Give me your reviews of Acavallo Opera stirrups

[enterata]

I do not like regular fillis irons and have been using the Composti wide footbed stirrups for several years and I like them and they are very affordable, but it seems that there are so many new lightweight stirrips available now, some look pretty nice but are upwards around the $300 range, which seems like a lot for stirrups.

I would love to hear from those of you who have tried the Acavallo Operas. I am not interested in starting a debate on heavy versus lightweight, plastic vs aluminum, etc. Just asking for reviews on this specific item or suggestions of ones that may be similar, with a wide footbed and good grip, either rubber or cheese grater. I specifically am wondering if these are difficult to get onto your leathers and if the way the top is turned, does it rub on the front of your foot. I tried another brand that was made of the heavy iron and had the top turned sideways, rode jn them twice and ended up with painful, deep bruise across the top of my ankle and I was wearing tall boots.

[Nous]

They are lightweight, seem very plasticky compared to standard steel irons, no problem getting them on the leathers, The hole for the leathers is actually split between the side of the stirrup so the stirrup can open slightly. Initially I felt they helped my hips as there is no pressure to turn the stirrup in relation to the leathers. The cheese grater grip is great. On normal stirrups I had a problem with my foot drawing up and the spur strap catching and my foot jamming into the spur, this seems to have gone. Definitely no rubbing or bruises.

Only problem; running the stirrups up the leathers means the leathers start to twist slightly, this means when they’re down and in position the stirrup is now angled at about 45 degrees which makes them slightly more difficult to feel and place my foot after I mount. I’ll caveat this by saying I’m breaking in new boots at the moment so this is increasing the difficulty.

Overall the experience is a positive one and I have no inclination to revert to normal irons.

[CanteringCarrot]

I have no issues with them. I’ve been riding with them on my dressage saddle for a few months now. I don’t care for the cheese grater part (as in I didn’t seek them out for this feature), but they are light, affordable, and have the offset eye, so that was what I was looking for. No problem picking them up after mounting, rolling them up on the saddle, or taking them on or off. Why would they be difficult to get onto the leathers? I’m not sure that I understand that.

If you are getting sore from the rotated top, then your foot is too far through the stirrup, you’re jamming your heel down, or perhaps riding at the wrong length. Even the metal version of this offset type shouldn’t cause a problem like that.

Maybe it is easier to run into a problem if you have a really small foot or other conformational matter, but even then I’m not sure.

[Dr_Doolittle]

LOVE them!!, so incredibly helpful to leg position and comfort, and I have a pair on both saddles, dressage and jump.

They are difficult to “run up”, but you can turn them sideways (also necessary when getting a leg up), but definitely worth it. I can drop my stirrups and pick them up again easily, and it helps keep the foot effortlessly facing forward - in addition to removing the “twist” in the leathers that often chafes the calf.

[Equibrit]

I get nervous when your entire weight could rest on 2 screws.

[enterata]

@Equibrit

I get nervous when your entire weight could rest on 2 screws.

Not sure if I know what you mean.

[Badger]

Tried these yesterday and liked them. I had no problem getting them on the leathers or running them up. But I am not sure of the purpose of the two branches opening at the top. Is this a comfort feature? A safety feature?

[Justmyluck]

I absolutely love mine, I have them on both saddles.

[Badger]

My coach loved how I rode in them. They are keepers.

I hope the open top provides a bit of a safety feature that yields to pressure and opens in the case of a stuck foot, but the purpose of that feature is not spelled out in the marketing I’ve seen.

[enjoytheride]

I love mine although I only have them on my jump saddle. I turn them sideways and they run up fine. I use calf skin leathers.

[pryme_thyme]

I have these on my dressage saddle. I agree they are plasticy but I really enjoy the feel. I’ve had some ankle issues from running and these help dramatically.

I do run them up, yes it twists but whatever.

My only complaint is if you did lose a stirrup, which would be rare because they are very grippy, they do bounce around a lot. Tricky to pick up compared to heavier irons.

I also have Tech Venice stirrups on my jump saddle. I prefer these overall…

[Xctrygirl]

I have been singing the praises of these since I first bought them in 2018. They changed my life as a rider. And that is 100% serious.

I like mine for flatting and dressage as well as jumping because the steadiness they help produce is very useful in all phases of riding.

The bars are a safety feature. The 2 screws comment by Equibrit I think references the construction, but I would have to look at mine again tonight.

I know I have turned a bunch of folks onto these stirrups over the years and whereas the Freejumps have broken in competitions, I have never heard of an issue with these. They’ve been great for me.

Em