I’m an older ammy with pretty trashed knees. Ugh! Four knee surgeries plus some horse accidents later, they are hurting more and more. I’ve had “old school” plain old stirrups for ever and I know that there are SO many newer options of stirrups out there. I’ve heard that the flexible jointed ones are supposed to be easier on the knees, but maybe there are some that I don’t know about. I would love to hear what kind (brands) have worked for you! Thanks!
I’ve found just the opposite to be true… jointed stirrups seem to aggravate knee pain.
Check out the MDC Sport Classic… the wide footbed offers a really stable platform and twisting the top so your leathers can lay flat (no twist across the shin) is the icing on the cake.
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I used to ride in the jointed stirrups, I believe it was the Herm Sprengers, and had awful knee pain and I was only like 12 or 13. Then a couple of years ago I switched to free jump stirrups and I haven’t had ANY knee pain since. It’s kind of strange because when I’m on a break from riding even a couple days out of those stirrups and my knee pain is back. They have done wonders for me, I think due to the shape and wide foot bed.
I hate jointed stirrups. They make me feel unstable while also making knee and ankle pain worse. I, too, prefer an MDC wide-tread, not jointed. I think mine are the s-classic.
I used to walk like a cowboy until I got jointed stirrups. I rode in them for years but 3 years ago so made the switch to freejumps and riding in the European style as opposed to hunter style and my Kees have thanked me for it 
I have the MDC Super Sports (wide tread, jointed, cheese grater tread, and twisty top) and they bother my knees more than I thought. I can’t ride for extended periods of time in them (longer than 1-1.5 hours) and get off without an “OUCH!”. I thought I loved them, but I tried the free jump pros on Saturday and I think I am actually in love with the free jumps! The free jumps are more stable and I got off feeling less sore than I have in a long time despite riding for well over an hour and a half.
I have learned that stirrups are a very personal thing. What works amazing for one person does not work at all for the next.
Your best bet is to try various things until you find something that works for you.
I have the Herm Sprenger four way flex stirrups and they make riding not hurt my hips and knees.
I too have very bad knees and scoliosis. Many years ago I juggled ballet and ponies. Fast forward many years to today, I really love both my Composti stirrups as well as my JIN’s. Like mentioned above, it’s not so much a one size fits all unfortunately. I hope this helps!
I think all of us that rode in the flat saddles of the past have horrid knees now. I too tried the jointed stirrups and found that I was crippled after I rode in them. I tried the ultra light weight stirrups that are the trend and kept losing them because they were too light. I settled on the Super Comfort Iron Pads. They are about $30 and have made a huge difference. I still have knee pain when it’s cold or I’m doing a ton of collected/extended flat work and I still need my horses to learn to put their nose on the ground so I can slide down their neck to dismount, but I think that will always be the case.
I absolutely hated my jointed Herm Sprenger 4-way stirrups - seemed to make the pain worse.
I switched to Jins, which helped a lot. However, I got my hands on a pair of Free Jump stirrups and have not looked back since. I absolutely LOVE my Free Jump stirrups and will be taking them to my grave - you won’t see me riding without them!
Antares stirrups are also very nice - they remind me of the Jins, or perhaps a mix between the Jins and Free Jump, though they are extremely hard to find. I do not believe Antares manufactures them anymore, but there is a pair on eBay right now.
I also tried the new stirrups that Voltaire is making - they were very nice as well. If I didn’t already have my Free Jumps, I would have considered purchasing them.
I just got the cheapest basic jointed stirrup (the $30 kind) and it made a huge difference for my knee. But what will work best for you is probably dependent on your particular conformation, saddle, riding style, etc. You might want to start with a cheap pair to see if they help at all and/or see if you can borrow some of the fancier ones to try out before spending $$.
