Cavalry tactics in China were enhanced by the invention of the saddle-attached stirrup by at least the 4th century, as the oldest reliable depiction of a rider with paired stirrups was found in a Jin Dynasty tomb of the year 322 AD.

Perhaps the most important technological advancement for medieval warfare in Europe was the invention of the stirrup.

* The stirrup was invented in China, no later than 322

Lynn White Jr., in his book " Medieval Technology and Social Change ", argues the adoption of the stirrup for cavalry was the direct cause for the development of feudalism in the Frankish realm by Charles Martel and his heirs.

However, the stirrup, which made the ' shock cavalry ' lance charge possible, was not introduced to the Frankish kingdom until the late eighth century.

The malleus gets its name from Latin malleus, meaning " hammer ", the Incus gets its name from Latin Incus meaning " anvil " from incudere meaning " to forge with a hammer ", and the Stapes gets its name from Modern Latin " stirrup ," probably an alteration of Late Latin Stapia related to stare " to stand " and pedem, an accusative of pes " foot ", so called because the bone is shaped like a stirrup-this was an invented Modern Latin word for " stirrup ," for which there was no classical Latin word, as the ancients did not use stirrups.

Contrary to common legend, the bagel was not created in the shape of a stirrup to commemorate the victory of Poland's King Jan III Sobieski over the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

Similarly another etymology in the Webster's New World College Dictionary says that the Middle High German form was derived from the Austrian German ' beugel ', a kind of croissant, and was similar to the German ' bügel ', a stirrup or ring.

Later, a single stirrup was used as a mounting aid, and paired stirrups appeared after the invention of the treed saddle.

Some argue that the stirrup was one of the basic tools used to create and spread modern civilization, possibly as important as the wheel or printing press.

The earliest manifestation of the stirrup was a toe loop that held the big toe and was used in India late in the second century BC, though may have appeared as early as 500 BC.

Later, a single stirrup was used as a mounting aid by a nomadic group known as the Sarmatians.

Literary and archaeological evidence taken together would indicate with good probability that the stirrup was in common military use in South-Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean certainly by the latter half of the 6th century, with the Byzantine Empire having them in use certainly by the year 600.

The scarcity of early-medieval stirrup finds in western Europe was noted by Bernard Bachrach: " Out of 704 eighth century male burials excavated in Germany untill 1967, only 13 had stirrups.

During the Nara period, the base of the stirrup which supported the rider's sole was elongated past the toe cup.

This half-tongued style of stirrup ( hanshita abumi ) remained in use until the late Heian period when a new stirrup was developed.

The military version of this open-sided stirrup ( shitanaga abumi ) was in use by the middle Heian period.

Historically, this type of stirrup adjustment and the riding seat it produced was called la brida.

The ossicles were given their Latin names for their distinctive shapes ; they are also referred to as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, respectively.

Because different riders are of different heights, and stirrups also may need to be adjusted up or down to accommodate different types of activity, stirrup leathers have buckles and holes that allow length to be adjusted.

On a western saddle, with a heavier, permanently installed fender and stirrup leather that cannot be switched, stretching is slower and less extreme, though it also occurs in this type of saddle.

Obviously, a stirrup leather so long that a rider cannot reach it is useless, and a stirrup length that does not allow a rider with a properly positioned leg to keep the heel lower than the toe is also easily lost.

For a comfortable ride over long hours at slow speeds, the long stirrup is also preferred by trail riders.

A rider travelling rapidly cross-country, over varying terrain while fox hunting or endurance riding, will also have an intermediate stirrup, needing to strike a compromise between mobility for the horse and the need of the rider to not be unseated.

In the western rodeo sport of calf roping, a moderately short stirrup is also required to help the horse to sprint quickly from the box, and to allow the cowboy the freedom to swing a lariat.

Proper stirrup placement, on the ball of the foot, instead of jammed " home " clear up to the arch, also lowers the risk of a rider being dragged.

Some English stirrups are also designed with breakaway sides or non-standard designs intended to make it easier for the foot to come out of the stirrup when necessary.

A tapedero prevents the rider's boot from slipping through and also prevents brush encountered while working cattle on the open range from poking through the stirrup, injuring or impeding the horse or rider.

Riding boots also have a smooth sole that can easily slide in and out of the stirrup.

Modern synthetic materials have allowed the design of riding boots that will slide from a stirrup but are also comfortable for walking, with a sole using varying hard and soft materials that provides reasonable traction with a minimal amount of raised tread.

The " home " position has some value in saddle bronc riding, as a lost stirrup will almost inevitably result in the rider being thrown from the bucking horse, but because riders are thrown from the horse at a high rate even under normal circumstances, this event also has a high rate of riders being hung up in their stirrups and injured in the process.

In a typical ascent with aid the climber places pieces of equipment (" protection ") in cracks or other natural features of the rock, then clips an aider ( a ladder-like device, also called stirrup or étrier ) to the protection, stands up on the aider, and repeats the process.

* Position of the stirrup bars: The bars must be properly balanced under the saddle so that the rider is not put off balance when rising in the stirrups ( such as when posting or jumping ) Riders also should check that the stirrup bars are properly recessed and do not stick out in such a way that the buckles of the stirrup leathers will cause bruising or rubs on their legs.

A tapadero prevents the rider's boot from slipping through and also prevents brush encountered while working cattle on the open range from poking through the stirrup, injuring or impeding the horse or rider.

Loss of a stirrup or dropping the reins are also faults, and may be cause for elimination.

It also has potential use in the operating room to perform measurements of prosthesis and stapes ( stirrup ) displacement.

It also showed up the English cavalry techniques using the lance, as compared with the Irish method of no stirrup and overhead spear throwing.

The Stars also had the dubious distinction of being the first team to replace the traditional bloused baseball trousers and stirrup socks with shorts and long socks in 1950.

The walls also have a type of stirrup or foothold that aids in crossing over to the central arena, and sometimes stirrups on the arena side as well ; these are used mostly by event staff if they need to intervene quickly in the case of an emergency.

As the rider's whole weight must be carried at one side when mounting, on an English saddle, one stirrup leather often becomes stretched longer than the other, usually the left one, because most mounting occurs on that side.

The adjutant extricated himself and tried with his broken sword to force his way through the enemy, but he would almost certainly have lost his life had not Lieutenant Malcolmson seen his plight, fought his way to his dismounted comrade and, giving him his stirrup, carried him to safety.