A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a stirrup leather. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal. They greatly increase the rider's ability to stay in the saddle and control the mount, increasing the animal's usefulness to humans in areas such as communication, transportation, and warfare.
A modern working stirrup on an endurance riding saddle
Metal stirrup in use for dressage
Depiction of a Kushan divinity using an early platform-style stirrup, circa AD 150. British Museum.
A funerary figurine with a mounting stirrup, dated AD 302, unearthed near Changsha.
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not known precisely when riders first began to use some sort of padding or protection, but a blanket attached by some form of surcingle or girth was probably the first "saddle", followed later by more elaborate padded designs. The solid saddle tree was a later invention, and though early stirrup designs predated the invention of the solid tree, the paired stirrup, which attached to the tree, was the last element of the saddle to reach the basic form that is still used today. Today, modern saddles come in a wide variety of styles, each designed for a specific equestrianism discipline, and require careful fit to both the rider and the horse. Proper saddle care can extend the useful life of a saddle, often for decades. The saddle was a crucial step in the increased use of domesticated animals, during the Classical Era.
Ottoman saddle with shabrack according to tradition captured at Vienna in 1683 by the Mikołaj Hieronim Sieniawski. Czartoryski Museum
A dressage-style English saddle
A saddle from the Yi ethnic minority province in Yunnan province, China. Saddle has a leather base with lacquer overlay.
Western saddle at Garza County Historical Museum in Post, Texas, United States