ground.

    Horse Control

    • While many of the commands you give the horse are verbal commands, the stirrups can be used to let the horse know what to do. For instance, when you tap the sides of the horse with your stirrups or squeeze gently, you are encouraging your horse to move forward or to go faster if it is already moving. Using the stirrups to communicate with the horse is often done in combination with something else, such as verbal commands or movement of the reins.

    Historical Importance

    • When the medieval knights began using the stirrups, they found that they did not fall from their horses during battle, thus making them more effective fighters. Those knights who used stirrups for their horses held an advantage over those who did not. This made stirrups a requirement for any kingdom that wanted to continue to succeed. The Chinese were also among the first to use the stirrup. However, they only used one to help with mounting and dismounting horses.