Best type of stirrups and why

They can be quite of a marmite stirrup, but I love my freejumps. They hang at 90 degrees from the saddle and are much heavier than most of the ‘modern’ stirrup designs which I love (especially when you lose a stirrup and don’t want it flapping around!)

I’m interested to see some of the recently released Samshield stirrups, the release mechanism looks better than the freejump’s.
 
It depends, flexi stirrups seem to help me so I use sprenger system 4s. I got a catch ride last weekend in some wide composites which felt very secure but might have not helped in how tired my calves got!
 
I have ordinary Sprenger flexi ones on one saddle and Sprenger bow Balances on the other. Both great and my knees are far less painful than they used to be. Don't find much difference between the ordinary and the bow balance though.
 
I use Icelandic wide tread stirrups with wide treads and cages because I ride fast over rough ground and it enables me to dig my feet in safely. My horse is also prone to rapid and unannounced sideways movement and they help me stay on when she does it.
 
i love my Royal Rider evo 80 irons, super lightweight, super grippy and I don't find that i loose them. I do also like my Bow Balance, but not as much as the evo 80's
 
I have mainly used Sprenger system 4, had them for almost 20 years and still fresh and looking good. Most importantly, they are safer. I actually tested this yesterday, my horse slipped on the road and fell, I stepped off but one foot was going to catch. I could see the stirrup flexing and releasing my foot!

Sadly, as I have got older my feet have grown, and I now need a wider stirrup, so have ordered some Bow Balance as I believe they have the safety with a bit of twist so I can find my stirrup, because...

When I damaged my ankle I bought some Royal Riders Evo 80 black composite stirrups that were offset as I could not articulate my ankle to get my stirrups. I also had my ankle bound up so had OH's massive boots on to manage the bandage. I wanted to event so got them as they were huuuuge. But...

They are offset in the arms and supposed to be "safety" because of that, but TBH I feel better in the Sprengers. Also I didn't like that the cheese-grater part scratched the saddle if I am not extremely careful when handling, and I can't lunge safely with them on.

Hence now buying men's Bow Balance.

OG has had bent leg irons, they are OK I guess, but I think the Sprengers are safer.

I have also had imitation Sprengers, but they don't last 2 minutes and once the rubber cracks ad falls off, you can see the poor quality of the joints. They may have only been £20, but they were waaaaay inferior.

I am not interested in Freejumps after so many have broken.
 
I have photos of the internals of fake sprengers, They were still £40ish and pretty dangerous IMO.
My boots never got on with the original sprengers treads so I changed them for the silver sand grip ones... they are an absolute bloody nightmare to change!
 
normals were aggravating my knee I also have a tendency to draw up the heel on that side (it's my generally broken side) and not drop it down properly, I find the sprengers help generally encourage it to sit better.
 
There isn't a one size fits all "best". It depends on your personal requirements. I can't use Sprengers any more as they aggravate my knee so I use wide tread composites which are much more comfortable, and also reduce the weight of the tack. In the past Sprengers suited best. Horses for courses.
 
I use podium stirrups, wide tred with a cage as I compete in endurance and they are more comfortable for riding long distances in.
 
I have E-Z Rider endurance stirrups with a cage-help my knees and my plantar and am a convert to wearing whatever I've got on my feet to ride in.If I need to look more presentable then I have wide tread composites.
 
Mrs B said:
Do you know, in 50 years of riding, I've never thought about stirrups at all?
For me, they've always been whatever's at the end of the leathers of the saddle my bum's on at the time, and somewhere to rest my toes ...

What am I missing here?! :oops:
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You’re not broken anywhere!
 
whereas my ankles are stiff, compared to the rest of me. It was interesting trying some wide footbed ones last week and I think I'd get used to them but wonder if my calves would have been not quite so broken after with my sprengers
 
i am broken so prefer flexi stirrups..... rode in someone else's saddle which had normal stirrups and my hips were killing me at the end of the ride. lesson for me, take my own leathers and irons next time!!!!!
 
pansymouse said:
I use Icelandic wide tread stirrups with wide treads and cages because I ride fast over rough ground and it enables me to dig my feet in safely. My horse is also prone to rapid and unannounced sideways movement and they help me stay on when she does it.
Click to expand...

I love my Icelandic stirrups. Mine can also teleport sideways and my feet don't get stuck when I fall off. :)
 
Mrs B said:
Do you know, in 50 years of riding, I've never thought about stirrups at all?
For me, they've always been whatever's at the end of the leathers of the saddle my bum's on at the time, and somewhere to rest my toes ...

What am I missing here?! :oops:
Click to expand...

Hehe me too! Until recently when I was told by an instructor that the peacock safety stirrups we were using had a 7.5 st weight limit - so now we have started researching the many & varied different types & I cannot believe the cost of them either! We have just purchased the Stubben Double Offset Stirrups to try & return if not convinced but settled on those mainly due to cost, traditional look, the double offset will help leg & foot position for my daughter. Would have to be very convinced about the more costlier ones - my daughter has ridden in the flexi ones & doesn't like the give in them & we both don't like anything blingy or untraditional which most of the fancy ones are. I just have never considered stirrups at all but am open to conversion & am now going to be checking out what everyone else has at the shows & asking their opinions!!
 
I was using Sprenger Bow Balance until recently, found them great for my ankles, my right ankle used to hurt a lot if I rode for a long period in my bent leg irons and the Bow Balance stopped that. However, the last TREC competition I did, the following day my knees did a lot of screaming and complaining, so I've bought a pair of the wide tread compositi ones with the flexi tread to test a wider base before I invest in anything more expensive (I'm not a huge fan of plastic stirrups, so don't want these long term).
 
I have Flex-on, which aren't cheap, but they mean my dodgy knee doesn't hurt for days after I ride. The tread part is angled (toe up) so it helps my foot position too. Having said that, somebody with a dodgy ankle found them very uncomfortable when she rode my horse, so as somebody said above, it's very personal.
 
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