I have been looking to buy a new pair of irons because I wanted something jointed and with a wider base. Right now I just have Phillis Stirrups and I am tired of them. I was considering the MDC stirrups but I know some people that hate them and some that love them. What do you recommend? Thanks in advance!
Never used anything jointed, but I use the Pro Jump metal pads. They are not the cheese grater texture. They’re the same texture as regular rubber pads, but made of metal so they never wear out. Love them.
It’s FILLIS, not Phillis. I bagged the jointeds because, despite pain and lack of flexibility in the heel, I found my leg “wandered” in the jointed irons and when I worked on flexibility off the horse? The standard, classic Fillis iron with cheese grater treads felt most secure and with supporting flexibility and muscle strength? Let me ride secure and pain free. At near age 60 with numerous “issues”.
Been wondering the same thing myself. I hate jointed and composite stirrups, though. I’m really thinking about investing in the MDC stirrups (with the swivel at the top but no joint) or the MDC Hunters, which just have a wider tread. First, I’ll stick some super comfort pads on my Fillis irons, but I’m really wondering about a new style of irons, because coming back from my MCL and ACL injury has just not been easy.
I’ve had great luck with Royal Rider flexible irons. I have arthritis, and they really alleviate joint pain. My leg position is more secure, because I cam keep the weight in my heels without pain in my ankle.
Im another one who sticks with the tried and true Fillis irons that dont flex. I have a back injury I battle and weak ankles from issues when I was a kid. However, I found when I tried the flex stirrups, I was constantly trying to get a solid base under myself causing my leg to move out of position and my ankles hurt worse because of it. Ultimately, I always felt off balance.
I have those stirrup covers that are supposed to provide better grip, and I love them because my feet dont slip. I am debating about trying the composite stirrups, but not the big fat ones, the ones that look like regular stirrups but dark and lighter.
I have the MDC hunter irons without the flex (I hate flex irons) and I loovee them! I also have a pair of the jin stirrup irons but they feel very bulky and like im always losing them compared to the MDCs.
I have the MDC ones with the swivel and the wide foot bed but they aren’t jointed or flexible. I had flexible Royal Riders but switched because of the impending rule change about no black irons. Not that I was planning to do USEF rated shows but the county shows generally follow USEF rules and I was concerned that some judges might get confused and think the rule was already in effect. The week after I got the MDC ones the RR came out in gray. And then the baby horse that I might have hypothetically been showing in those flat eq classes at county shows strained his check ligament.
I don’t think I like the MDC ones as much as the RR. I definitely don’t like the fact that they seem to ding the saddle even though I twist them back to flat and we’re talking putting the saddle away, not anything as radical as lunging. A couplecof weeks ago my foot got hung up in them when the mounting block got tippy and tried to launch me when I had one foot in the stirrup. Fortunately I was not trying to mount the baby horse at the time and was able to hop along on one foot saying “whoa” in what I hoped was a soothing tone. So it didn’t end nearly as badly as it could have.
So today after I conditioned the saddle I put the RR back on.
I have never had luck with jointed ones. I have the HS Bow Balance irons (w cheese grater pads) and I love love love them. I am not big into gimmicks/non-traditional tack but these make a huge difference in my leg position and knee pain.
[QUOTE=Peggy;7106443]
I have the MDC ones with the swivel and the wide foot bed but they aren’t jointed or flexible. I had flexible Royal Riders but switched because of the impending rule change about no black irons. [/QUOTE]
Me too. I find the MDC ones infinitely more comfortable than the RR. I love them and don’t think I can ever go back.
I had 4-way HS for a while and while they are great on the knee joint, I did not have a secure a leg with so much flexion. I went back to standard old heavyweight fillis irons.
I’ve tried jointed irons, but I wasn’t a huge fan. My ankles hurt more with those. I now just have fillis irons with cheese grater pads.
Have always used the fillis stirrups. I tried the jointed ones, but found that my leg was not as stable as I would like. Now, since I ride alone much of the time, I’ve been using the ‘s’ shaped safety stirrups. They are heavy, like the fillis, but I feel a little more comfortable hoping that I’d come out of them should I fall off. (I too have arthritis in my knee, and have just finished recuperating from knee surgery for torn ACL and meniscus.) No real problems with my knee.
[QUOTE=anicolle;7106429]
I have the MDC hunter irons without the flex (I hate flex irons) and I loovee them! I also have a pair of the jin stirrup irons but they feel very bulky and like im always losing them compared to the MDCs.[/QUOTE]
How funny, goes to show everyone likes something different. I have the same MDC hunter irons (wide footbed, no flex) and also the Wildkart Jin and I have a harder time keeping the MDC ones. Love the Jin irons!
I had bought a used saddle recently that had fillis irons on it and I used them for a week or so and my feet ached! I just can’t ride in the regular old footbed anymore and much prefer the wide type. I’ll have to save my pennies for another $$ set of the Jin irons (3 horses with 3 saddles…:sigh:).
I want those too horsepoor… I see them a lot at the shows now. The JIN Irons.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/jin-stirrups/p/X1-07003/
Remember the Royal riders are nice (that’s what I like riding in) but for the Eq they are not legal. They do have Royal Riders in gray but I have seen them in person and they still are too dark.
I school in the Sprenger Bow-Balance irons and show/clinic in regular fillis irons. I’m much more comfortable joint-wise in the Sprengers but don’t think they’re appropriate for showing or riding in clinics with… especially for GM!!!
I love my non-jointed royal riders. The base is wide with a rolled edge so there is no “sharp” ledge. I have the metal pad ones and haven’t slipped out of the stirrup if forever.
I have MDC non-flex stirrups on a couple of saddles and the MDC wide footbed non-flex stirrups on my big guy’s saddle. I like both and don’t feel much difference between them.
I have used the MDC Ultimates (swivel & joint) over the last 2 years. I have fairly unhappy knees (chronic inflammation) and my toes or feet would fall asleep if kept in stirrups too long (like -5 mins). So I was constantly dropping my stirrups between rounds in lessons, etc just to get blood flowing. Just last month I switched to the MDC Jumpers (no swivel - wasn’t using it, but jointed with wide footbed) and after about 5 uses, I found my toes weren’t falling asleep anymore and I could last a whole session without having to drop my stirrups.
I do use my black MDC Ultimates on my dressage saddle and use the swivel at 90 degrees.
Used to have the jointed ones bc normal Fillis irons killed my ankles (old injury)–never realized the jointed ones caused me knee pain until I got a pair of the regular Royal Rider composite stirrups. Love the RR’s, but I recently got a pair of Jin stirrups for free, and I have to say I LOVE them even more than the RR’s.
