Stirrup Adjustments......?

@ Jeff -

I don't know where you buy your western saddles, but in near 40 years of using and shopping and repairing them, I've never ONCE seen latigo stirrup leathers! Latigo would stretch out way too fast, because it's soft and oily. Western stirrup leathers are made of the same heavy russet skirting leather that, well, the skirts (and jockeys and fenders) are made of. The tie straps are made of latigo, so they'll stay flexible despite the daily exposure to sweat, and the stretch factor isn't critical because you're pulling it taut each time you saddle up, not buckling it to a certain hole on a billet or keeping it at one adjustment point.

When I put on a new set of stirrup leathers, I always paint the part over the tree with oil before I assemble it, and then I tell the owner to pull them through every couple of months just to keep them flexible, and if they change the length, to keep the stirrup end at the same point if possible so it will keep the correct shape and bend around the rider's leg and the stirrup bar.

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Wow, I disagree with almost everything Jeff said here! That's odd, because usually it's just that barefoot thing in the way of us having a cozy relationship. 8^D

Stirrup leathers will dry rot just like any other leather, and especially on a western saddle, where it's hard to reach up in there so most people don't. A lot of it depends on the environmental conditions - is the saddle stored in a damp tackroom or a dry dusty attic, in Arizona or on the East Coast? Excessive oiling will promote mildew, which also weakens leather.

Baby powder will give you the best lubrication, but if the leather is dried to a crisp with a fold in it over the bars, nothing will move it unless you:

1. wet it with water to soften it and make it flexible OR

2. use oil for the same purpose, which is less effective OR

3. remove some of the tacks or screws holding the skirt on, just above the stirrup leather.

1&2 - Use a small paintbrush to keep the liquid where you want it, so it doesn't soak through the side jockey (the part of the seat between your leg and the stirrup leather) and make a stain. If you use oil, use it sparingly. I prefer water, because it will dry again with no chance of later 'bleed-through' to the jockey.

3. The worst part of a stirrup leather replacement is getting the old leathers out of there, especially when they have never been moved. I almost always find it necessary to pull the tacks in order to gain some room to work. Only pull as many as necessary, usually from the point under the opening in the seat to 4-6" back. Once they are out, push the folded leather up and wet the fold and start to work one side up more, then pull it through. A pair of pliers is your best friend here!

I strongly recommend that after going through all this trouble, you apply a couple coats of quality saddle oil. Don't drench it, of course. That *will* weaken the leather and allow it to stretch. Work the leather through until the entire area that contacts the bars is out, but keep the adjustment part over the tree. (It's a whole 'nother PITA to re-thread a western stirrup leather over the bars!) Use that paintbrush to apply a few thin coats of oil, to prevent having to go through all this the next time you want to change the fender height. If the stirrup leather is continuous behind the fender, oil it lightly there too, especially where it goes around the stirrup, but on the backside so it won't transfer to the fender. If it's overly dry it will crack and be weak.

Stirrup leathers shifting unexpectedly? I have never seen it and can't imagine it, unless the part over the bars is *very* flexible AND the adjustment buckle has come undone. In other words, it doesn't happen.

I assume you oil your whole saddle periodically. Pay extra attention to the usual places where cracking is likely and creates a safety hazard.

All stirrup leathers stretch out with use. You can't swap sides on a western saddle, so unless you practice ambidextrous mounting or always use a mounting block, the left leather will stretch out more. Use a tape measure once or twice a year and compare the length of your stirrups. If one is significantly stretched and at the shortest adjustment, get a large drive punch from Tandy Leather Factory or any leather craft supplier and make new holes where you need them.

Peanut, please pardon my excessive explanations. I'm sure you know what a side jockey is, but I added the definition for the sake of the newbies and non-western riders.

Don't lube it if you don't have to. It can encourage shifting at an awkward time. If you do have to...use baby powder. NEVER oil the stirrup leathers themselves (fender yes, stirrup leather straps...NO). If you do they will stretch oddly. Surprisingly they can stretch over an inch or more in odd places. My wife had an Aussie saddle that stretched nearly two inches. The stirrups on one strap had to be adjusted two holes higher than the other. This weakens them as well and eventually they will break once they have stretched (just like my wife's).

@Bliss....stirrup leathers in western saddles are generally made of latigo type leather. Unless they get soaked in water, they generally have plenty of oil for life. However, I should amend my statement.... If they start to appear dry and cracked then yes...oil them--LIGHTLY. Otherwise I do not advise others to oil stirrup leathers because I have seen far more breaks and stretches from over oiling than from under oiling.

I also took this to mean that her saddle was new and not moving because the leather was still stiff and not broken in.

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