We are trying to find the cause of my daughter’s sore knees - and it has been suggested to me that her stirrup irons may be (part of ) the cause?
Her irons “flex” on the sides only - not on the top & not on the footbed.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Can anyone suggest a type of iron that might work for someone with knee pain?
Personally, I cannot ride in anything jointed in any way, shape or form. I end up in excruciating pain in the outsides of my knees and sometimes ankles. I just use regular fillis style stirrup irons similar to these: http://www.doversaddlery.com/fillis-style-stirrup-irons/p/X1-0725/?ids=lmgicictarzmst05l5nik1yd
That being said, I’m sure you will get other responses where people have great results using some other type of jointed item, something made of composite material, and/or wider footbed.
I used to ride in jointed Herm Sprenger stirrups, and they caused knee pain while riding. The pain got so bad that I could hardly walk when I got off the horse. I had better luck with wide footbed stirrups (Royal Rider).
Jointed stirrups have eliminated my knee pain (I use the Bow Balance now, which are technically flexible rather than jointed). Royal Riders didn’t help at all. I foxhunt and if I don’t use the Bow Balance, my knees really hurt at the end of a ride.
Certainly changing stirrups can make a difference. I guess it depends on what is causing the knee pain.
I have awful knees and was told to try out the jointed stirrups to alleviate pain. I suffered with them for a month before giving up on them, they caused both of my knees to swell like balloons and caused ankle pain that was never there before. They work for some people but not all, have her try a regular iron for a while and see if it helps.
That said, I was using cheese grater style pads when I went back to my regular fillis irons and still had some knee issues (hence the switch to jointed in the first place). Tossed the cheese graters and now ride in these: https://www.smartpakequine.com/super-comfort-iron-pads-6038p
They are actually Super Comfortable! Maybe worth a shot?
Get a set of regular stirrups. Jointed stirrups aren’t working.
[QUOTE=Bogie;7661278]
Jointed stirrups have eliminated my knee pain (I use the Bow Balance now, which are technically flexible rather than jointed). Royal Riders didn’t help at all. I foxhunt and if I don’t use the Bow Balance, my knees really hurt at the end of a ride.
Certainly changing stirrups can make a difference. I guess it depends on what is causing the knee pain.[/QUOTE]
This is me! I also have a pair of Composite Irons. They don’t make my knee’s hurt AS BAD as normal irons, but my knee’s are much happier in the Sprenger Bow Balance.
Before I broke down and bought the Sprenger’s, I had a cheaper pair of jointed irons. They were excruciating on my knees and ankles. What brand are you using?
I have chronic tendonitis in my right knee. I find the instability of jointed stirrups aggravates it greatly. I like my regular fillis style, but may try something with a wider footbed for greater support.
My knees hurt with regular irons and jointed ones. I have the composite wide track ones and they’re great. The footbed tips just enough to allow your heel to go down, but they’re very stable since the entire stirrup isn’t flexing and moving around.
I have chronic lower back and hip problems so I decided to try the jointed stirrups- luckily I didn’t buy them. Not only did they not help my back/ hips, but my knees started bothering me too! I went back to the plain ol’ fillis irons and the knee pain went away.
On a separate note, to the person who posted the wrap stirrup grips, do those scratch your saddle? I haven’t bought new stirrup pads in about 25 years, so I figure it is time :winkgrin:.
Thank you for the quick replys! Her current irons look like this:
http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=RIE3403&stricSKU=RIE3403
and she does have the cheese grater pads as well.
Will switch them out for ‘standard’ irons and see if that gives her any relief.
Can anyone suggest a type/branch that would have a wider foot bed?
[QUOTE=rijkenberg;7661387]
Thank you for the quick replys! Her current irons look like this:
http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=RIE3403&stricSKU=RIE3403
and she does have the cheese grater pads as well.
Will switch them out for ‘standard’ irons and see if that gives her any relief.
Can anyone suggest a type/branch that would have a wider foot bed?[/QUOTE]
If she likes the jointed irons, maybe she could try someone else’s more expensive jointed iron? I know that sounds terrible… It’s just that the cheaper ones aren’t always better. I’ve been there!
If she doesn’t mind the regular and they don’t bother her, then go with those.
Compositi makes a wide foot bed composite iron. I like my compositi’s! Just wish they were jointed like my Sprenger’s. They are also fairly priced!
How old is your daughter? Mine just turned 15 and was seriously growing…like just bounding up through the leg. Like new boots every 6 month growing. She was having growing pains. We did find that for her the wide foot-bed irons, not the jointed, were the best fit for her. But boy was she complaining about her knees and ankles and feet. Seems to have slowed down a bit in the last 3 months thank god! Boots were making me broke!
[QUOTE=M. Owen;7661339]
On a separate note, to the person who posted the wrap stirrup grips, do those scratch your saddle? I haven’t bought new stirrup pads in about 25 years, so I figure it is time :winkgrin:.[/QUOTE]
Nope, not at all! The cheese graters would often scratch up my leathers but I haven’t had any issues with the wrap arounds so far.
Rijkenberg, those are the same irons I was using. Awful awful awful things, but you get what you pay for I guess. I had better luck with the Sprengers but absolutely no where near enough to buy them. I’ve been much happier in regular stirrups.
My daughter rides in Herm Sprengers and they really helped her knees. She has loose ACL ligaments and these helped a lot.
I find that I have quite a bit less knee pain when I use my Super Comfort pads - the same ones Barn Dirt linked to. I think it is a combination of the added width (not substantially wider than usual, but a bit) and some impact absorption. If I use stirrups/pads that are just wider, I still have knee pain, though it is less than plain ole regular irons/pads.
[QUOTE=pattnic;7661658]
I find that I have quite a bit less knee pain when I use my Super Comfort pads - the same ones Barn Dirt linked to. I think it is a combination of the added width (not substantially wider than usual, but a bit) and some impact absorption. If I use stirrups/pads that are just wider, I still have knee pain, though it is less than plain ole regular irons/pads.[/QUOTE]
The Super comfort pads definitely help me but not as much as the Bow Balance stirrups. Of course they are MUCH less expensive, so they are a good first step.
I have a bad right knee from 20 yr old torn ACL. I have tried inexpensive jointed stirrups & regular fillis stirrups. I didn’t really notice a difference with either as far as my knee comfort was concerned.
How long has your daughter been riding? The first 4 months I started riding again as an adult, my knee pain was worse. Now I rarely have knee pain and riding has greatly improved my knee comfort and stability. I do find riding narrow-backed horses or horses that require A LOT of leg can aggravate my knee again.
Will also add, as a teenager, I rode in a knee brace under my breeches (per doctor’s advice since he thought this would help w/stability). This made my knee pain much worse and was unnecessary in retrospect.
[QUOTE=rijkenberg;7661387]
Thank you for the quick replys! Her current irons look like this:
http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=RIE3403&stricSKU=RIE3403[/QUOTE]
I have those exact stirrups and a pair of Sprenger 4-way jointed irons. I found the Connemara ones to be the closest in flex to the Sprengers. I borrowed a friend’s pair to try and then bought my own Sprengers after I stopped getting sore knees when riding in the Sprengers. Initially I couldn’t ride for an hour in regular irons without achy knees and sometimes my previously injured ankle. Now I can handle a ride in regular irons without issue - riding someone else’s horse for example - but I wouldn’t give my flex irons up.
They do help reduce pain for some people, but they make it worse for others.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
