Dangers of grippy stirrups

[Muddywellies]

Flex-ons come with an alternative tread, which doesn't have the spikes on. When I bought mine the retailer said that they were generally for lighter riders and I'm only 5ft tall and 8st. They swapped them over for me then and there, and gave me the ones with spikes in case I ever wanted to use them (I haven't). They are very easy to change, just a couple of small screws to undo and do up again

Really? Well that's worth knowing. Could I ask a huge favour. Would you mind measuring the depth of the tread from front to back (not the width) and let me know. Just wondering if they have a larger surface area than my existing stirrups.

 

[QueenBella]

I had the normal flex-ons for a number of years due to bad joints and used them on a horse who would deck me at any chance she got, never once did my feet get stuck thankfully. I did purchase the flex-ons with the safety arm for myself for Christmas as I will be using them on a youngster this year and wanted the extra safety. Can't recommended them enough they're one of my favorite things I bought myself.

 

[Baywonder]

I don't have personal experience of these 'extra spikey' stirrups - but my first thought when I saw them was the spikes were really pronounced and could potentially cause an issue.

If I ever get another horse, I will use my old standard stainless steel irons with rubber treads thank you very much. Plus, I would not pay nearly £300 for a pair of stirrups either!

 

[ycbm]

How are you lot getting your feet stuck in the stirrups through normal day to day riding?

My mare had a dizzy moment, my foot moved a bit forward and twisted on the tread and suddenly I realised that in spite of the safety arm, it was stuck between the stub of the safety arm and the solid arm. It took leaning down and twisting it to get it free.

They were a Christmas present and as soon as my new double bent leg ones arrive, matching 3 other pairs I already have and 1/7th!! the price, they'll be going to the charity shop.
.

 

[Leandy]

Interested in the comments here as I've been wary of the grippy stirrups for the same reason. Do the manufacturers make any recommendations about the type of stirrup leathers and stirrup bars they are used with I wonder? Given it is extra critical that the leather comes off the saddle in an emergency. On the comment about slippy stirrups and the risk of the foot going through the stirrup iron, I have only ever seen this happen with small insecure children where the stirrups are clearly too big. I don't think it should happen if your stirrups are the correct size for you even if the grips are a bit slippery.

 

[ycbm]

I can't help wondering if we're going to produce a generation of riders who don't know how to weight the ball of their foot to anchor their stirrups. It doesn't feel right to me ?‍

 

[The Xmas Furry]

This is timely. I got my foot stuck in an Acavallo "safety" stirrup two days ago. I think the spiked metal treads were part of the reason. I'm just about to get rid of them and swap to the double bent leg irons I hack out with.
.

I've ridden in bent irons for many years, happily hunted and gone xc etc. Late 2019 when popping round a whp course in the double bent irons, I got my ruddy right foot stuck on landing awkwardly after the penultimate jump. Tried everything but couldn't free it up, not till after I left the ring. 1st time it's ever happened, but am not allowing a 2nd time to occur
They were promptly removed and are languishing in the spares box.

Day to day I use wide flexi Royal Riders with cheese grater treads.

 

[FlyingCircus]

What are you guys doing that you need particularly grippy stirrups? I can't say I've ever felt the need for anything particularly grippy. I have standard rubber treads on one saddle and Jins on my other purely because I had more money than sense at the time of purchase!

If you need them from losing your stirrup, does it even really help that?

 

[Gloi]

I just found these magnetic stirrups - really novel idea. How do you think they’d perform?
you have a magnetic insole for your riding boot and the stirrup is magnetised to stop slippage, with the outside of the stirrup being free to fall off and not get foot stuck!

https://equipepper.com/2020/09/17/ophena-magnetic-safety-stirrups/

View attachment 64522

Person I know with limited use of one leg finds these really good.

 

[4faults]

I manage to fall off just as well with my grippy treads as I did without them ??‍

 

[PurBee]

What are you guys doing that you need particularly grippy stirrups? I can't say I've ever felt the need for anything particularly grippy. I have standard rubber treads on one saddle and Jins on my other purely because I had more money than sense at the time of purchase!

If you need them from losing your stirrup, does it even really help that?

lol! The worst falls i had were on ‘safe’ Riding school ponies.....bloody nutters most of them!

Once you were at a certain level of velcro bum, the RS would then put you on the sharper horses. My falls were jump refusals, they suddently stop and spin and youre catapulted with foot in stirrup, wrenching your femur and hip.

A new horse at the RS who i presumed had been ‘tested’ but on a hack just bolted and bronced with me as soon as we got to an open field, never saw that coming as he was calm and good while walking in a line. That’s when i was dragged with stuck foot.
I never struggled with foot slipping through on metal bar stirrups, more the opposite, ball foot slipping off.

 

[little_critter]

Am I the only person left who still rides in bog standard stainless steel stirrups?

 

[milliepops]

Am I the only person left who still rides in bog standard stainless steel stirrups?

I would do, but find the treads too painful. My feet are hypermobile and bend too much without the stability of a wide platform. I like normal Jins ?

 

[blodwyn1]

I was dragged and seriously injured. I don't remember that bit of the fall as I was knocked out. I blame my boots tread more than the stirrups. I was using reflex irons that are plastic with treads that flex. They were the best for my knees and ankles but did not have any release mechanism. I now use double bend with cages aluminium endurance stirrups. I had heard that the side release irons could let the foot go right through so didn't try them! (I am only able to ride at walk on a lead rein nowadays sadly)

 

[catkin]

How are you lot getting your feet stuck in the stirrups through normal day to day riding?

