Cavalleria Toscana CT Academy Cotton Stirrup Protector

Run the stirrups up first before you slide the covers over them; the stirrup leather then stays straight and the fabric does not get pinched. Do it on both sides, even if only one side comes against a wall, because in transport everything moves. Take the covers off before you mount and put them away in the same saddle bag, so they stay together. If there is sand or horse hair on the fabric, shake them out before you use them again: grit between fabric and leather works against you. Cavalleria Toscana gives no washing instruction for this item, so follow the label in the cover itself and be careful with high temperatures.

This cover is there for riders who move their saddle about often or store it with the stirrups run up: competition riders who go out with saddle and all every week, and anyone who keeps the saddle in a shared tack room. The discipline does not come into it — dressage, showjumping, eventing or riding for pleasure, the stirrup touches the same saddle flap in every case. If you want a cover whose washing instruction and composition are settled, choose the plain Cavalleria Toscana cotton stirrup cover. If the whole saddle needs shelter from dust and damp, a saddle cover is the right item. And if your concern is wear in the tread of the stirrup itself, what you need is a stirrup pad.

Run the stirrup up against the saddle and slide the cover over the stirrup from below, until the tread and both branches are covered. Take it off before you mount. Care: shake the sand and horse hair out and let the cover air-dry when it has taken up damp. Cavalleria Toscana gives no washing instruction for this item, so follow the label in the cover itself.

What is a stirrup cover for?

It goes over the stirrup when it is run up against the saddle, so that the metal of the stirrup does not press or rub against the leather of the saddle flap.

When do you use it?

In transport by car or lorry, on the rack in the tack room and while waiting at a competition. In short: whenever the saddle is not in use.

Can I ride in it?

No. Take the covers off before you mount; nothing belongs between your boot and the tread of the stirrup.

Does it fit every stirrup?

Cavalleria Toscana gives no dimensions and supplies one version. Over a classic stirrup it usually goes smoothly; with an extra-wide tread or a differently shaped safety stirrup it can sit tight.

Can this cover go in the washing machine?

Cavalleria Toscana publishes no washing instruction for this item, so follow the label in the cover. For the plain Cavalleria Toscana cotton stirrup cover it is settled: 30 degrees or cooler, gentle programme, inside out.

What is the fabric made of?

Brushed cotton. The percentages are not published by the brand for this item.

Is it one cover or a pair?

The manufacturer does not state the unit of delivery. For two stirrups you need two in any case.

What is the difference with the plain Cavalleria Toscana cotton stirrup cover?

They are two different items. This CT Academy version is in brushed cotton; the other is 65 % cotton and 35 % polyester and has a documented washing instruction.

• Stirrup cover by Cavalleria Toscana, CT Academy line.
• Brushed cotton, colour black.
• Protects the saddle flap against the run-up stirrup.
• For transport, the tack room and competition days — not to ride in.
• One version; the manufacturer gives no dimensions.
• Composition in percentages and washing instruction: not stated.