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History of Toe Stirrup
The concept of Toe stirrup originated from the country of India, dating back to the early 200 BCE, where a toe loop was made to hold one’s big toe. While some sources argue about the time of its origination to be 200 BCE, others say it was 500 BCE.
This invention was a fruitful effort for the people in India who used to ride horses bare feet, as the stirrup gave their saddles and feet some amount of calm in the hot scorching weather of summer in the country. Early days Buddhist architecture with carvings depicts the horsemen of that era riding horses with vivid saddles in their feet which were slipped under the girths. These carvings can be found in the famous temples of Mathura, Sanchi as well as the Bhaja Caves, and date back to the early 1st and 2nd century BCE.
Many horsemen used hooked stirrups in the cold seasons of winters and gradually, the concept evolved and spread rapidly over the west as well as the east, getting transformed into what it is today.