Horse back riding can be a very dangerous sport. One of the most dangerous problems associated with horseback riding is getting a foot stuck in a stirrup while falling off your horse. A stirrup is the piece of the saddle that the riders foot goes in. Draggings are depicted on many western films, when the rider falls off and is drug behind the horse as the horse is running away.(The horse is spooked and runs because there is something following it ) A dragging can result in serious injury or death to the rider.
A company called "Saddle Technology Incorporated"(STI) has developed a modern stirrup system that breaks away from the saddle when the stirrup is rotated out of its normal downward position. CEO Mike McCoy has been in the cattle business all his life and rode in professional rodeos for sixteen years. Mike had witnessed a man die after being dragged behind a horse and was fearful this could happen to his children. Mike developed the breakaway stirrup system to protect his children. Others saw his invention and requested that Mike make them a pair for their saddle. Soon Mike formed the STI company and marketed his invention for the safety of other riders. Tim Feland, a Profession Rodeo calf roper endorses the STI breakaway stirrup and boasts its design enhances his performance in competition.
Author of the article Michael J. McCoy states that proper horsemanship and the correct equipment can help prevent riding accidents. Rider's attire such as tight fitting clothes or material that tears easily can help prevent the rider from becoming stuck on a fence post or tree branch and pulled from the saddle. Proper riding boots( also known as cowboy boots), can greatly reduce the chance that the riders foot will become stuck in the stirrup and the rider drug behind the horse. Check out the website for testimonials and more information on breakaway stirrups.
Safety stirrups are also available for English saddles. English safety stirrups have an elastic band that breaks during a fall, releasing the rider's foot. I have a young friend who recently went to a national equestrian competition. Her horse refused a jump and caused the rider to fall, trapping her foot in the stainless steel stirrup. Her ankle was badly twisted and swollen. She spent the rest of the competition on crutches and was unable to compete further. I thought, "if she only had safety stirrups, she could have continued to ride. " Safety stirrups are a great example of how the centuries old activity of horseback riding has been made safer for society with scientific innovation.
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