Exactly what it sounds like. I’m buying a new jump saddle and a new dressage saddle (new to me, that is) and I’m wanting to get new stirrup irons for them. Respectively, what are the best irons, in your opinion, for cross country and dressage? Thanks so much in advance!
My vote is 100% with Tech Stirrups for both! They have a few different models to suit your needs. Some are breakaway, some are shock absorbing (or both!), others are simple, etc. I’ve found all of them to be super comfortable and grippy (perfect for water complexes and unintentional airs above the ground during a BN test). It’s nice being able to use one pair for all phases, but also great that they have different options that are also crafted to a particular phase.
I use the TS Siena Plus. They look classy enough for dressage, and have the shock absorbing and tread that my ankles need for cross country. They come in fun colors too, if you’re into that!
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I am DEFINITELY into fun colors. I will look into them, thank you so much!
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Are they really worth the price tag? I’ve been considering getting some safety stirrups but I really love my composite stirrups with the wide footbed.
I use the Tech Venice Slope stirrups. They are worth every penny I paid for them. My feet are in the right place, my feet STAY in the right place, and my iffy ankle no longer bothers me when I ride a horse. Plus they are safety stirrups!!!
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I jump in Acavallo AluPlus 2.0 stirrups and dressage in Flex-Ons safety stirrups with the ultra grip sloped footbed. I love them both.They also come in fun colors 
I have terrible ankles (too flexible even after a ton of PT to stabilize them) and both of those stirrups do a great job of helping me to not overflex through my ankle and consequently not be in copious amounts of pain from everything being overextended from the knee down. Both of them keep my feet where they should be and are super comfortable to ride in.
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They’re definitely worth the price tag. The breakaway works really well when needed, and the rest of the stirrup is fabulous.
That being said, I’m personally not a huge fan of safety stirrups in general so I haven’t bought a pair yet, only ridden in them. If you’re on the fence then I recommend you wait for a good sale to come up, especially since you already have a comfortable pair. I can’t remember where I got my regular TS from online but I believe I saved ~$125 on them. If you decide to try safety stirrups, and are okay with splurging, these are the ones to buy. They’ll last forever too.
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I would definitely try different things, I cycled through a few of the popular brands before I found the stirrups that were worth the money for me. It seems to be something that can be very individual to rider anatomy.
I really like the American Equus stirrups. They have a few different models ranging from more traditional looking to more out there, and you can customize them pretty much however you want. My jump saddle has the Elite Escape safety stirrups, and I’ll probably go back for a pair of the Hunter Escape stirrups for my dressage saddle since I like a more traditional look.
Fillis irons
🤷
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I just bought a pair of the LeMieux Vector safety stirrups for my jump saddle and really like them so far. They’re light but not TOO light, and they really help me feel stable/effective without having to worry about my feet slipping/moving (problem with my previous and worn out stirrups). They have good tread plus little metal spikes. They look and feel really sharp to the touch, but I don’t feel them at all when I’m riding. Overall I’m so so happy with them.
I’ve ridden in the Tech Stirrups (safety Venice) too. They’re also really nice, I just didn’t find a color I was in love with enough to want to spend that amount of $$. It sounds vain but if I’m spending that much, I want to really love how they look. As soon as I saw the burgundy LeMieux ones I was SOLD 
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I just switched from Acavallos to LeMieux Vectors on my jumping saddle and really like them. The bit of slope is nice when riding with a shorter stirrup and they’re really slick-looking (have to look close to even see that they’re a safety stirrup). I am using Acavallos on my dressage saddle and really like them for that purpose, but they weren’t quite as comfy for jumping.
I found a pair with a ~15% discount and bought them. I really like them. I have the regular ones and not the dressage specific ones. The footbed is super grippy and they do feel easier to get my foot out of than my composite stirrups but still have the wide footbed and my joints aren’t hurting yet. My only gripe is that the outside of the sole of my boot sometimes gets stuck on top of where the stirrup and the safety arm meet and then I have to shake my foot around to free it.
I have fallen off since I bought them (big spook and spin) and I have no idea if the safety arm disengaged but my foot didn’t get stuck so I can’t complain.
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