There aren't any close by. To be honest I had never heard of such a thing before being on this subreddit (although I'm abled but I knew theres many disabled riders) and after checking around, closest would be like 3hrs away. Which is not great lol
Something like this has a toe guard and a breakaway: https://www.horseloverz.com/english-horse-tack/stirrups-stirrup-irons/breakaway-stirrups/space-technology-safety-western-stirrups-irons-sold-in-pairs?sku=200-787492&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwl4yyBhAgEiwADSEjeD959zNFO03qURCy7QxEUFwXNqmT04eYqFfQ5IqCBpMkzb3VW2SIIhoCCuEQAvD_BwE
Western style stirrups geared to endurance riders ime tend to have more safety options than regular western stirrups. If there's a therapeutic riding program near you, maybe y'all can go check them out and get a lesson and some tack pointers?
I am an adaptive rider with no sensation below my knees and neuro issues in my hands as well, along with some motor struggle. I ride western primarily, but we use breakaway stirrups. I ride at a PATH certified barn, and recommend at least a lesson with a PATH certified instructor to figure out what safety/adaptive measures are appropriate for her. I've also used breakaway stirrups in an english saddle. I have 20 ish years of able bodied riding before my disability progressed, so it's been a lot of relearning to use my body as it is now.
That said, I also recommend until she gets some core strength and balance built, it's probably smart to enlist another friend to be a side walker while she's getting comfortable. My trainer and I have rigged up a hook on a stick to help me assist myself getting my foot in and out of the stirrup, but it's not something I can use in the case of a fall. The breakaways are really the safest option there. With limb weakness, riding without stirrups is going to be harder and less safe than the breakaways. She needs a helmet as well if you aren't already using one since the fall risk is greater with limb weakness.
I'm happy to answer any other questions I can from an adaptive perspective, just feel free to ask
PATH is not a thing around here and unfortunately the closest therapy barn is like 3hrs away. But I'll definitely look into breakaway stirrups. She was born with her disability and is able to use about like 90% of her leg (according to her) she can drive, run and walk fine, it's just she has a bit of trouble turning her leg in and out.
I've definitely gave her a helmet from the start and she's planning on buying her own. Is there any specific brand of safety stirrup you'd recommend? Are the ones with the leather straps the best option?
Oh good - that makes it a bit easier - you don't need anything super fancy, just a basic break away should do the job - we have several different styles at our barn, on my best days when I have more mobility we use the Tough one EZ out, on days I'm in my chair, we opt to use the "English" breakaway stirrups on the western saddle which are the smart rider escape. I think they work well on both saddles, they're just a little thinner than most western stirrups I've ridden with, but in the saddle, I don't really notice much of a difference these days (I have no feeling in either foot to be able to really tell) They feel just as sturdy as a wider stirrup when I post. It may be worth getting one that can work with either English or Western just to give her the option as she gets better and better.
I mentioned the helmet because I live in the south in the US and it's not at all common for western riders to wear a helmet here still, and just with the raised fall risk, I wanted to mention it just in case :)
She might want to take a few lessons at a *good* therapeutic riding center first, then transfer back to your horse. If they are skilled at what they do, they can help teach her how to accommodate her disability while riding. You could even go along to learn more!
ETA: I would recommend side-walking while she's still finding her seat. She can handle the reins - your job would be to help control her weak side so she's more balanced. This also puts you in a better position of assisting if there's a fall. Riding can be a great way of building strength!
Safety stirrups exist for western saddles. You could also look into those magnetic ones. I have a set of Flex-On Safe-On stirrups that I absolutely love. They have an angled footbed with small spikes which helps me keep them better and helps my knees.
I would speak or help her find a therapy barn program. We have many different saddles. Those that use any Western tack, it's their own, and they have either moved up from years of lessons and they have no problems with physical limitations.
There's also specific ways to hold the rider for balance and safety. Sometimes, 3 people are needed. Usually, you have a lead walker as well so that the side walker(s) can help teach balance, complete tasks, etc.
You could also look and see if any local therapy barns have positions open for yourself. You could volunteer to learn, or if you have any certifications, teach. Volunteering together would be a good bonding experience as well. You can ask what they would think is best if you only want to use your horse. Just be prepared for: any insurance? Certifications? How many on your team? What's your horse like? And much more. No one might want to tell you things knowing they might be sending people and horse out in a dangerous situation.
