Also -dera, tapi-. [Sp. tapadero cover, lid, stopper, f. tapar to stop up, cover.] A heavy leather housing for the front of the stirrup, used in California to protect the foot against thorny undergrowth and keep it from slipping forward.
1858. Hints U.S. Army, 18. Tapadero, or stirrup-cover.—Gives the saddle a finished appearance, and keeps the feet (next to the head the part most sensitive to a hot sun,) cool and dry, and prevents their sticking in the stirrups when thrown.
1882. E. Ingersoll, Knocking ’round the Rockies, xxiv. 205. A moment after the tapadero was struck, and I was just beginning to guess at the truth, when I saw the heels of that mule fly up.
1891. Cent. Dict., Tapadera.
1897. Westm. Gaz., 8 Oct., 2/1. Tapideros, or leather coverings for the stirrups, avoid the danger of the foot going right through the stirrup.