I broke my ankle when a t-bar leather came undone, pony bucked and I landed on the ground with the stirrup iron still on my foot. A freak accident? probably, and in a sandschool on my own pony, at a quiet trot - but it still resulted in broken bones. (Always ride now in breakaway stirrups or swiss clips).

This below is a very very valid point about the rest of the equipment

Interested in the comments here as I've been wary of the grippy stirrups for the same reason. Do the manufacturers make any recommendations about the type of stirrup leathers and stirrup bars they are used with I wonder? Given it is extra critical that the leather comes off the saddle in an emergency. On the comment about slippy stirrups and the risk of the foot going through the stirrup iron, I have only ever seen this happen with small insecure children where the stirrups are clearly too big. I don't think it should happen if your stirrups are the correct size for you even if the grips are a bit slippery.

 

[ycbm]

Am I the only person left who still rides in bog standard stainless steel stirrups?

Too heavy, I needed to lighten the weight when lifting a WOW as I got older. But I've now got more safety conscious too, so have swapped plastic ordinary ones for thin steel double bent leg.

 

[Fastasflames]

it's all about the footwear - chunky, country boots.. big no no

 

[COldNag]

What are you guys doing that you need particularly grippy stirrups? I can't say I've ever felt the need for anything particularly grippy. I have standard rubber treads on one saddle and Jins on my other purely because I had more money than sense at the time of purchase!

If you need them from losing your stirrup, does it even really help that?

That's the question that springs to mind for me too. I don't really ride these days, but I can't remember having any particular problems keeping stirrups with bog standard treads?

 

[Roxylola]

Am I the only person left who still rides in bog standard stainless steel stirrups?

I did but had a sit on a friends horse who used acavallo operas and fell in love with them so now I have a set for each saddle. They're a bit grippy but I've had no issues with them. However I do hate bent legs, I've had my foot slip through them on one occasion, and when I lost one I find they're impossible to recover.

 

[IrishMilo]

it's all about the footwear - chunky, country boots.. big no no

I see far too many people riding in these. Makes me wince.

 

[Lois Lame]

Am I the only person left who still rides in bog standard stainless steel stirrups?

No. I do too. Mine have what might be called a cheese-grater amount of tread on them. I don't like (ETA: the feel of) rubber inserts of any kind so don't use them. Plus I always ride (on the rare occasions I ride) with the stirrup bars down.

The one thing I've always feared is being dragged.

 

[Lois Lame]

I would do, but find the treads too painful. My feet are hypermobile and bend too much without the stability of a wide platform. I like normal Jins ?

I don't know if my feet are hyper mobile but I don't like the 'platform' that treads give. My irons are nice and flat (apart from a rough surface).

 

[ycbm]

I did but had a sit on a friends horse who used acavallo operas and fell in love with them so now I have a set for each saddle. They're a bit grippy but I've had no issues with them. However I do hate bent legs, I've had my foot slip through them on one occasion, and when I lost one I find they're impossible to recover.

Mine are forward facing, I find them much easier to recover than a normal orientation. I always used extra heavy ones for hunting so they held the stirrup down and I knew where to put my foot to get it back quickly when I had a lost one on a galloping horse.

 

[Ceifer]

I was gifted some old ‘cheese grater’ tread stirrups. Tried them once, they scratched my stirrup leathers as I ran them up. I wanted to cry. They went in the bin. The end ?

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Goodness me some of these are expensive. I just use normal stirrups with normal rubber treds.

In honesty I just assumed these posh stirrups were a fad.

 

[SpotsandBays]

I was gifted some old ‘cheese grater’ tread stirrups. Tried them once, they scratched my stirrup leathers as I ran them up. I wanted to cry. They went in the bin. The end ?

This happened to me too! Luckily my leathers are nothing special ?, I’ve made some stirrup covers to pop them on now before I roll them up!

 

[Cowpony]

Goodness me some of these are expensive. I just use normal stirrups with normal rubber treds.

In honesty I just assumed these posh stirrups were a fad.

Oh no, I can assure you they arent. The flex-ons are shock absorbing and mean that I can ride pain free. When I ride in normal stirrups my knee is absolutely crippled!

 

[maya2008]

I got my foot stuck a couple of years ago - it came free in the end, but I landed almost under the horse rather than clear as a result. I was wearing grippy boots...no more! I would not even consider grippy treads!!!

 

[Cowpony]

This is from the Shadow Horse website (where I got mine):

• Footbed options - "Grip" vs "Ultra-Grip": Flex-on also supply their main footbed shapes in two variations: "Grip", with a plain composite gridded surface, and "Ultra-grip" which have additional stainless steel studs embedded in the surface for extra grip. We strongly recommend the "ultra-grip": it greatly adds to grip and stability; we supply ultra-grip as standard with our stocked stirrups (the only exception is for children and adults under 120lb/55kg, where we recommend the version without studs). We have had no negative experience with the studs damaging boot soles or causing injury, nor holding the boot in during falls. The studs are also legal under Dressage rules.
• Tester service
  In common with many other products we sell, Shadow Horse offers an opportunity to "try before you buy" with tester stirrups that can be ordered to try out for a week or two. See the "Flex-on testers" product in the Flex-on brand collection

 

[Cowpony]

Really? Well that's worth knowing. Could I ask a huge favour. Would you mind measuring the depth of the tread from front to back (not the width) and let me know. Just wondering if they have a larger surface area than my existing stirrups.

Sorry, I forgot to measure them this morning. The website says 4 3/4" for the Balance ones but isn't clear if that's depth or width. I would assume depth, because that wouldn't be very wide for an adult boot.