Stirrup Irons -- Cheese grater vs. rubber; composite vs. steel

[whitney159]

[QUOTE=SomedaySoon;8257466]
That’s interesting since the knee that hurts is on the side that my trainer says I always “collapse” my hip and/or drop my shoulder. Sadly, PT/massage for me is not in the money right now–my mare of course still gets her monthly massage… :D[/QUOTE]

I’ve had knee pain in/behind the left knee for years and always thought it was due to riding injuries/use etc. A few years ago, when things got worse (as I was exercising more), I finally went to an Ortho doc for a look. He did a good workup and checked me out…his conclusion–there wasn’t a thing wrong with my knee. However, I had the tightest hips of anyone he’d ever seen and together with how I roll my foot over at a walk, I was feeling the pinch in the knee. Did some PT, found that massage and stretching really helped, but I don’t keep up with it like I should. I’ve tried the composite wide bed stirrups as well, and the jointed stirrups. I like the wide footbed, but would love to combine that with the flexible ones. I just can’t part with $229 for the pleasure of it right now.

[KayBee]

[QUOTE=SomedaySoon;8257466]
That’s interesting since the knee that hurts is on the side that my trainer says I always “collapse” my hip and/or drop my shoulder. Sadly, PT/massage for me is not in the money right now–my mare of course still gets her monthly massage… :D[/QUOTE]

Hah! Yes, make sure the horse feels good! Not sure where you live, what your insurance is, but check out your coverage. Not saying that will automatically make it affordable since, even in the best case scenario, you might have to cover some sort of deductible, but it might make it feasible in the future.

Meanwhile, do some searching on YouTube for hip stretches

[CindyCRNA]

I was having knee pain every time so plopped down $200 and got these: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/mdc-ultimate-stirrups-3786

I know you mentioned a budget under $100 but I wanted to throw out my experience. I think 2 things helped with these. One, they twist 90% so no torquing your knee and two, they flex at the ankle and are spring loaded so are shock absorbing. They are HEAVY which works for me when I lose a stirrup.

[goodmorning]

What I personally find interesting is that the only time I loose feeling in my feet is when I use any of the lightweight stirrups…?

[SomedaySoon]

Whitney, my pain tends to be on the side of my knee or just below, so I’m pretty sure it is muscular and not knee related–and my trainer mentioned just yesterday that it is probably from tight hips since I have trouble keeping my toes pointed forward in dressage. She said it can take a year or two to properly stretch, strengthen and train the hip flexors safely.

KayBee, I’ve checked, my co-pay makes PT/chiro/massage to costly But, once my knee gets better, I’m going to go back to doing my stretches/strengtheners for core and hips.

[SomedaySoon]

No one has any thoughts on the role of leathers in knee/ankle/foot pain? I noticed in my x-c lesson this week that when my stirrups are really short my 1" wide Stubben leathers press right into my calf (we’ve been slowly raising them a hole at a time as my balance gets better). They are so thick and heavy (and also about 14" too long). I can’t even ride in them with half chaps b/c I get rubs I don’t have this problem with dressage-length leathers. I just ordered light-weight eventing stirrups and can update when I get them if anyone wants.

[Doctracy]

I have a bone disease that caused all the bones around my knee to have areas of necrosis. I have small spots in my ankles that rarely bother me.
Anyway, I’m just getting back into riding and haven’t ridden since before this started.
I’ve use the jointed stirrups but wondering if the wide trail stirrups may be better. I’ve also had numbness in my feet while hunting so thinking about giving them a try. I’ll need to use short stirrups, especially since I haven’t ridden much in a few years and my new horse is a bit of a handful.

[Doctracy]

I’ve been considering the easy boot stirrups with a wide base. Just for trails and fox hunting. Wondering if anyone with bad knees and the foot numbness issue has tried something like this?

[mychestnutvalentine]

I got cheese graters pads during a horse show because my horse kept over jumping and my stirrups would go flying. My big class was the next day and I didn’t want to fall off! Made a huge difference immediately. I have them on my composite stirrups. Love both of them. Never have foot pain or falling asleep feet.

[CindyCRNA]

[QUOTE=Doctracy;8264457]
I’ve been considering the easy boot stirrups with a wide base. Just for trails and fox hunting. Wondering if anyone with bad knees and the foot numbness issue has tried something like this?[/QUOTE]

I have heard the wide stirrups help with this but my issue was knee so didn’t try the wide base.

My friend who fox hunts/events also had knee pain which went away with the MDC stirrups.

As for your leathers, I used to have that issue. I found the biggest culprit were sock s that were too rough and too thin. Thicker riding socks that go to the knee under your riding breeches, not on top of them eliminated my problem.

