Wide Stirrups NOT Jointed

[kaya842]

I tried out some composite stirrups last night, albeit a bit begrudgingly as I have a predisposed bias to them. To my surprise I actually enjoyed them. They left me feeling better than my MDC Super Sports ever have. As such the MDCs are now on their way out and I am looking for a new stirrup. I have no clue what brand the ones I rode in yesterday were - they were black composite side with an aluminum grip tread a lot like the MDC tread.

I am looking for suggestions to try and they need to fit the following:
Wide tread
NOT jointed (I am hyper mobile and jointed stirrups exacerbate my knee and ankle pain)
Grip tread - not the cheese grater but the little pyramid type spikes like the MDC tread
Here’s the kicker - the need to be light weight but not so light that they flap around in the wind should I lose one. For example I had knockoff Jins that were too light and impossible to find when I lost them.

Ones I have been considering:
*FreeJump
*Acavallo Opera
*Compositi Reflex 3D (maybe be too bendy?)
*Equiwing
*Royal Rider

I am going to most likely do a “trial” with the top three choices through a place like Smartpak (good return policy).

[crimsonsky]

why not just get the MDC wide tread ones that aren’t jointed? i have a pair of those, a pair of HKM wide footbed aluminum stirrups (very similar to the MDC but not as refined i’d say) and the plastic compositi wide beds (waaaaayyy too light). the MDCs are my fave for sure.

ETA: here they are at smartpak: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/mdc-s-classic-stirrup-11743

[King_Creole]

After reading your post, I have the same advice as crimsonsky. Why not try the wide foot MDC stirrups since you know you already like the tread and the weight? I have the Hunter Classic ones that I got in December and I love them. They are the same as the link posted but without the “s” top.

[Hunter_Happy1]

I love my alfa jump stirrups with an incline and spikes. Wide base:

http://en.alfa-jump.com/store/stirrup/adult-stirrups.html

[PNWjumper]

I LOVE my Freejumps!! I have them on two of my saddles and couldn’t be happier with the weight, balance, tread, and feel. So my vote goes there. They’re not lightweight, and I can’t tolerate any jointed-type action in stirrups (which they’re not). But they’re a tiny bit more forgiving than my metal stirrups.

I also have a pair of the wide tread MDC non-jointed stirrups. They are also quite nice. Not quite as cushy feeling as the free jumps, but similar enough that I don’t mind riding in them. Also not a bad choice for what you’re looking for.

[touchstone]

I have two pairs of these and are very happy with them. They come with two types of grips, so you can choose between metal and rubber. And you can get them in a silver color if you want them to look more traditional. (I spray painted my first black pair silver before this option existed.)
https://www.horseloverz.com/english-horse-tack/stirrups-stirrup-irons/composite-stirrups/equiwing-hypernylon-stirrup?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3v3YBRCOARIsAPkLbK5NMTPVI39xfnpIqaf0agIYY8eYIRDtFQ7Uqa5yaeu-t8ds__khPuoaAtCIEALw_wcB

[Xctrygirl]

I have 2 pairs of the Opera’s and LOVE them. HUGE change for my position. And to think I resisted them. Bwa ha ha ha.

I like them over the Freejumps but only because there have been documented cases of Freejumps breaking on course. No cases of Opera’s breaking on course yet. LOL. Probably a matter of time but I like that there is also a slight element of safety like stirrups as the two top ends are not connected to one another and in theory your toe could push them apart and prevent a dragging situation.

Plus lets face it the price is much more attractive than many.

Em

[Brutus614]

Did you try the black composite or silver aluminum EquiWings? I found the aluminum to be heavier than the composite and liked that weight much better. Still light weight, but not flapping in the wind light (if that makes sense).

[kaya842]

I should have added that to my original post - the MDCs are too heavy. I’m going through a bit of a “Goldilocks” type crisis - MDCs are too heavy (which I only noticed after I took them off my saddle) and Compositis are too light.
Good stuff so far!
PNWJumper you are just enabling me :winkgrin: as I have been wanting FreeJumps for a while but I would be buying them from overseas because they are cheaper and thus would lose out on any type of “trial” during the return period.
The Operas are certainly intriguing - almost like the FreeJumps but not quite?

