How to Size English Stirrups

English horseback riding uses a light and shallow saddle with stirrups positioned to hold your legs and feet at an angle. This provides the rider with a great deal of balance and control over the horse. The English rider communicates with the horse not just through the position and tension of the reins, but with their ability to touch the horse with their heels. Having the right size English stirrup is necessary to making sure that you can properly and safely ride in the English style.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Stirrup
  • Stirrup leathers
  • Horse (if needed)
  • Saddle horse (if needed)
  • English saddle
  • Girth
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the stirrup on the ground so it is standing up right (as if it were hanging from a saddle). The "stirrup" is actually considered to have two parts: the metal bell shaped frame (for your foot) and the stirrup leather that attaches it to the saddle. The stirrup allows you to adjust the height of your foot in the bell frame. You want the bell frame stirrup to sit on the ground.

    • 2

      Insert your foot into the stirrup so the ball of your foot is resting on the flat plate of the stirrup. Make sure you are have on your riding boots and that the ball of your foot is centered in the stirrup. Use a tape measure to check that you have 3/4-inch of space on each side of your boot between the boot and the frame of the stirrup. This is the most space you will want between your boot and the frame. More experienced riders may want less space; however, the less space makes it harder to remove your foot from the stirrup in the event of a fall. If the stirrup is too large, you will have difficulty keeping your foot in the stirrup.

    • 3

      Attach the metal stirrup to your stirrup leathers. Pass the leather like belt through the slot at the top of the metal bell frame and then through the metal ring on the saddle under the side flap on each side of the saddle. Buckle the stirrup leather.

    • 4

      Saddle your horse or a saddle horse (a kind of broad saw horse). Make sure the saddle is firmly attached by the girth (the large "belt" that passes around the belly of the horse and buckles to each side of the saddle).

    • 5

      Mount the saddle. Hold your legs at slightly less than a 90-degree angle from your waist. Adjust the stirrup leather until you can put your foot into the metal stirrup. Adjust the stirrup leather so that when the ball of your foot is in the metal stirrup you can comfortably drop your heel down. The ball of your foot should be higher than your heel at all times when riding English. This position will help you maintain your balance and position your foot so you may touch the body of the horse with your heel to tell the horse what to do. English horses are trained to respond to a variety of commands that are communicated through different touches and patterns of touch from the heel of the rider.

    • 6

      Repeat this process on the other stirrup.