Stirrup

A stirrup is a light frame or ring that supports a rider's foot, attached to the saddle by a strap, and used in pairs to aid in mounting a horse or other riding animal and to help the rider stay seated and in control. Early foot supports were simple toe loops appearing in India by the 2nd century BC, but the paired stirrup as it is known today was invented in China's Jin dynasty in the 4th century, was in common use across China by the 5th century, and spread across Eurasia to Europe through Central Eurasian nomadic peoples by the 7th or 8th century, greatly increasing the usefulness of mounted riders in communication, transport and warfare.