Best Jumper stirrups… Go! In the market for new ones and see so many. Currently have jointed ones but don’t necessarily need the new ones to be jointed.
Depends on what your criteria are and what you’re looking for in a stirrup. I really wanted something with a “safety stirrup” feature and didn’t want anything too lightweight. I ended up getting the FreeJumps and LOVE them. I love the tread and they really do seem to position my foot just right. Highly recommend them!
I got the lorenzinis last year and they are fantastic. I got the narrower version with the plastic tread. It’s very grippy, nice on the feet, ankles and knees for me as well as look very nice!
Lorenzini for sure
I have tried a ton of different stirrups and spent hundreds of dollars trying to find something comfortable and stable. I finally found it and now use the cheapo Compositi stirrups with the wide bed. I love them- many of my eventer friends bought a pair after trying mine.
They have a tiny amount of give in the foot bed, but not too much (too much flex hurts my ankles, not enough hurts my knees), and they give a very stable feel over big fences. Plus, one can get them in different colors, which is fun. They are really light- I like that normally, but I have had to practice dropping and picking them up in my jumping length. I jump with my stirrups four holes shorter than my flatting length and if I lose them while jumping it’s harder to pick them up again because they are higher and they are so light they bounce around. Otherwise, they are great.
I’d been a long time user of regular filis irons for pretty much my whole life. I don’t like jointed irons, I don’t feel like they are as stable as I need them to be.
A couple years ago when I bought my first “big girl” saddle (a CWD) I felt like I should upgrade my irons too, so I scored a pair of Royal Riders used, but without the cheese grater pads. Happily have been riding in those for a couple of years now, but do really wish I had the metal pads. If my boot is wet AT. ALL. my foot will slide out/off the stirrup when i get my heels down. Because of that, and you can’t buy replacement pads for those stirrups ANYWHERE (why?!) I decided to try the MDC S Sport stirrups based on reviews from another thread here on the COTH.
I ended up returning them because for me at least, the footbed was so wide I could not get my heels down. Mind you, my feet are small, 6.5-7 so that may have a lot to do with it, but I never had this issue with the also wide-bed RR. There was just not enough of my foot left on the heel end to be able to have any leverage to keep my heels down. Aside from that, the stirrups were beautiful and well made, and I really liked the weight of them and the S-top is a great little design. It was really useful when picking up a lost stirrup, and also alleviated pressure from the stirrup leather across my shin. That said, they still got returned (so there’s a very lightly used pair in the smartpak attic right now if anyone’s looking for a deal!) and I will continue my quest for another stirrup. If only I could find cheese-grater pads for my royal riders! #horsegirlproblems
Seconding the Free Jumps…and this is coming from a snoozy traditional hunter rider that turned her nose up at all stirrups except her plain fillis irons… but I tried the free jumps when trying horses in Europe. I don’t know how to explain why exactly they are so great, but they are SO comfortable.
The combination of the stirrup leather positioning (angled, so there’s less pressure on your ankle and across the top of your foot), the super grip, the feeling being cushioned without being springy…I don’t know, they are amazing. They are also the perfect weight in my book. Not too heavy, not too light.
They are so ugly, I think my ultra conservative trainer is a little nauseous when he sees me roll down my stirrups to get on but I just love how they feel.
I too have ridden in regular fillis irons most of my life, but I had a bad fall a few years back and ever since then I’ve had joint pain riding in regular stirrups. I had a pair of prestige composites that I loved, but I just traded those in for a pair of Jins, and I cannot say enough good things about them, they are worth every penny!
[QUOTE=ced713;8646535]
I too have ridden in regular fillis irons most of my life, but I had a bad fall a few years back and ever since then I’ve had joint pain riding in regular stirrups. I had a pair of prestige composites that I loved, but I just traded those in for a pair of Jins, and I cannot say enough good things about them, they are worth every penny![/QUOTE]
I am seconding Jin stirrups. I had previously ridden with traditional fillis irons my whole life up until post-college. My trainer felt like I was ‘pushing off my feet’ over jump instead of sinking into my irons. She said I probably started doing that to avoid foot pain/tension and suggested I switch to one of the “wide bed” stirrups. My friend loaned me her pair on Jin stirrups, and I couldn’t believe the difference. I hadn’t even realized that I was reacting to traditional stirrups.
Also- I had a brief dalliance in college with the “jointed” stirrups. NEVER again. I felt like they made my leg swing like crazy, and didn’t offer any stability at all.
The Jin Stirrups by far. I have had multiple ankle surgeries and have tried everything! (One amazing thing about having a tack store, I can ride in all of them!) The Jins are by far the most comfortable and stable over big fences! I will not ride without them now!
Jin Stirrups lover here.
What is it about the Jin that everyone likes? When I look at them online I don’t see what makes them different. The Lorenzini clearly look different than my old school type stirrups. Maybe it is just the pics I found for the Jins that isn’t helping me. I really want to get away from my old school stirrups so am trying to put some time in the research department! I don’t have anyone that I can borrow from… Too many traditionalists at my barn.
[QUOTE=Hiddenspot;8648062]
What is it about the Jin that everyone likes? When I look at them online I don’t see what makes them different. The Lorenzini clearly look different than my old school type stirrups. Maybe it is just the pics I found for the Jins that isn’t helping me. I really want to get away from my old school stirrups so am trying to put some time in the research department! I don’t have anyone that I can borrow from… Too many traditionalists at my barn.[/QUOTE]
Wide base, very lightweight, seriously grippy tread.
This thread actually is not enlightening me, it’s confusing me. 
(Not hard to do!). So, tell me enthusiasts, why is a lighter stirrup better? I always worry it’d be hard to pick back up. I use MDC Ultimates. I like them, but I love to learn new things.
[QUOTE=greysfordays;8646085]
but I tried the free jumps when trying horses in Europe. I don’t know how to explain why exactly they are so great, but they are SO comfortable.[/QUOTE]
I did this exact same thing. Rode some horses in Germany and wanted to come home with the saddle and the stirrups! Couldn’t swing purchasing a new saddle, but promptly bought myself a pair of free jumps.
I have always used peacock fillies irons and never had a problem with them. If I have a problem with anything stirrup related it is usually the stirrup leather being difficult to twist or the stirrup bar being too far forward. On occasion I find that the stirrup will be too big. I have really small feet.
