My treeless is scheduled to be delivered Tuesday-YAY!
I’m looking for suggestions on the stirrups…I am thinking more the english type, as I find the western is just not comfortable for my ‘bad’ ankle (old injury). What do you guys recommend? I am not a heavy rider, weight or time…I am thinking of getting involved in CTR in the future, but I have some work to do with this horse before we go that direction.
I ride CTRs and LDs and most riders I know who do those or longer riders tend to like the Trail Stirrup style - you can see examples on http://www.runningbear.com or just about any retailer that carries trail-riding tack. They are lightweight and provide great cushioning. I haven’t had ankle aches since I started using mine (vs. English stirrups) years ago.
I have two treeless saddles. On my endurance saddle I have caged EZ Ride stirrups and on my dressage saddle I have english peacock irons. Because lots of treeless saddles have a closed loop where the stirrup leathers attach, you may want to check and see if yours does. If so, you’ll want some kind of safety stirrup.
I love the Composite REFLEX Wide Track Stirrups
Still look like traditional english, but a wider foot bed for comfort (the bed itself rocks) …plus super lightweight and you can run them up.
I have the English Safety stirrups shown here:
http://www.aussiesaddle.com/products/stirrups.html
and LOVE them. I have two treeless saddles and have a pair for each of them.
Love the EZ riders on my Bob Marshall. They’re super comfortable for long rides.
Try the Royal Riders of Italy. They are constructed with a Dupont weave that absorbs shock. They also have cages to attach!
www.RoyalRiderStirrups.com
I ride with the caged EZ Ride stirrups. I use the nylon rather than the aluminum. A friend of mine said that she saw a horse fall on the aluminum stirrups and they crushed on her foot. She would have been dragged, but the leathers broke.
I have my treeless outfitted with regular English schooling stirrups, regular English stirrup irons, and I put Stirrup Socks over the leathers to protect my saddle leather. It’s really comfy and works for us. I used the “western” stirrup fenders for a while, but they KILLED my knees and ankles.
