talk to me about fancy, expensive stirrups...

I have old HS with the 90 degree rotated top but regular foot bed. I put Centaur comfort pads on the foot bed myself. My knees would get really stiff if I rode two in the winter with regular stirrups. The decreased torque on my knees from the rotated top helped a ton.

I tried the flexible foot bed but found myself posting off my toes in dressage length stirrups. I think they would be fine in a jump saddle.

It’s one of those “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” issues. Can you ride comfortably with what you have? If so and you’re curious, find a friend and borrow a pair of “fancy” ones before buying.

I have bad knees. The MDC stirrups with the 90 degree rotated top were a life saver for me. I went from extreme pain, knees giving out when I hopped off to after 30 minutes to … nothing. Knees are fine after hours now and I’m not longer fighting to keep my toes straight.

Now that said, I have the swivel ones where you can pick flat, 45 and 90 degree angles. These are no better for my knees than the set 90 degree ones and they cost a lot more. I could have made do with the set ones but these ones store better and they were a birthday present and I love them.

I have tried the flex stirrups, didn’t like them. They seemed to encourage me to reach with my toes instead of sinking into my heels. I’m sure I could have gotten used to them but solid works fine.

Oh gosh! I believe I got them on amazon (this was years ago,) but I’m not sure if they’re still available there? They’re specifically called the ‘Super Comfort Stirrup Pad,’ and they come as two flat octagons, literally look like they were cut from tires. They also come with zip ties.

The MDC ‘S’ stirrups come with wide cheese grater footbed (which I’m not a fan of.) I just zip tied the whole pad around the cheese grater. So far I’ve only had to replace one zip tie (in like 4 or 5 years.)

Sorry, not sure if I’m explaining it correctly, if you’d like, I can try to take a picture…

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I did a little googling. I bet you mean these. :slight_smile: https://www.doversaddlery.com/super-comfort-pads/p/X1-0752/

Thank you everyone for the responses! I guess I wasn’t clear in my original post - I ride with flex stirrups already, but they are cheapies (~ $40). The rubber is totally broken and cracked, and I would like cleaner (not broken) ones for showing. As AltersAreUs said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so I just bought some new flex cheapies ($50), and will likely be quite happy never knowing what I’m missing with the $200 kind :slight_smile:

(But if I find some to borrow, I will definitely try them :encouragement: )

I never knew how much difference good irons really make. In comfort for my knees & hips, and for stability and comfort in my saddles - I will not ever ride in regular irons again if I can avoid it! I spent a small fortune on my Jin stirrups, and aside from my saddles, it’s the best money I’ve ever spent on tack. I do not regret it at ALL! I love the stupid things! :smiley:

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I use the Sprenger flexible jointed stirrups. Honestly, I was pretty happy with my olf Fillis stirrups, but my trainer gave me a pair for free :). I had an old fracture of my R ankle and R foot and when I started using the flexible stirrups, I was much more comfortable. And my leg position improved. So I bought them for my other saddles and I would definitely recommend them for others with old injuries or older riders (I am in the older age group and I find they are also more comfortable for my knees. So while I wouldn’t have shelled out all of that money for my first pair. I am now riding everything with these stirrups and I am more comfortable. I would look for them on line on sale or on ebay or used at discount saddlery stores. I bought a perfectly good pair used for $25 at a consignment store.

I ride in Lorenzini stirrups and Free Jump.

I was one of those people who scoffed at the idea of fancy stirrups making anything better. It wasn’t until my husband got a pair of Free Jump stirrups, thanks to his eventing instructor letting him borrow a pair, that I have it a go. I can walk after riding! Not hobble and I find my foot position a lot more secure, even if a horse is playing up.

I bought the Lorenzini stirrups because at the time Free Jump stirrups weren’t dressage legal in my neck of the woods. Now they are, I’m saving up for a black pair of Free Jump. I love the Lorenzini to help my knees, but the Free Jumps definitely feel a lot more secure to me.

It is a matter of preference though. Some people find them life changing and others don’t find anything different with them except a lighter bank account. Though the idea of setting up a stirrup bank is quite a good idea!

I use the MDC Ultimates because I have an artificial ankle. I simply can’t use the non flexible stirrups. I once tried the cheap version of bendy side stirrups and they were fine too, but I was offered a killer deal on the MDC’s, so that’s what I ride in now. I have tried the HS Bow Balance stirrups and they were too flexible, I felt really insecure. As others have said, see if you can try a quick ride using a friend’s irons before spending the money. And, if you can ride comfortably in the fillis irons, just stick with those.

I have these offet eyes stirrups on my dressage saddle. https://www.ebay.com/p/Herm-Sprenger-Offset-Eye-Stirrup-Irons-4-75/1001473492?iid=292501045365&var=591338504300
they are ahum… from like the first year or two they made them. Still going strong

I have the HS bow bakance. i would have never spent the money, but they came with my used saddle. They absolutely make a difference with how easily I can get my leg in a proper position. Highly recommend

After a bad accident over the winter, I decided to ride only in safety stirrups. I bought a pair of the Acavallo Arena stirrups that are nice but I actually prefer the Safestyle stirrups. Less expensive, safe, comfortable. Before that my favorite stirrups were the Bow Balance but I don’t consider them to be safety stirrups.

I used to ride in super lightweight irons and they did feel nicer for my knees in my jump saddle but the one thing I have not been able to get my horse desensitized to is losing a stirrup. He is fine being lunged with stirrups down but he still panics and bolts if he feels a leg and a loose stirrup so I am back in the basic heavy fillis irons because they stay in place and I have more of a chance to pick it back up right away before it swings back and touches him. I have been meaning to get some offset ones though because I’m pretty sure those will be even easier to pick up.