[Xctrygirl]

@kaya842

The Operas are certainly intriguing - almost like the FreeJumps but not quite?

You can see them in this album. The base is solid and heavier than some of the all plastic composites.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/xctrygirl/albums/72157668007863787

Em

[Hunter_Happy1]

@kaya842

I should have added that to my original post - the MDCs are too heavy. I’m going through a bit of a “Goldilocks” type crisis - MDCs are too heavy (which I only noticed after I took them off my saddle) and Compositis are too light.
Good stuff so far!
PNWJumper you are just enabling me :winkgrin: as I have been wanting FreeJumps for a while but I would be buying them from overseas because they are cheaper and thus would lose out on any type of “trial” during the return period.
The Operas are certainly intriguing - almost like the FreeJumps but not quite?

The alfajumps are super lite aluminum composite.

[crimsonsky]

@kaya842

I should have added that to my original post - the MDCs are too heavy. I’m going through a bit of a “Goldilocks” type crisis - MDCs are too heavy (which I only noticed after I took them off my saddle) and Compositis are too light.

The MDC widebeds are noticeably lighter than the MDC jointed ones. I still vote you try them.

[kaya842]

According to SmartPak they (Hunter Classics) are 2.4 pounds as a pair, so I’ll have to weigh mine to compare! **ETA The Super Sports are 2.8 pounds as a pair so the Hunter Classics are not much lighter.
Has anyone used the black Super Comfort Pads (the ones with zip ties) on stirrups with wide treads? I want to try them but that may be TOO wide.

[King_Creole]

I haven’t put my comfort pads on the wide tread stirrups yet. I kept them in case I wanted to do it but so far I’ve been ok w/ the MDC treads.

I don’t think there would be an issue putting them on a wide tread stirrup. As long as the zip ties are long enough, you should be fine. They wrap pretty far around on my regular fillis stirrups.

[bluepece2]

I have freejumps, so does my daughter. I’m really happy with mine, stable foot, no sore knees and my daughter has had a number of falls with hers and so far so good.

[EmilyM]

i just got a pair of royal riders. my trainer has had hers for a while and they hold up. i recently had a pair of prestige ones break while i was on course. I had to to pull up and withdraw, because my baby horse was over jumping, and i just didn’t think I could continue with one stirrup.

[touchstone]

This is obviously a very personal decision, but I just wanted to weigh in and say I don’t love the FreeJumps, though they are fine. I find they make my knees sore if I ride in them all day, and they are a huge pain to run up. If all you want is a wider stirrup, there are other options that are more traditional and can offer you that.

I need a wider base because of an old foot injury–spreading weight over more of my foot hurts less. But I do tend to like the feel of a traditional iron and dislike joints. YMMV

[skipollo]

I have the aluminum Equiwing ones. They come with the rubber pads like you want, and they come with a set of cheese graters as well so you can swap them out if you need to.

I really like them. I want to get another set for my dressage saddle. They’re light but not so light that they disappear if you drop your stirrups.

I got them because my ankles (especially my left one) were so painful while riding. I’d eventually lose feeling in my left one if I rode for more than like half an hour (I was using jointed regular width stirrups before.)

Equiwing is really affordable too.

[shmon]

I had the Super Comfort pads for a while. They were nice, and at $30 it’s a pretty inexpensive trial. They will not make the footbed super wide, but they do help. I found they got slippery if I had any mud or wet footing on my boot - that was the one thing I disliked.

When the above pads wore out, I found a pair of wide-footbed ProJump stirrup pads and i LOVE them. Unfortunately they are no longer made, but I’m thinking that I’ll end up with MDC hunter stirrups because I like how the wide, solid pads feel better than the Super Comfort pads.

[kaya842]

I think I am going to try the Equiwings and Compositis then the FreeJumps!
I have joint pain in my ankles, knees, back, and hips so finding something that makes it all work is important!