1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a stirrup.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A stirrup consists of a pair of curved arms which serve as a carrier for an eye and a foot. Each arm is joined to the other at one end while the opposite ends of the arms are spaced from one another. The eye is located at the joint and the foot is disposed between the spaced ends of the arms.
The stirrup is secured to a horse by passing a strap through the eye which then serves as a holding member for the strap. The arms and the foot can rotate relative to the eye between a position in which the eye is coplanar with the arms and positions in which the eye is transverse to the arms. This allows the eye to be oriented such that the strap is flat against the horse and flat against the leg of a rider. At the same time, the arms and the foot can be properly positioned for the foot of the rider.
The foot of the stirrup can rotate relative to the arms on an axis extending between the spaced ends of the arms. The foot is rotatable forwards and backwards from a central position in which a plane defined by the arms is perpendicular to the tread of the foot. The primary reason for rotation of the foot is safety. Thus, should the rider fall off the horse backwards, the foot of the stirrup can rotate backwards to allow the foot of the rider to be released from the stirrup more easily.
The stirrup described above has a drawback related to the eye. In this stirrup, the eye has several discrete positions relative to the arms and the foot. When the eye is moved into one of these positions, the eye is locked to the arms and the foot by a locking mechanism. Accordingly, the eye rotates when the foot of the rider turns or twists sideways in the stirrup. As the eye rotates, the strap passing through the eye twists so that the edges of the strap are turned towards and rub against the horse and the leg of the rider. This is uncomfortable for both the horse and the rider.
Another drawback of the preceding stirrup stems from the fact that the foot of the stirrup can rotate forwards as well as backwards from the central position. The foot of the rider tends to push forwards with a resultant forward rotation of the foot of the stirrup. This causes the rider to experience a certain degree of instability.