Stirrups

Before we dive into the subject of comparing different sidesaddles, I thought we could take a look at sidesaddle irons being used today. I have done multiple posts on the elegant slipper stirrups, but this one is dedicated to more modern and practical stirrups.

These stirrups were offered to me when I purchased my Owen Sidesaddle. Take a look and guess which one I chose. The Whippy iron is on the left and the new sidesaddle iron on the right is from Britain. The Whippy iron is stamped "Whippy, London England" on the bottom. Look at the slight differences. Do you think is has anything to do with the fact we are taller, larger and now have bigger feet than our Victorian ancestors? I still chose the vintage one. If it does not fit, I will just add it to my collection.


Here is an antique (no brand name) 2-part break away stirrup... well actually they were sold on E-bay as a set, even though they were not even the same size! I don't believe the seller realized that these were sidesaddle stirrups! Guess who bought them??

Here is a more modern Whitman 2-part break away stirrup.

This is a solid brass break away stirrup. You can see by the photo how it comes apart in the case of an emergency dismount. I have one of these and love it.