Who rides in either of these? Has anyone tried both? Visually I like the look of the Flex On Hunter H stirrups best. Are they offset at the top? What I currently love about my MDC’s are the swivel top that provides a ton of pain/numbness relief for my feet/ankles. I would be worried about losing that the most. The inclined foot bed is super interesting to me as well. They are both pricey which makes it tougher to make a decision! Thanks for your help!
I have the FreeJumps and the Flex On Safe On (safety version) stirrups. Both make a noticeable difference to my ouchy knee. I previously used the MDC “S” stirrups which have the 45 degree angle and switched to these for the safety features. I find both of these more comfortable and shock absorbing than the MDCs.
Here’s my take on the differences:
FreeJumps:
- 90 degree angle
- wide inclined footbed
Flex On:
- ~ 45 degree angle
- inclined footbed, not quite as wide as the FreeJumps
I find the Free Jumps slightly more comfortable for longer rides and both equally comfortable for shorter rides. They’re both very stable, similar to the MDCs.
Thank you for your review, that helps!
I half lease and use the horse owner’s saddle. She has freejump stirrups of some variety and they’re nice to ride in but I hate dealing with them the rest of the time. They scratch everything they touch so you can’t run them up the leathers and instead have to stick them in awkward linked fleece bags. I frequently find myself halfway to the mounting block before realizing I now have to do something with this fleece thing, or back at the wash stall realizing I left it somewhere on the way to the mounting block and can’t run the stirrups up. It’s annoying enough that I have a disproportionate animosity towards these stirrups.
I cross mine over the saddle but I have long legs; consequently, the pointy parts of the stirrups end up not touching the saddle if I’m careful. I use the cover on the saddle and make sure to tuck in all the edges. I ride at two different barns and end up moving my saddle back and forth several times a week and have mostly managed to avoid scratches. I also have a Stubben which might be a bit hardier than some of the other brands.
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I’m not sure I can explain this properly but I run the ‘scratchy’ stirrups slightly differently to avoid scratches. Try running them up on the back leather, not the front (closer to the saddle flap). Then when you do the leather tuck, tuck the leathers into a loop from the outside of the saddle underneath to the ‘inside’ (closer to the saddle flap). That gives you a bit of space/cushion between the sharp edges/cheese grater portion and the delicate leather. Helps me avoid using little bags etc. which I would inevitably lose/forget etc.
Totally understand not your saddle so you may need to follow process but I wanted to share my process in case it helps others!
I’ve ridden in both the Flex Ons and Free Jumps. I vastly prefer the Free Jumps. They’re the most secure, most comfortable stirrups I’ve ever owned, and pretty much all I’ll ride in these days.
Also, I have zero issues with them scratching, and I have a full calfskin saddle and don’t use covers for the stirrups. I run them up the back of the leather, wrap the leather around the black fixed side of the stirrup, and tuck them through the keeper. It’s a little different but takes me no extra time and keeps the stirrups secure.
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After I shattered my heel and wrecked my ankle, I tried every pair of irons I could put my foot in, including the two you’re considering.
FreeJumps are hands down the most comfortable, supportive and secure for me. Totally worth the investment.
Thanks everyone! I really wish I liked how the Free Jump stirrups looked more, they just look large and clunky to me. I like the look of the Flex On ones much more! But seems like the Free Jump are much better to ride in!
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They look large and clunky and honestly the obvious seams look “cheap” to me… I do a lot of 3D printing and working with composite pieces (and machined metal etc etc) and these just don’t look as high quality as I want for the price 
That said, if they’re comfortable and keep me in the saddle pain free I guess that’s worth a lot!
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Another vote for free jump. Super comfortable and secure.
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I have the Free Jumps that look more traditional and you can run them up. I love them.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/freejump-softup-classic-stirrups-22775
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I tried both and chose the Hunter FlexOns because I preferred the weight. FreeJumps were too light for my taste. I’m sure they’re well made from great materials, but they felt flimsy to me. Just personal preference.
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That is my concern too! I’ve had other composite stirrups and didn’t like how light they were.
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Yeah. I have composite FlexOns as well (the safety stirrups) and much prefer the aluminum hunter version’s weight. Airs are a billion times lighter than composite FlexOns.
Some people like really light stirrups, some prefer really heavy MDCs. I think Hunter FlexOns are a good medium weight.
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I’ve had Jins and other (normal?) composite stirrups and the FreeJumps have a fair bit of weight to them. IIRC they weight a few grams (negligible) more than the metal Le Meiux Vector stirrups I have. The FreeJumps are the perfect weight to me - not so light they bounce around but significantly lighter than my MDC ultimates.
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I rode in a lesson last week where we repeatedly dropped and picked up our stirrups at trot and canter. Zero issues with the FreeJumps. I think the fact that the top is angled so the stirrups fall perpendicular to the horse helps. As does the fact that I know to keep my leg on in such a way that the stirrups shouldn’t stray. And they have a decent amount of weight.
Not to complicate matters, but has anyone tried the Samshield stirrups?
I’m being driven a little crazy trying to figure out what I want to try. Wish I could rent a pair for a week and then make up my mind 
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Me tooooo!
