Horse riding is a much-loved sport, but it is not without its risks. We all wear helmets when we ride and make sure we have cleared boots, and use safety stirrups. These are just a few of the ways we do our best to prevent accidents (at least bad ones) from happening. Accidents resulting from falling from horses are very dangerous and in many cases have lifelong consequences. Therefore the use of quality stirrups is highly recommended.
Getting caught in the running boards can lead to serious accidents
Again, many types of events can cause a rider to fall off the horse. It can be due to rider error, loss of balance (rider or horse), the horse tripping or falling, or anything else. Accidents happen, and our job as riders is simply to make sure that we take all possible preventative measures to keep ourselves safe.
We wear helmets to protect our heads, boots to keep our feet from slipping through stirrups, and safety vests to protect our spines and ribs. But have you ever thought about the importance of safety stirrups, and how important it is that your foot is released from the stirrups in the event of an accident?
If your foot gets caught in the stirrups when you fall, the accident and injury can be much more serious than it otherwise would have been. In the video below, you can see a rider jumping a nice, stable course with his horse, but falling off towards the end. If your foot gets caught in the stirrups when you fall, the accident and injury may be much more serious than it otherwise would have been.
Horses are prey animals – safety stirrups can prevent serious injury
Horses are prey animals, which means they tend to react first and ask questions later. In most cases, when a rider falls and gets stuck in the stirrups, the horse feels the pressure of the rider’s weight and tries to move away from him. When the pressure is not released when the horse moves away from it, horses react by trying to move away from more quickly. This can cause the horse to panic and drag the rider after it.
Being dragged behind a panicked horse by getting caught by the foot can cause serious injury. That’s why using safety stirrups designed to free your foot in the event of an accident is one of the most important things you should do as a rider. You may have to pay more but you can significantly minimize the risk of an accident.
Get your own safety stirrups today
If you don’t have safety stirrups yet, or if you’re looking for new ones, you should take a look at Acavallo Stirrups products. They are safety stirrups that feature an open side that will always free your foot. And they come in different colors. Would you try one of them? We hope this post was informative. Thank you for reading.
