Hi,

  I'm thinking about getting Easy Up Stirrups.  Would appreciate any comments anyone has about them.

Thanks!

painted_amigo,

We've had the easy-up stirrups, No longer use them but like the swivel attachment available with them.

There are a couple of things that we didn't like about the stirrup extender part of the set-up:

First thing is even though they let down about 3 inches, this gets your foot in the stirrup easier but also puts you at a disadvantage when trying to heave yourself the rest of the way into the saddle from a 3" lowered position.

Next is that they are fairly bulky in the stirrup leathers and allways seemed to rub your leg raw.

The one advantage that we could say that they had was it did help with the dismount by letting you slide over into the lowered stirrup and not having as much distance from there to the ground.

All this said , it's really a question of where you'd rather have the disadvantage at, the ground up or the stirrup up.

                             hth, Ardly

I agree with Ardly.  Same problem. I finally gave up and purchased a 3 step mounting block to get me going. While on the trails I just wait until I find a log or a big rock to get me back up.  And when all the above can't get me up anymore (let's try and keep on the subject of "mounting a horse"), I'm buying a "forklift"!

Thanks for all the input!  Guess I'll just keep looking for rocks and logs and such. 

By the way, my mare is gaited and what a pleasure to ride!

If you park out to mount, remember to back the horse a few steps once you're up. Moving forward from a parked out position is hard on their backs!

I am the queen of finding rocks, logs, and other mounting help. My mare is pretty well "stump broke". Sometimes I just stand her in a ditch.

I tried the EZ up stirrup and found myself trying to climb into the saddle from underneath the horse. I'll stick with the stumps.

RIDE ON!

I don't know if she parks.  My mare is a registered paint, with quarterhorse and paint bloodlines.  No one knows why she gaits.  I don't know how to make a horse park out.  Have always had quarter horse type horses.

 Does any one know if quarterhorses, paints etc. can be taught to gait?

Dwight, you are just too funny!   I have enuf trouble just getting a saddle on my horse without adding the weight of the easy up rig.  Someone mentioned a forklift;  that's what I need to saddle my horse.  I like the plastic mounting blocks;  we just got a new one;  someone (not me this time) ran over the mounting block with the dually.  That plastic gave in to the dodge real quick.

Back to point, if your horse gaits, its somewhere in his/her genetic map.  Can't be taught if it is not in the genetic package.   Now as far as getting one to park out, someone else help with this.  I'm no good at it. 

Any horse, gaited or not, can be taught to park out. We start training ours as soon as they are halter broke and will stand calmly. We start by giving them a cue, such as tapping them on the shoulder, and then physically moving their front feet out a little. When they hold the position for a few seconds, stroke them and then have them back up a few steps. (oh yeah, they should first be comfortable backing when asked) Hubby usually gives the tapping cue and a verbal cue "out" while bumpng the back of the horse's ankle with his boot. About 15 minutes a day for a couple of weeks. Every few days, ask them to step out a little farther until they get to the desired stretch. Usually after the first week they will do it on cue and you don't have to touch their legs at all.

It's an easy thing to teach and it's a neat little "show off" trick in addition to being helpful for mounting.

RIDE ON!

I've heard mounting a horse when it is parked out is hard on their backs.  Any feed back on that?

That's really interesting about the Doc Bar horses being able to gait!

I don't know why she does it by my mare Fox Trots, and I sure am glad she does!

Thanks to all for the information. This is a great site!