Here’s how one cowboy creates comfort in his stirrups for long days of riding.
PeeWee Peebles, a bit and spur maker and working cowboy from Tesnus, Texas, spends a lot of time in the saddle riding through thick brush on ranches in West Texas. He uses tapaderos to protect his feet, but he also wants his feet and joints to be comfortable during the long days he spends in the saddle.
“I can understand people’s assumptions about safety and comfort,” he says. “You can choose different types of stirrups to best suit your needs within the tapadero. I also have fabricated a metal tread to place along the outer edge of my stirrups to help relieve ankle and knee pain. It makes [the base of my oxbows] level and just gives your foot a little grab. I believe no matter if you are riding with or without a tapadero, the position of your foot is everything, and this helps keep your foot in the right position.”
Peebles makes the treads out of half-inch square metal stock, marking each one with his name. Each tread is made individually because every stirrup is different. He screws the treads into the base of the stirrups, on the edge where you insert your foot, with two to three wood screws depending on the type of stirrup. Oxbows usually require two screws, while bell stirrups need three.
“I’ve made them for a lot of cowboys and it really keeps their feet comfortable and secure in the stirrup when jumping brush and chasing cattle,” he says. “They really like them.”
