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Yet Another Stirrup Question

…where y’all get to tell me what to buy. :blush: I’m looking for basically a Jumper stirrup that is A & AA rated Hunter show legal. Do such stirrups actually exist?

What do you mean by a “jumper” stirrup? Almost every brand offers a silver version to cater to the hunter crowd.

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I guess wider footbed with more grab than a traditional fillis iron.

Not sure what you’ve tried, but I bought the Freejumps a month ago or so and as far as grip is concerned, those puppies lock my feet in. Some people really swear by them, especially if you’ve got joint issues. They weren’t “life changing” for me, but I definitely don’t dislike them, and the studs on the bottom really grab my boots and keep my feet in them. If anything, it’s almost too difficult to move your feet if you need to readjust them a bit. I honestly usually just manually adjust them at the start of my ride and then they stay there (at least until my trainer makes me drop them).

I could definitely see myself happy with something else (cheaper) that had the studs at the bottom though.

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Like MDC wide footbed stirrups?

Yup. We leased a Jumper pony for my teenager in addition to her hunter pony. Ultimately, we need a second saddle But until we can get another, I wanted to get stirrups that are more stable & less apt to catch a foot in a fall while still meeting with Miss Traditionalist’s approval so we’re not having to change stirrups ever day. ( If you’d told me that at age 45 I’d be all "Yay! Blingy browbands & tail coats while my 14yo looks like she’s about to accompany Queen Elizabeth on a hack…)

@Mander, she rode in my trainer’s saddle & liked the Freejumps. As long as they’re OK for hunters, she’d probably be fine with them

Jins, Tech Stirrup Hunter, MDCs

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Flex-on aluminum. Super grip. I like them better than the Jins or MDC’s I’ve had previously.

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The FreeJumps are allowed in the hunter ring, although are obviously not particularly traditional looking. A lot of people said they just switch to normal fillis irons for eq. I kind of put them in the same category as green or burgundy coats in the hunter ring - if you’re going to use them, then make sure your ride can back it up :wink:

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The fancy new Ophenas can be turned so the opening is in, and they look just like a regular stirrup.

I have the acavallo tech arena stirrup. They come in silver and I can say the safety feature does work.

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Is the magnetic strip from the Ophenas allowed though? At least in dressage they’re illegal because you’re not allowed to use anything to artificially keep your feet in the stirrups, regardless of how the stirrups look. According to Ophena’s website they’re still allowed in FEI show jumping competitions, but I would verify they’re allowed in hunters/equitation.

I didn’t even think of that. I know magnetic stirrups have been around for a while, so I’m sure there’s a ruling on them somewhere.
You could ride without the magnetic insert without any issues though, just to be safe.

  1. Any rider competing and or riding anywhere on the competition grounds with their stirrup, stirrup leather,
    or foot tied and/or secured in any manner, will automatically be eliminated from the entire competition. The steward will note the trainer name(s) on the stewards report and further disciplinary actions may be taken by the Federation

It’s a little vague. The rule was definitely put into place more for the issue where they were tying the stirrup to the girth, or a kids foot into a stirrup, and not for magnetic stirrups. I think it would be the show stewards discretion on it. But if they said no to it, it would be easy enough to just pull it out of your boot.

The MDC stirrups are fantastic. The foot bed is wider and so much more comfortable. I have the jointed version. They make several different styles as well.

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Just a note on FreeJump stirrups: I see a lot of them in the hunter ring. I have the black ones, they blend in more with my horse. Some people have the silver color. Either way, I don’t think anybody bats an eye.

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