Please recommend stirrup leathers and safety stirrups!

[fordtraktor]

They are not lightweight like those composites. Those composites weigh around 180 grams usually, these weigh almost 500. The bottoms are quite heavy, the outsides are lightweight plastic/flexible so your foot can just slip out in a fall. The inside branch is a steel of some sort. They seem heavier than my regular fillis stirrups. They are not at all hard to recover, that is the key selling point of these stirrups besides just safety, how easy they are to ride in and recover because they hang beautifully. There is a tutorial you can watch on YouTube to see how they work. And quickly return “home” all the time. I think they have most of the weight in the bottom for this reason. And also the angle is very inviting for stirrup recovery. I do not think this is supposed to be a “light” stirrup and Free Jump does not seem to market it as one. I didn’t see any mention of it on their website or the video. Maybe Fritt is thinking of another stirrup or maybe they are just marketed wrong in some places, some retailers just mess things up.

People should at least look at them in person before deciding on an opinion of them, I think it’s nice companies are out there inventing stuff to improve safety and that actually has functionality for sport at the same time, that is why I am such a fan of my cool if pricey stirrups!

[Action42]

I bought a pair of Toulouse leathers on a whim at a Dover sale a year or so ago and have been pleasantly surprised at the quality. They are nylon lined, very soft, and match my saddle well.

[AmarachAcres]

For stirrup safety: I bought these and they work great with almost any classic english stirrup.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KJA8FIK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

[Madeline]

[QUOTE=FrittSkritt;8344591]

From what I’ve read, the FreeJumps are advertised as “extremely lightweight,” which is the LAST thing you want in a safety stirrup… God himself (George Morris) and Jimmy Wofford have spoken against any lightweight stirrup as being undesirable since they flap around and make it damn near impossible to regain when you’ve lost one.[/QUOTE]

This several times over. Lightweight is not good. The problem is that they tend to stay with your foot rather than let go. If you get upside down in that awkward moment, it is possible that the top of your foot grabs onto the tread, you’re caught. I had this happen with a pair of composite stirrups when a turkey jumped up under my horse’s nose. It was a short but very awkward moment. Then I tossed the stirrups. I like the heavy swirly ones.

[fordtraktor]

Again, go to a Dover or something and pick one up to see what the weight is, I think you will find it acceptable in real life. They weigh about a pound. These are not nearly as light the composites and the footbed is weighted heavily which keeps it in position. I rode in them all summer and never had any issues finding my stirrups. And I often drop my stirrups to do random stuff like sit the trot and canter or just walk around, then pick them up again. I haven’t lost one over a jump but honestly that is probably a good thing, I don’t think I would like them much if I lost them over jumps!

There are plenty of reasons people might not prefer these stirrups, I don’t think they are the answer for everyone (they are expensive, look nontraditional, some people prefer a flex stirrup for knee pain, some people might want an S stirrup that will never wear out/break (the flexible plastic can break in a nasty fall on these). But I don’t think it is fair to dislike them for being lightweight because I honestly don’t think they even are. If the previous posters have actually ridden in them and disagree please say so because I am more than willing to concede the point if other riders have used them and still think they are too light.

[LJ55]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8344009]
(bTW, the Free Jump Soft Ups come in a Junior size that is significantly cheaper from Amira Equi. I think women with a small foot could probably use it fine given the size chart but I wear a size 10 so it was off the table for me.)[/QUOTE]

I was also looking at these stirrups but the lighter/junior version are only for up to 60kg as they are not as strong which is why they are cheaper so even if you are below that I would spend the extra to buy the regular/adults ones just in case.

[jn4jenny]

There’s tons of great leathers on the market, so you’ll have your pick there. Gary Mundys are hard to beat for basic, supple, grain-leather stirrup leathers. But if you’re looking for something really luxurious with minimal stretch, it’s hard to beat the Prestige no-stretch leathers. They wear like iron, and the lay-flat buckle design is a nice bonus.

The Prestige no-strech leathers can be tough to find in a flat havana brown, so I use Beval Italian Stirrup Leathers on my havana-brown, high-end, calfskin saddle. The buckles are sufficiently small that they don’t create bulk under the flap. It’s not quite as freakishly slim as the Prestige lay-flat buckles, but it’s nice nonetheless. Wait for a Beval 20% off sale if you’re not into the price tag.

Re: safety stirrups, Mountain Horse Safety Stirrups are my kool-aid of choice. These suckers are sturdy and heavy, much moreso than a traditional peacock iron. I greased up the release end of the rubber tube for a little extra insurance in case of a fall, but I’m very confident that they would release. And they have a slightly more intelligent, not-a-gigantic-meathook-now design after release (see link #2). I didn’t like the ridged stirrup pads that came with these, but I took them out and put in regular stirrup pads + Super Comfort Stirrup pads.
http://www.mountainhorse.co.uk/index.php?p=products&id=1265402497
http://www.netequestrian.com/images/product/ER307046.jpg

[Fergs]

[QUOTE=retreadeventer;8343757]
Agree with Fordtraktor on peacocks. I think we have moved on with stirrup styles from this very old model now. But as long as pony club approves of them, they will stick around continuing to hang up people as they fall or get off…I am going to look up your Free Jump ones![/QUOTE]

I was at a USPC standards and ratings clinic about 6 years ago, and then they said PC was no longer endorsing the use of peacock stirrups. There have been numerous cases of jodphur laces getting caught on the hook.

[FrittSkritt]

[QUOTE=jn4jenny;8346753]
There’s tons of great leathers on the market, so you’ll have your pick there. Gary Mundys are hard to beat for basic, supple, grain-leather stirrup leathers. But if you’re looking for something really luxurious with minimal stretch, it’s hard to beat the Prestige no-stretch leathers. They wear like iron, and the lay-flat buckle design is a nice bonus.

The Prestige no-strech leathers can be tough to find in a flat havana brown, so I use Beval Italian Stirrup Leathers on my havana-brown, high-end, calfskin saddle. The buckles are sufficiently small that they don’t create bulk under the flap. It’s not quite as freakishly slim as the Prestige lay-flat buckles, but it’s nice nonetheless. Wait for a Beval 20% off sale if you’re not into the price tag.

Re: safety stirrups, Mountain Horse Safety Stirrups are my kool-aid of choice. These suckers are sturdy and heavy, much moreso than a traditional peacock iron. I greased up the release end of the rubber tube for a little extra insurance in case of a fall, but I’m very confident that they would release. And they have a slightly more intelligent, not-a-gigantic-meathook-now design after release (see link #2). I didn’t like the ridged stirrup pads that came with these, but I took them out and put in regular stirrup pads + Super Comfort Stirrup pads.
http://www.mountainhorse.co.uk/index.php?p=products&id=1265402497
http://www.netequestrian.com/images/product/ER307046.jpg[/QUOTE]

Do they still make these in the U.S.? I was looking for a pair not long ago and it seemed no one had them.