| Many years ago I had a superintendent of a local | | | | the market ranging anywhere from the most |
| school district call me knowing I was involved with | | | | common "peacock" stirrup to those on hinges and |
| kids and horses. Seemed his district had a school | | | | other designs that are more elaborate. They start at |
| sponsored riding program and one of the little girls | | | | prices as reasonable as $30 to $40 and go up from |
| had in a lesson been dragged to death by the horse | | | | there depending on how camouflaged you want the |
| she was on. In horror I responded to the news with | | | | safety features. I think the point is you still can be a |
| the question; "why had the safety stirrup not | | | | slave to fashion and have the protection a safety |
| deployed releasing the girl's foot?" His response to | | | | stirrup offers so vanity is no longer an excuse. All of |
| my question was; "what's a safety stirrup"? | | | | my students use some sort of safety "quick release" |
| I was shocked and after explaining the necessity of | | | | stirrup as well as helmets no matter what their age. |
| such precautions and shared with him the realization | | | | Why take the chance of going without? In my mind |
| of how senseless the little girl's death was I warned | | | | it's just stupid! |
| him that he'd better hope that the parents didn't | | | | My hope is that people will stop being ignorant about |
| contact me regarding the tragedy because I would | | | | this and start realizing how important a simple safety |
| council them to go after the school district for blatant | | | | feature can be and that I'll never witness again the |
| neglect and endangering children's lives. | | | | sight of a little child being thrown from their pony |
| Maybe it's because my Great Grandfather was | | | | only for it to be standing there at the jump still |
| dragged to death by a horse but I've always thought | | | | attached to the child by their foot hung up in the |
| it reckless to be riding a horse without some type of | | | | stirrup. As far as I'm concerned it should be a |
| safety stirrup. Although a typical western stirrup | | | | requirement for any junior just as is now the proper |
| offers a little more protection against losing one's | | | | regulation helmets. |
| foot through especially when wearing a western boot | | | | Wake up people and especially parents! Do the right |
| it's just careless to ride in an English stirrup without it | | | | thing and put you and your children into proper and |
| being equipped to release if a rider gets their foot | | | | safe equipment. Be determined to never ride again |
| hung up through a fall and being crazy enough to ride | | | | without those safety stirrups. I will guarantee there |
| without a boot such as in wearing a tennis shoe is | | | | will be a time that you will be grateful you went to |
| courting disaster. | | | | the expense and relative little effort! |
| There are many types of quick release stirrups on | | | | |