Stirrup Irons

These stirrup irons were on the saddle in the Saddle section. They were the reason I purchased the saddle. They are probably of Chinese manufacture. I doubt they were made in Tibet. The iron is hand made, beaten and forged. The foot plate has a rim along its edge of about 1 centimetre. The side

This is a pair of irons from Mali made by people from the Bamana tribe. These are old, and very small compared to the other irons and may have been made for a child. Iron was a very precious commodity in Africa and these have been made with care. Mali is a unique source of

These are from Dogon country, Mali. The design owes more to Spanish design than to eastern stirrup shapes. They have open work on the side and sport the common design motif the spiral. They would have been very comfortable for bare foot riding. They have the emblems of the sun on the side by the

This is a plain stirrup of a very traditional shape. It is made from two pieces of iron beaten skillfully together. This one is made by the people of the Bamana tribe. The slight curve of the foot rest suggests that it is designed to hold the foot at the instep. Old, approx value £15.

This is a pair of Dogon cast bronze stirrup irons, they have a wonderful rope design around the neck of the stirrup and down the side of strap holder. Where the neck meets the stirrup proper a divided circle design wraps around the sides. The foot area is designed with cut out patterns. These are

This single iron is decorated with the cross which represents Mali (see detail) due to wear this has some age on it. They may well be 18th century. Nothing similar has been found. The quality of the workmanship and the style of the foot area which is a circle of brass riveted through the brass

This pair of stirrup irons were made by the people of the Bamana tribe in Mali. They appear, by design, to have made for barefoot riding. The base of the stirrup is wide and long and curved and would sit comfortable in the instep of a shoeless foot. The are made from black iron. Their

These are a delightfully typical design decorated with peacocks butting up to the slot for the leather to be threaded through. They are ornate and the rings on the base may well have been for tassels or some sort of material decoration. Peacocks feature in so many Indian designs both in clothing and in carvings.

These irons from Mali are made by the Bamana tribe. They show a very economical working of the iron, simply taking a rod of iron and shaping it into a loop at the top and then flattening a piece for the foot support. They are quite crude but yet individual. They would be used by

This stirrup iron is quite an unusual piece. It is over 200 years old. Only one was found. It was made by people from the Bamana tribe. Their work is very distinctive. The iron has been carefully worked with a detail on the side to show the level of workmanship. The stirrup iron is large