Well I got mine from HorseLand. All you need is stirrup leathers and the stirrups. You don't need any parts to add them. It is just like normal stirrups.

 

Tess, what I need are the hanger bars that go on the saddle that are open in the back so the leathers will come off if you take a tumble--or your horse walks out from under you as you're trying to mount. My saddle has D ring hangers and there's no safety release if needed.

 

Do you ride English or western? There are safety stirrups for each.

 

Oh ok. I didn't know.

 

I'm not sure if you'll be able to switch out the ring hanger for your stirrups, however, you can get yourself a pair of safety stirrups. Here is the english style: Google Image Result for http://www.valhallafarm.net/PeacockSafetyStirrups.jpg

And I just found these as I was finding a pic for safety stirrups! They look like a really great idea! They're called Kwik Out stirrups, apparently: Google Image Result for http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/EquestrianCollections/ER90095R?$oldimage$

I hope you find something that works for you!

 

I ride with wide endurance style stirrups which I really like. I don't particularly want to go to the safety style stirrups because they don't have the big foot pad.

I'm not too worried about changing out the saddle rings for the safety hangers. I figure I can fabricate a way to attach the safety hangers right to the rings. I think.

But I gotta get the hangers! :-(

 

I saw something on here a while ago, a type of release that goes on the stirrup leather, then attaches to the stirrup from there. It's used by a famous eventing rider, but like I can remember the name of the rider or product. Apparently it works well. Maybe someone else knows what I'm talking about?

ETA: I'm guessing it would work with an endurance style of stirrup as well.

 

Maybe contact a saddle maker? That would be where I would start to ask.

 

This is why I ride with boots with leather soles. The rubber soled footwear with traction grooves are just to dangerous as they stick, especially with the neoprene pads. Always, always clear your feet from the stirrups before dismounting then slide off. With these stirrups would you feet come clear if you accidently came off?

 

Saddlebags, good advice, for sure! Right now I'm wearing winter hiking boots due to the weather. Later this month I'll be in the city and will be picking up some packer boots with a much better sole for riding safety. If I could find a pair of them with leather soles I'd get 'em in a heartbeat but, so far, no go. The only leather soled riding boots I've seen are miserable for walking/hiking and I need boots that work well for both. I read somewhere that it's better to ride in hiking boots than hike in riding boots--a true statement!

All that being said, my fear is that my foot would NOT come clear if I performed an unintended dismount. That's why I want the safety stirrup hangers. If my foot won't come out of the stirrup and I want the stirrup to come off of the saddle.

 

I'm sorry, I'm confused. Maybe posting the type of saddle you're asking about would help? Any English stirrup bar that I've every seen is a "safety" stirrup bar; the difference is wheter or not you use the hinge in the stirrup and flip the end up - that's the non-safety position. With the end of the stirrup bar down, in the "safety" position, you would have pulled the stirrup and leather off of the saddle in the scenario you described. On most English saddles, it's just a matter of pushing the hinged part of the bar open.

So what type of saddle and what type of stirrup bar do you have?

 

Maura, I have a Black Forest treeless saddle with big D rings for the stirrup hangers--similar to western stirrup hangers.

My wife rides English and has the safety hangers--which is what gave me the idea to change over to them.

 

Okay, that makes sense. On a regular English saddle the stirrup bars attach directly to the tree, so I couldn't understand what sort of other hanger could be attached.

I am completey clueless about treeless saddles. Sorry.

 

I'm moving this back to the top in case there's someone with ideas that hasn't chimed in. I DID find exactly what I'm looking for from a company in China that sells to business--but with a minimum order size of a thousand, or so, I decided not to buy from them!

Again, I'm looking for the kind of stirrup bar that's on an English saddle, the kind that allows the stirrup leather to slide off in the event of an unplanned dismount. I want to put them on my treeless saddle that has D ring bars like western saddles.

Thanks!