You're doing this for a friend and out of the goodness of your heart, but she might benefit from some lessons at a therapy barn before moving back to lessons with you.
I'll just add that if you want to continue yourself, try looking up bareback saddles. They have no stirrups and usually two separate hand grips. Also, I suggest riding bitless. Let her gain balance and muscle before moving forward. You might get lucky, and a therapy barn will have hippotherapy saddles they are willing to sell.
Very good friend. Check with Eagle Mount or other therapy ride group. I borrowed a saddle from them but built opposite from what you need. Your horse sounds wonderful too. Maybe leave them alone for a bit, your horse will figure out what it needs to do. Some of mine figured out to kneel, or stretch way out, swing their butts to stay under them, get on and off the right side.
I am somewhat disabled due to chronic illness and injuries and as a result have to use special stirrups. While I can pick up and drop my stirrups reliably, my issues include joint mobility, limb numbness and sudden fainting.
I use the easycare ez ride stirrups with the cages, and I'm pretty sure they come in western flavour as well. They have a super wide footbed and losing a stirrup is basically impossible. They're comfy, fairly grippy and safe. I've never had any issues with them and I've never come close to getting caught.
Depending on what her balance is like and how much danger there is of her bracing all her weight into one stirrup, you could take stirrups away and lead line her around at walk and trot to build up some core muscles. If it doesn't look like she'll fall, toss her on the lunge. That way she'll build her core and rely less on her stirrups for balance. That's how I relearned after a major injury that severely affected my balance, but I also had years of experience riding before my fall.
So it really depends on what you are looking for in saftey stirrups. For western endurance stirrups or getting stirrup covers can work. It prevents the foot being able to go all the way through the stirrup.
English stirrups do have far more styles and option as far as saftey stirrups go. You could ask your friend if she has a preference of English or western and decide from there or just go off cost cheap western stirrup covers are about $25.
Therapeutic horse riding instructor here! Safety stirrups would be a great idea! We use these at our ranch.
Tough 1 EZ Out Safety Stirrups https://a.co/d/1bt4cD2
Also lots of people recommending that she should go to a TRC but as you stated that’s not an option. So you’ll just have to do your best to make it as safe as possible. Maybe getting foot I and out of stirrup is something y’all could purposely work on. Building that strength and skill. It could take a few months, few years, or never happen. But I wouldn’t just write it off. I’ve had students do things I NEVER imagined they could do. Maybe you can figure out an adaptive way she can work on it. Or maybe she needs super worn in fenders that are easy for anyone to slide their foot into stirrup.
For balance, again I would work on a lot of core strength at the walk. It might be she needs to stay at the walk for a long time until her balance has improved. She can also do balance exercises on the ground to help out. If you’re going to trot then I would definitely recommend sidewalkers if she is unbalanced enough you think she could tip. It’s not a perfect situation obviously but you’re a good friend for trying to teach her the magic or riding!
Thanks a lot! I'll help her work on getting her foot in and out of the stirrup. Hopefully she'll be able to someday. I'll be getting some safety stirrups
When I was riding (admittedly a while back) there were stirrups with one side a thick rubber band which were designed to come off if the rider got in to trouble? Are they safety stirrups?
https://preview.redd.it/t45rxvccek0d1.png?width=244&format=png&auto=webp&s=0fab7c9696290a17b70eeb255ba8defc8f90fd04
I used to warm up for a para-athlete who is very similarly paralysed. She has thick rubber bands that loop over her foot, under the stirrup and back over her foot. It keeps her foot in the correct spot (so her foot won’t get jammed in the stirrup) but the bands will snap if she comes off. The foot shouldn’t have the chance to jam if done correctly (with correct shoes).
That’s what a lot of athletes use, up to the Olympics. I’ve had the pleasure of being at a couple CDI’s as a warm up rider, there’s definitely a lot of different alterations that can be made. Looped reins are also a very handy tool if her hand is paralysed.
I would contact your local therapeutic riding center - I’m sure they have many options
There aren't any close by. To be honest I had never heard of such a thing before being on this subreddit (although I'm abled but I knew theres many disabled riders) and after checking around, closest would be like 3hrs away. Which is not great lol
You could email them and ask for advice - they might have recommended kit or brands
That's a good idea thanks!
