Stirrup tread question

Just looking for some opinions on stirrup tread for western saddles. What does everyone find most comfortable, easy to stay in etc. as far as the width of the tread goes? I am talking about just trail and pleasure riding, no gaming or reining etc going to buy a new pair and am debating which tread width to go with....thanks!

I like 5" bells, personally. Mine are only rawhide covered, buy I would have brass or monel if I could. Saving my pennies for the spring trade show in town next summer.

I've ridden oxbows, and narrower bells and got along fine, but like the wider tread best.

I agree with boots!

Once you ride in a wide set of stirrups you won't go back!

We have 5" and 6" monel covered stirrups on our saddles. You can get them completely lined with leather, just a leather tread bottom or bare wood.

You can get heel blocks for them too which is nice if you ride with a low heeled boot and makes them even more comfy.

Google "Fandek Stirrups" or Weber Stirrups".
If you don't want to spend that much on a set of stirrups, however I doubt you will regret it(and they have a high re-sell value) you can buy the tin bound rather than the monel or brass covered.

The first pic shows 5" monel Morans with a leather tread.
The second shows a 6" monel Visalia bare wood and the third is the same with the heel block.

Gorgeous stirrups Cowchick77. You have the nicest tack!

I like rawhide oversized roper stirrups for trail riding. Like the very last ones on this page:

http://www.eddyssaddlesandtack.com/stirrups.html

I have like three sets and I put them on every saddle I ride in. But I would use monels if I had them.

Thank you for the replies. Wow those Monels are gorgeous but they just seem HUGE to me lol I have never tried anything bigger than a 3 inch on an old roping saddle I used to ride in but now I have a barrel saddle (best fit for my boy). I am wanting the rawhide like you posted Trailhorserider and right now there is a great buy on a pair that have a two inch tread I am debating on. Right now I am riding in the stirrups that came with the saddle which are 1 inch oxbows and ANYthing will be better than that ;) They are for sure not comfortable. I just wonder if 2 inch wont be comfortable enough either. I have heard though and not sure if it is true, that the smaller the tread the less likely you are to lose a stirrup? That this is why gamers ride in a smaller tread etc. Seems like the opposite would be true to me but what do I know ;)

I would think the smaller the tread, the deeper you can keep your foot in it. Like some people like to ride in the "home" position with their foot all the way in the stirrup. (Oxbows are designed for this). I just trail ride and I never keep my foot very deep in the stirrup. I like to feel the ball of my foot on the stirrup tread. I don't like to ride deeper than that because I would not want to get hung up if I could help it.

I believe mine have a 4" tread. I really wouldn't want to go any smaller than regular ropers which I believe are 3". But the 4" are my favorites. The monels look heavenly to me.

I agree....I don't think I could ever get used to riding in the home position...I have been taught all my life to ride in the ball of my foot and old habits die hard. Lol I may need to keep looking for a deal on some rawhides with a slightly wider tread.

Yes those 6" stirrups might look a little funny on a barrel saddle! Lol
I think you could get away with a 3.5" and still look good with your saddle.

I agree with trailhorserider , the smaller the tread the least likely you are to lose a stirrup. Think of a saddlebronc rider, they ride in oxbows/skinny stirrups. If they blow a pedal they come off.

I like thinner stirrups mostly because I ride english as well so I'm used to thinner stirrups. My billy cook has leather covered stirrups and my alamo has rawhides covered atirrups. I don't have any treads on them though.

My friend and the trainer at our barn both swear by their padded endurance stirrups. I'm personally not a fan because I tend to brace against them (still can't figure out why). They come in metal (aluminum), plastic and leather-covered.
This is like what they ride in (they are also sometimes called trail stirrups):
Royal King Metal Padded Endurance Stirrup

I have yet to find a pair of stirrups I like, although I think I might like the big aluminum stirrups on our BO's older Circle Y trail saddle (not endurance stirrups). I say I "think I might like them" because I was so uncomfortable in the saddle itself that I wasn't paying much attention to the stirrups other than the fact that they weren't bothering me any. The ones he has are similar to these "Showman Aluminum Western Stirrups" Showman Aluminum Western Stirrups , but with a slightly deeper tread.