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Let's talk non-traditional stirrups...

I just got another horse a few months ago after taking a few years off from riding, and I’m looking at stirrup options. There are SO many more options out there than the last time I was stirrup shopping, so I’d love to hear what people like.

I have bad knees and hips, and have liked the little bit of flex in the MDC Ultimates I’ve been riding in, but find them a little too heavy. I rode in a set of Equipe stirrups and liked that they had a wide footbed, so I’d like to have that option, and sonething with good grip so I’m not losing my stirrup if there’s some sand on the sole of my boot. I’m mostly considering the Equipe stirrups, Compositi Reflex, or Jin Stirrups, but I’ve also heard good things about Acavallo Operas, Free Jumps, and Lorenzinis. Would love feedback on anything you have!

I’ve been very happy with my Royal Rider stirrups. They are very light weight, have the wide foot bed, and optional cheese grater pad so I never lose them even in bad weather.

I have a pair of the Royal Rider stirrups and really like them on my jump saddle. Not a fan of jointed stirrups for dressage, but YMMV. With the lightweight stirrup + cheesegrater tread, you need to be very careful to kick your feet free before you dismount. It’s very easy to bring a stirrup over with you and get hung up!

Appreciate the heads up on that! I’m sure many have learned the hard way…

Do you have the “flexible” version of the Royal Riders, or the regular?

The are the flexible ones. I would say they don’t flex as much as regular jointed irons (I’ve had both MDCs and generic jointed irons), but provide some nice flexibility which helps my knees with the shorter stirrup.

I’m also not a fan of flexible stirrups for dressage. I’ve had Acavallo Opera stirrups on my saddle for a year or so now and quite like them.

Another thumbs up for the Acavallo Operas, I’ve had fewer problems with hip pain and my leg drawing up since I started using them, although this may be correlation and not causation of course :D:D

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I love my composite stirrups from Smartpak - the black ones for like $30. They are super comfortable and make my saddle way lighter than traditional irons.

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I love my FreeJump stirrups, they are super lightweight and very grippy. I have a size 7.5 foot and bought the kiddie size (they were quite a lot cheaper) - but if I had it back, I’d probably get the regular size. Can’t speak to them helping with joint pain, but they are awesome stirrups.

What are the lightest stirrups out there?

I have tried them all, Lorenzinis are by far my favourite, especially if you want stability. I broke my leg in three places and dislocated my foot, Lorenzinis helped me get back riding earlier than I could in any other stirrup. Give the best most secure leg!

The Lorenzinis make me nervous because I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying the paint chips. Have you had an issue with that?

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I love love love my FreeJumps for my knee pain, I broke it 15 years ago and it bothers me a lot, but use Sprengers on my dressage saddle. My dressage trainer gave the free jumps the side eye. Does anyone actually use them in dressage?

I always thought that heavy stirrups were easier to find if you lost one (more likely to hang straight down). What is the reasoning behind lightweight stirrups?

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Well, for me the benefit is that my horse is young and I lunge him in his saddle before riding sometimes, and lightweight stirrups will actually stay up. I’ve heard from others that they put less strain on your knees and ankles because you can more easily put and keep them in the position that is most comfortable for you, and of course they make your saddle lighter.

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Compositi?

I have the regular Compositi stirrups, super light, stay with my feet, haven’t lost them yet, but I don’t jump. I’m assuming their flex version would be the same, just with added feature.

yes some of the paint has chipped, but they are stirrups lol. You can’t notice it at ALL unless you grab them and inspect which no one is doing. They are meant for your feet, they are going to get dirty :smiley:

Colour or not, the structure and benefit outweights some paint chips for me.

Acavello Operas, another vote!

They are lightweight, oriented so that your foot points forward in the stirrup (so perfect for dressage; they really helped me “drape and place” my leg more correctly), easy to pick up if you drop them, and no twisted leather/bulk under your leg.

I wound up buying them for both my dressage AND jumping saddles.

OOOH!! You had me at “no twisted leather/bulk under your leg”:smiley:

I will buy a pair!!

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