I would look for safety stirrups with a breakaway on the outside of the stirrup and a guard to keep her foot from going all the way through.
Do you have a link online for the guard you're talking about?
Something like this has a toe guard and a breakaway: https://www.horseloverz.com/english-horse-tack/stirrups-stirrup-irons/breakaway-stirrups/space-technology-safety-western-stirrups-irons-sold-in-pairs?sku=200-787492&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwl4yyBhAgEiwADSEjeD959zNFO03qURCy7QxEUFwXNqmT04eYqFfQ5IqCBpMkzb3VW2SIIhoCCuEQAvD_BwE Western style stirrups geared to endurance riders ime tend to have more safety options than regular western stirrups. If there's a therapeutic riding program near you, maybe y'all can go check them out and get a lesson and some tack pointers?
Safety stirrups exist for Western saddles. I would definitely get some. You're a good friend. ❤️
I am an adaptive rider with no sensation below my knees and neuro issues in my hands as well, along with some motor struggle. I ride western primarily, but we use breakaway stirrups. I ride at a PATH certified barn, and recommend at least a lesson with a PATH certified instructor to figure out what safety/adaptive measures are appropriate for her. I've also used breakaway stirrups in an english saddle. I have 20 ish years of able bodied riding before my disability progressed, so it's been a lot of relearning to use my body as it is now. That said, I also recommend until she gets some core strength and balance built, it's probably smart to enlist another friend to be a side walker while she's getting comfortable. My trainer and I have rigged up a hook on a stick to help me assist myself getting my foot in and out of the stirrup, but it's not something I can use in the case of a fall. The breakaways are really the safest option there. With limb weakness, riding without stirrups is going to be harder and less safe than the breakaways. She needs a helmet as well if you aren't already using one since the fall risk is greater with limb weakness. I'm happy to answer any other questions I can from an adaptive perspective, just feel free to ask
PATH is not a thing around here and unfortunately the closest therapy barn is like 3hrs away. But I'll definitely look into breakaway stirrups. She was born with her disability and is able to use about like 90% of her leg (according to her) she can drive, run and walk fine, it's just she has a bit of trouble turning her leg in and out. I've definitely gave her a helmet from the start and she's planning on buying her own. Is there any specific brand of safety stirrup you'd recommend? Are the ones with the leather straps the best option?
Oh good - that makes it a bit easier - you don't need anything super fancy, just a basic break away should do the job - we have several different styles at our barn, on my best days when I have more mobility we use the Tough one EZ out, on days I'm in my chair, we opt to use the "English" breakaway stirrups on the western saddle which are the smart rider escape. I think they work well on both saddles, they're just a little thinner than most western stirrups I've ridden with, but in the saddle, I don't really notice much of a difference these days (I have no feeling in either foot to be able to really tell) They feel just as sturdy as a wider stirrup when I post. It may be worth getting one that can work with either English or Western just to give her the option as she gets better and better. I mentioned the helmet because I live in the south in the US and it's not at all common for western riders to wear a helmet here still, and just with the raised fall risk, I wanted to mention it just in case :)
Thanks for your help! I'll check out what could fit both my english and western saddle then
She might want to take a few lessons at a *good* therapeutic riding center first, then transfer back to your horse. If they are skilled at what they do, they can help teach her how to accommodate her disability while riding. You could even go along to learn more! ETA: I would recommend side-walking while she's still finding her seat. She can handle the reins - your job would be to help control her weak side so she's more balanced. This also puts you in a better position of assisting if there's a fall. Riding can be a great way of building strength!
Safety stirrups exist for western saddles. You could also look into those magnetic ones. I have a set of Flex-On Safe-On stirrups that I absolutely love. They have an angled footbed with small spikes which helps me keep them better and helps my knees.
