Safety Stirrup Recommendations

I used to have Sprenger bendy ones, they are not safety stirrups! They are meant to bend to probably let your foot go but my foot slid forward once when horse was having a moment and it was very scary as I couldn’t move my foot back and it did not feel like it would let go of my foot if I fell. I changed to free jump but the classic/ straight hanging ones (can’t remember the name) and they are meant to release foot. They have a gap on the outside. Main thing I notice between the two is how much better my foot grips in the free jumps but without feeling stuck. I really like them. My instructor did not recommend anything with a safety mechanism as they can fail. Simple are better. There was another thread on this a while back with some good recommendations. I went with the free jumps as my local tack store had some in at a good price and I like to see/ feel things before I buy.they had others in the shop which I had considered but didn’t like irl.

Eta check out the rid’up stirrup thread, good recommendations in there…
 
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By bendy , do you mean flexible? Or bent leg?
I have my own Sprenger straight stirrups which mimic conventional stirrups. You need to have the correct size, only just wider than your boots. That means I have two pairs, a size larger for winter. I add them to any saddle at random so both stirrup leathers get equal wear.
I am surprsed your boot went through a Sprenger stirrup. I have just e xperimented and the heel of my Ariat riding boots will not go forward through the arch of the stirrup.
I ride with the stirrup tread under the ball of my foot and it doesnt budge even when I canter in light seat.
I have fallen very rarely in the last 20 years so may be it is habit, but when falling I instantly kick my feet clear of the stirrups. Just to be safe
I did once have a pair of bent leg stirrups but I hated riding in them possibly for the reason you give, that my foot might slide through.
 
Le Mieux Vector control and balance safety stirrup looks very good. Ben Atkinson of Atkinson performance horse does a demo video of it and it looks good. No I haven't got one so can't comment further.
 
neddy man said:
Le Mieux Vector control and balance safety stirrup looks very good. Ben Atkinson of Atkinson performance horse does a demo video of it and it looks good. No I haven't got one so can't comment further.
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I saw this video and that prompted me to look into safety stirrups further and now having a new sensitive and young horse its probably worthwhile!
 
Oh I'm not sure actually! They are the angled ones if that helps. Find them really comfy to ride in, I struggle with my knee and these have really helped
 
I have the Acavallo Aluplus ones and really rate them as stirrups although I haven’t needed them to release yet so can’t comment on that.

I would say if possible go and have a look and some and see what the mechanisms are like. I was set on getting the Lemieux ones but really wasn’t impressed by the mechanism. They have a small notch on them that the clicked the safety arm into place, and when I was playing around they were quite tough to get to release if you didn’t push it at the right angle. Others do seem to rate them but that put me off.
 
Tech stirrups are very heavy, it made our saddle weigh a lot and I found them too loose and they would often pop open so I sold them on.

We have le mieux vector balance I think, they’ve been really good. The did pop open the other day when my daughter was being a bit enthusiastic jumping but that’s the first time they’ve done that. We’ve had them exactly a year.

I didn’t like the acavallo ones, they felt very flimsy plastic and they didn’t open easily at all.

Just my personal experience!
 
I have used both acavallo alupro and Lemieux vector balance. I quite like them both. The lemieux felt a tad more comfortable on long trail rides due to the incline. The footbed is a bit wider (across) on the acavallo to allow a wider/bigger foot.

I much prefer those stirrups to the traditional ones. The wider and grippy footbed is great for sore ankles and knees.

Haven't tested the release mechanism but then open easily enough by hand.
 
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