Welcome to
Nettles Stirrups ....
More Than Just A Place To Put Your Foot!
he seed for Nettles Stirrups was born in December 1986, the offspring
of a rocking horse. Gala Nettles wanted a rocking horse for her first
grandson for Christmas. Not just any rocking horse would do, though.T
This one needed to be an heirloom, something that could be handed
Ronnie &
down from generation to generation.
Gala Nettles
The months of November and December for Ronnie Nettles, a 35-year
cutting horse trainer are engulfed by the NCHA Futurity. When that show
ended that year, only nine days until Christmas remained and still Gala had
not found that perfect rocking horse. She turned to Ronnie to solve her
dilemma.
When Ronnie Nettles wasn't on the back of a horse he enjoyed his
woodworking shop. Quite the artisan, he had been educated in the skills
and techniques of quality craftsmanship by his late father. The younger
Nettles liked striving to achieve that quality, working hours on the
minute details that set a work above all of the rest.
Tired from the long horse show and ready for a diversion, he took off
his spurs and headed to his workshop to build the rocking horse. Night
after night the lights burned late in the shop as he cut, glued, sanded and
patiently brought to life a big-eyed rocking horse complete with a thick
yarned mane and tail. He built the replica of a saddle out of oak and rather
than pegs to set one's feet, he constructed a small pair of oak laminated
oxbows. The project was finished on Christmas Eve.
Jack Hunter
But Ronnie wasn't finished. Building the laminated stirrups for the rocking
horse sparked the idea to build himself a pair. He spent long hours in the saddle
each day and the pressure of the stirrups against his shin kept his legs raw and bleed-
ing. In fact, he usually wrapped his legs with horse's vet wrap each morning. For
months, he had searched for a pair of stirrups that would eliminate the pressure prob-
Nettles Stirrups are built on a
lem as well as foot fatigue. Nettles knew that the right stirrup would be more than just
ranch in the heart of Texas.
a place to set your foot. Indeed, besides alleviating any pain it would be one that
helped the rider sit balanced in the saddle.
Using his expertise from 35 years in the saddle, Ronnie designed his own style of
Table of Contents
stirrup, one that had innovative designs to eliminate pressure, eradicate foot pain, 'set'
the foot in the stirrup, and help sit the rider in the saddle. Nettles chose the lamination
method for its extra durability and its cushioning effect. Since the only oak he had
The Premier Line Stirrup 4
available was a wheelbarrow handle, he sacrificed it to build the first pair of stirrups.
Specialty Woods 6
"Had I known then what I know now," said Gala as she reminisced about wood
Exotic Wood Descriptions 6
pieces in her kitchen pots boiling on the stove, "rather than complaining about the
mess he was making, I would have been taking pictures!"
Designer Stirrups 7
Today, the Nettles Stirrups are famous world-
Personalize It 8
wide. Styles and décor of the stirrups have
What Size Stirrup? 8
grown in direct proportion to the request
of customers, one of the many services
The All Purpose Stirrup 9
that make the stirrups so popular.
About Ronnie Nettles 9
Each design is tested in the arena
The Barn Products 10
adjacent to their manufacturing
home so that no stirrup bearing the
The Pooper Scooper 10
Nettles brand leaves the ranch with-
The Driller 11
out the approval of the master
The Sweat Scraper 11
designer.
And as Ronnie learned his skills
for quality craftsmanship from his
father, he has passed these skills to the
Cover Photos by Steve Thornton
next generation and his son, Robby, who
oversees the building process today.
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