[pryme_thyme]

I used to get knee aches and serious ankle pain.
Knee aches I am sure are to do with my old days of endurance running but ankle definitely stemming from riding.

I purchased those ‘comfort pads’ that attach to regular irons with zip ties. They have helped tremendously.
I think I used to jam my heel down to find security in the stirrup now I feel very secure and don’t jam.

Cheese graters would have been a solution too but I hate the effect on my boots.

[Scratch_N_Dent]

Hi. I have the wide Jinn stirrups with these pads (http://www.doversaddlery.com/super-comfort-pads/p/X1-0752/ ). The stirrups have grips built in but I found they got slippery in the rain. Now I am comfy and have lots of grip without sticking to the stirrup (and ruining the soles of my boots).

[LadyB]

If you have a bad knee, are you better to get the Non-Flex Royal Rider stirrups?
I currently ride in just your basic flex stirrup, and I still have a knee issue, and thought they would help.

I’m looking at purchasing a pair at the moment. I see they also have a carbon fiber kind, interesting.

[MickMac]

as someone who used to experience this problem all the time, here’s a different way to think about why you are experiencing foot pain and numbness: you possibly are not sitting correctly in the saddle or using yourself correctly in the saddle.
i had pain and numbness in my foot and sometimes strange pains in the back/outside of my knee area for over 10 years growing up, while riding. in the past year I have been focusing on changing the way i sit (and generally maintain myself through all gaits), based off a suggestion from a professional and rolex rider. he told me to keep my hips pressed forward. i describe it to others as a butt queeze, which naturally opens the hip and pushes it forward, drives the knee a little bit down, and closes the calf on the horse.
I have not only noticed that my leg is excellent all the time (used to slide back, and i used to fold too much over fences) in pictures, but my ankle is WAY more flexed and supple and I’m not even thinking about it. i’m just thinking about my hips.
i have no more numbness or pain and i am still using the same stirrups i have used for over a decade. gotta say i concur with george morris, i hate a flexed stirrup iron, because i almost have to “fix” my foot in the stirrup so it doesnt flex right out! your ankle, knee, and hip are supposed to be your shock absorbers, not your stirrup iron. if they are not acting efficiently as shock absorbers, then yes, a flex stirrup iron would do the trick. but is it actually encouraging you to be correct?
So if you have bad knees, then definitely you need something to help absorb shock, but you might also want to examine the way you sit, too

[SomedaySoon]

Well, my new Compositi Wides (see first post) just came and I wore them (on my first ever) cross country schooling yesterday. I love them! No knee, shin or ankle pain at all. The balls of my feet hurt a little for a few minutes after the first half hour, but then felt fine the rest of the ride and after. First, I like the light weight, they were just “there” without being noticeable. Second, they have a soft footbed with good tread and the pad itself flexes – very shock absorbing. Though we did go through the water, they didn’t get very wet, but they felt very secure and I didn’t loose a stirrup they entire day. I love the wide footbed, I felt so secure and it was effortless to keep my heels down. B/c my knee is still a little injured I didn’t shorten my stirrups as much as I usually do, so I’ll have to wait and see a little with that. But so far they are the best $45ish I’ve spent Just for the heck of it, here are a few pictures:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8811382@N02/20658362956/in/dateposted-public/

And they come in lots of colors – Purple https://www.flickr.com/photos/8811382@N02/20691380841/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8811382@N02/20684625755/in/dateposted-public/

[SomedaySoon]

[QUOTE=MickMac;8277740]
So if you have bad knees, then definitely you need something to help absorb shock, but you might also want to examine the way you sit, too :)[/QUOTE]

LOL, I only have pain in one leg, and it is the side on which I tend to “collapse” my hip and shoulder at times – so, believe me, my trainer and I are working on fixing that part of the problem!

[LadyB]

I received Royal Rider stirrups for my birthday. With the cheese grader irons, non-flex. At first I didn’t feel a difference, but I had a show this weekend.

My leg felt so much more confident! I previously rode in those flex stirrups, clearly they didn’t help my position. With the wider base of the stirrup and not faking putting my heal down I found a big difference in my confidence in the stirrups. I felt I could sit better and squeeze better and my leg stayed without swinging. Who knows maybe it’s all in my head, but I felt like I had more to push down into.

My knee wasn’t aching once I got home, and today it hasn’t either! Improvement there as well. I’ll have to save up for a pair for dressage! So exciting!

[FatCatFarm]

[QUOTE=SomedaySoon;8277750]
Well, my new Compositi Wides (see first post) just came and I wore them (on my first ever) cross country schooling yesterday. I love them! [/QUOTE]

Glad you found something that helps and that you like. I’ve been very pleased with mine and yes, they are a great value.