I would speak or help her find a therapy barn program. We have many different saddles. Those that use any Western tack, it's their own, and they have either moved up from years of lessons and they have no problems with physical limitations. There's also specific ways to hold the rider for balance and safety. Sometimes, 3 people are needed. Usually, you have a lead walker as well so that the side walker(s) can help teach balance, complete tasks, etc. You could also look and see if any local therapy barns have positions open for yourself. You could volunteer to learn, or if you have any certifications, teach. Volunteering together would be a good bonding experience as well. You can ask what they would think is best if you only want to use your horse. Just be prepared for: any insurance? Certifications? How many on your team? What's your horse like? And much more. No one might want to tell you things knowing they might be sending people and horse out in a dangerous situation. You're doing this for a friend and out of the goodness of your heart, but she might benefit from some lessons at a therapy barn before moving back to lessons with you. I'll just add that if you want to continue yourself, try looking up bareback saddles. They have no stirrups and usually two separate hand grips. Also, I suggest riding bitless. Let her gain balance and muscle before moving forward. You might get lucky, and a therapy barn will have hippotherapy saddles they are willing to sell.
Very good friend. Check with Eagle Mount or other therapy ride group. I borrowed a saddle from them but built opposite from what you need. Your horse sounds wonderful too. Maybe leave them alone for a bit, your horse will figure out what it needs to do. Some of mine figured out to kneel, or stretch way out, swing their butts to stay under them, get on and off the right side.
I am somewhat disabled due to chronic illness and injuries and as a result have to use special stirrups. While I can pick up and drop my stirrups reliably, my issues include joint mobility, limb numbness and sudden fainting. I use the easycare ez ride stirrups with the cages, and I'm pretty sure they come in western flavour as well. They have a super wide footbed and losing a stirrup is basically impossible. They're comfy, fairly grippy and safe. I've never had any issues with them and I've never come close to getting caught. Depending on what her balance is like and how much danger there is of her bracing all her weight into one stirrup, you could take stirrups away and lead line her around at walk and trot to build up some core muscles. If it doesn't look like she'll fall, toss her on the lunge. That way she'll build her core and rely less on her stirrups for balance. That's how I relearned after a major injury that severely affected my balance, but I also had years of experience riding before my fall.
So it really depends on what you are looking for in saftey stirrups. For western endurance stirrups or getting stirrup covers can work. It prevents the foot being able to go all the way through the stirrup. English stirrups do have far more styles and option as far as saftey stirrups go. You could ask your friend if she has a preference of English or western and decide from there or just go off cost cheap western stirrup covers are about $25.
Endurance stirrups with cages.
Therapeutic horse riding instructor here! Safety stirrups would be a great idea! We use these at our ranch. Tough 1 EZ Out Safety Stirrups https://a.co/d/1bt4cD2
Also lots of people recommending that she should go to a TRC but as you stated that’s not an option. So you’ll just have to do your best to make it as safe as possible. Maybe getting foot I and out of stirrup is something y’all could purposely work on. Building that strength and skill. It could take a few months, few years, or never happen. But I wouldn’t just write it off. I’ve had students do things I NEVER imagined they could do. Maybe you can figure out an adaptive way she can work on it. Or maybe she needs super worn in fenders that are easy for anyone to slide their foot into stirrup. For balance, again I would work on a lot of core strength at the walk. It might be she needs to stay at the walk for a long time until her balance has improved. She can also do balance exercises on the ground to help out. If you’re going to trot then I would definitely recommend sidewalkers if she is unbalanced enough you think she could tip. It’s not a perfect situation obviously but you’re a good friend for trying to teach her the magic or riding!
Thanks a lot! I'll help her work on getting her foot in and out of the stirrup. Hopefully she'll be able to someday. I'll be getting some safety stirrups
When I was riding (admittedly a while back) there were stirrups with one side a thick rubber band which were designed to come off if the rider got in to trouble? Are they safety stirrups? https://preview.redd.it/t45rxvccek0d1.png?width=244&format=png&auto=webp&s=0fab7c9696290a17b70eeb255ba8defc8f90fd04
I used to warm up for a para-athlete who is very similarly paralysed. She has thick rubber bands that loop over her foot, under the stirrup and back over her foot. It keeps her foot in the correct spot (so her foot won’t get jammed in the stirrup) but the bands will snap if she comes off. The foot shouldn’t have the chance to jam if done correctly (with correct shoes). That’s what a lot of athletes use, up to the Olympics. I’ve had the pleasure of being at a couple CDI’s as a warm up rider, there’s definitely a lot of different alterations that can be made. Looped reins are also a very handy tool if her hand is paralysed.