Stirrup Length

One of the things you should always make sure of when riding is that your stirrups are the correct length. Stirrups that are too short or too long could result in an uncomfortable ride for you and your horse, make mounting harder, and even make it harder to keep your seat. However, there are few hard and fast rules about how long your stirrups should be.

While there are a few basic guidelines, you'll probably have to take a little time and experiment with different lengths. Most of the time, stirrup length ends up being based on personal preference. If you're new and don't know where to start, however, here are a few tips to help you figure out how long you should make your stirrups.

Adjust For The Activity

Which activities you'll be doing can affect the ideal length of your stirrups. Longer ones will offer more comfort if you're going out for an all day ride on the trails. On the other hand, training a younger horse means you'll want to have the better security offered by shorter stirrups.

Estimating Stirrup Length

While you'll be adjusting your stirrups for your own personal preferences, it's still a good idea to have a reasonably accurate starting point. You can estimate a starting stirrup length from either the ground or the saddle. Many riders can get the right length for their stirrups right away. Others will have to think about how the ride feels and adjust from there.

Estimating From the Saddle

Sit in the saddle and hang your legs down, out of your stirrups. Then, adjust the stirrup so that the bottom of it sits level with or a little below the protruding bone in the ankle. Another method is to stand up in the saddle, then adjust the stirrup to give you a fist's width of clearance between your seat and the seat of the saddle.

Estimating From the Ground

Standing beside your horse, start with your stirrups the same length as your arm. That means standing so that your hand touches the place where the stirrup leather is attached to the saddle tree, holding the stirrup out along your arm from the saddle and adjusting the length so that the bottom of the stirrup comes to your armpit. This will allow you to get on your horse knowing that your stirrups are in around the right place. This can help with safer mounting. You may wish to perform this adjustment before attempting to estimate from the saddle.

Adjusting For Level of Experience

Beginners will want more control while they're working on getting their riding skills into shape. That means choosing shorter stirrups. They may not be as comfortable, but they'll help you have a safer and easier ride. Once your skills are more advanced, you can try lengthening your stirrups a little.