Stirrups (riding)
A stirrup is the footrest for a rider , which hangs down from the side of the mount (e.g. a horse ) at the height of the feet .
On the basis of the stirrups, two very different riding styles were created, on the one hand the "light" style of the Eurasian steppe peoples, in which the rider sits or stands more on the horse (cf. light seat on the horse in modern English riding style), and agility to optimize and to spare the horse for long distances. On the other hand, the “heavy” style of Western Europe, in which the possibly armored rider sits heavily in the horse and supports himself with stretched legs against the saddle in order to achieve maximum stability and penetrating power. The stirrups were one of the basic requirements for the fight of knights with an inlaid lance from the 11th century AD.
history
Equestrian representations in Mathura , India , from around 50 BC. BC, are considered the oldest evidence of the use of stirrups, still in the form of loops or hooks. Wooden and metal versions were then used in the 4th – 5th centuries. Invented in China in the 5th century AD and spread to Japan and Korea in the 5th century. After Europe the stirrup came with the advance of the Avars .
The earliest known mention of stirrups in an occidental source can be found in the Strategikon of Maurikios , which originated around 600 when Eastern Romans and Avars fought fierce battles. The Persians and the Byzantines / Eastern Romans , later also many Germanic tribes , recognized the value of the stirrups and used them from then on. The heavy medieval tank riding would have been inconceivable without them. For example, on the Bayeux Tapestry from the end of the 11th century, Normans are depicted with stirrups riding into the battle of Hastings (1066).
It is no coincidence that the Romans took over the stirrup so quickly. Already Belisar , a great commander of the Eastern Romans , took the best war methods of successful nomadic tribes . The imperial armored riders of his time (like the Persian ones) used sturdy saddles , armor that did not restrict their freedom of movement, and a variety of weapons. Her equipment and her riding skills made her extremely successful.
- "They were both heavy lancers who rode surprise attacks and light archers who drew their bows at full gallop and shot them with no hand free" Edwards (1987, p. 96).
Whether the Eastern Roman troops were already using stirrups at the time of Belisarius (middle of the 6th century) cannot be decided due to a lack of archaeological or literary sources, but must be considered unlikely: Belisars adsessor , the historian Prokopios of Caesarea , mentions them in his context detailed description of the contemporary cavalry (Prok. Hist. 1,1,12ff.), and they are also missing on the Barberini diptych , which shows the Emperor Justinian I (527-565) on horseback. On the other hand, stirrups are already treated as a matter of course a few decades later in the Strategicon mentioned above (Strat. 1) - in the meantime, the Eastern Romans had met the Avars. So there is indeed much to suggest that the Romans only got to know the stirrup through them.
The further developments of the stirrups, which were used by armored riders (knights) in the Middle Ages, made the stirrups part of the protective weapons of the knights. As with all protective weapons, the design of these stirrups was adapted according to the intended use and "the expected threat", which led to numerous forms of these historical stirrups.
Shapes and size
The shape of today's stirrups differs depending on the type of riding . In the English riding style, narrow stirrups made of metal with non-slip rubber treads are used almost exclusively. For western riding , on the other hand, stirrups with thick, wide leather covers are used. A special form of the stirrup are the tapaderos , which are closed on three sides and protect the rider's foot from slipping in addition to environmental influences.
Stirrups in English,
Western film-,
and endurance riding
historical stirrup as a protective weapon
The size of the stirrups should be adapted to the riding boots . A stirrup that is too narrow offers the rider too little support because the foot cannot be adjusted far enough. It is easy to slip out and fall off the horse with a hunched horse or a fast pace . If the stirrup is too wide, there is a risk that the rider with the footwear will slip through the stirrup, get caught and then dragged along by the horse. In addition, you should only ride with shoes that have a heel . This also reduces the risk of slipping.
Recent developments
Models have always been brought onto the market which, through asymmetrical shapes, three-dimensional arches, open sides with elastic inserts or integrated joints for torsion and damping elements, are intended to increase security against getting stuck on the one hand, and to improve support and comfort on the other. This tendency has grown even stronger since the 1980s.
See also
literature
- Albert E. Dien: The Stirrup and Its Effect on Chinese Military History. In: Ars Orientalis. Vol. 16, 1986, ISSN 0571-1371 , pp. 33-56, JSTOR 4629341 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Maurice Keen : The knighthood. License issue. Albatros, Düsseldorf 2002, ISBN 3-491-96065-7 , p. 43.
- ^ Manfred Nawroth: Stirrups. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 29: Skírnismál - Stiklestad. 2nd, completely revised and greatly expanded edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2005, ISBN 3-11-018360-9 , pp. 547-548.
- ^ Eugène Viollet-le-Duc : Dictionnaire raisonné du mobilier français de l'époque carlovingienne à la renaissance. Volume 5. Morel, Paris 1874, pp. 431-420, here p. 418 .
