How to adjust Western stirrups with Blevins buckles?

Ok, first off I feel like I'm missing something so ridiculously simple as to be laughable.

I just got a new (to me) saddle that has a Blevins buckle style that I haven't seen before. The pegs are vertical on the Blevins. One single row of holes on the stirrup leathers and two vertical pegs. I can only get the Blevins slide to lift barely above the bottom peg. Then it locks up and won't slide further. Not enough distance to actually get the stirrup leather off the lower peg. And even if I could get it off that one peg, I still can't even access the top peg to be able to adjust the stirrup leather.

What am I doing wrong? Do I need to force it?

It sounds like the slide is smashed shut. Maybe carefully take a flathead screw driver to bend it back out just enough so it clears the pegs so you can slide it all the way up out the way to pull the pegs out the holes.

I should've video'ed me doing that yesterday, I took up my show saddle 2 notches at lessons. I thought I didn't have enough room above where the fenders end but you can slide them up and over the other side where they come over the tree. Yank down on the back side of the fenders where the Blevins go which evens them up on both sides and makes it easy to adjust to a shorter length. Put the two pegs in the corresponding holes and slide down the metal cover, you force if they are difficult, replace the keepers above the stirrups. Let me know if you need visuals, I will post a video if necessary.
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Got it! While it didn't appear to be bent in, forcing it open a bit gave just enough room to now allow it to slide. It kept catching on the rivet before.

If you were never going to adjust the saddle, I could see a benefit to crimping it tight. No chance of slippage/release that way. Since it was a one owner saddle/rider prior to me, I'm guessing that was the case.

I also ran across this post which was a nice reference with pics and video on the proper length of fenders and stirrup leathers.