Endurance Stirrup Covers for Winter Riding

Endurance riders are tough. Many of us ride in all conditions, including winter chill, rain, and wind. Keeping our feet warm can prove challenging. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a product designed to fit over caged platform stirrups, providing protection from the elements?

My Search for Winter Endurance Stirrup Covers

A while back, I asked the interwebs about where to get covers to go over caged endurance stirrups.

You know what I heard?

Crickets.

Stirrup covers existed for traditional western stirrups and English irons, but neither suited the larger dimensions of my endurance stirrups, with their four-inch platforms and voluminous toe cages.

So, I improvised. It turns out that gallon-size Ziploc bags and a handful of zipties will, technically, shield feet inside caged stirrups. They will not, however, make much of a fashion statement.

I definitely needed a better solution. Enter Simone Mauhl.

Now Available! Endurance Stirrup Covers for Winter Riding

Simone Mauhl is an endurance rider in the northwest region. She also makes tack — much of it custom. So, when Simone mentioned that she could make me a pair of stirrup covers designed for caged endurance stirrups, I was all over it. We put our heads together and she came up with this design:

The winter endurance riding stirrup covers are made of a water repellant fabric with a thin liner in the toe area for extra insulation. They’re not 100% waterproof, but it would take a heck of a driving rain over a long period to get any leakage through the seams.

These photos show the covers on a 2008-ish Easycare E-Z Ride stirrup. However, Simone made the velcro loops adjustable to accommodate all sizes of endurance stirrups, with or without cages.

I tried out the covers on the next snowy day with decent footing. Installing them took about 20 seconds per stirrup.

Much of our ride took us straight into the wind, in below-freezing temperatures. And…the covers worked! They stayed put, kept the wind off my toes, and looked good doing it. I love a simple solution for a persistent problem.

Great news: Simone can make more of these things for other riders. They’re reasonably priced and she’s easy to work with.

Want some?

Just look up Simone Mauhl on Facebook. If you aren’t the social media type, ping me at tamara@thesweatyequestrian.com and I’ll hook you up.