Stirrups really hurting our feet

[MummyEms]

Every time we ride, it feels like our feet are aching and bruised!! I end up putting my stirrup on a different of my foot to try to relieve the pain half way v through our ride ? . I'm laying now and my feet are killing me at 10pm at night still!?!
Any ideas?? Anyone else experienced this? My daughters and I all have free jump stirrups.

 

[Havital]

What shoes/boots are you wearing whilst riding? Sounds like a footwear problem rather than a stirrup issue

 

[milliepops]

What is the tread like on your freejumps? I have hypermobile feet and need totally flat wide treads otherwise I get awful pain from stirrups.

 

[MummyEms]

Little girl wearing ariat boots and I wear my long mountain horse leather boots.

 

[MummyEms]

The tread on the free jumps is not flat it is really full of ridges!

 

[MummyEms]

What is the tread like on your freejumps? I have hypermobile feet and need totally flat wide treads otherwise I get awful pain from stirrups.

Which ones do you use? ?

 

[milliepops]

I have Jins, I find them comfortable but it sounds like it would be a good idea to try some different types before committing to see if that's the problem. Are you on a yard where you could borrow things from other people?

 

[MummyEms]

I have Jins, I find them comfortable but it sounds like it would be a good idea to try some different types before committing to see if that's the problem. Are you on a yard where you could borrow things from other people?

Sadly no ?

 

[Ownedby4horses]

If you can’t borrow, You need to buy some standard irons with a good flat tread and try them, they’ll be plenty second hand on eBay etc, then you can see if it’s your current stirrups.

 

[Red-1]

I would check that you are getting the vitamins you need. I would check that the saddle is straight. I would check that you don't have tight hip flexors (physio could help with this).

Orthotic insoles can help.

Is the pony fat? Dieting the pony may help.

Is it a treeless saddle? They sometimes have too wide a seat, a tree lifts you and makes the angles different. Is the saddle balanced back to front, so you are not bracing to stay balanced?

 

[black and brown]

Thinline sell a material which you wrap around the tread and which is shock absorbing. I don't know much more about it but it might be worth taking a look

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

If you cant borrow, look for a second hand shop and pick up some cheap basic stirrups for a test.

 

[Tihamandturkey]

Shires Compositi are fab very comfy & I find they have a bit of give sonehow ?

 

[Widgeon]

Shires Compositi are fab very comfy & I find they have a bit of give sonehow ?

I bought some of these cheap fom FB Marketplace recently, intending to fit cages to them for longer rides - blinking cages didn't fit (gah!) but I stuck the stirrups on my second saddle anyway. And they are so much more comfy than my previous bent irons! I'm not really sure why, they cost £10 second hand and don't look particularly special or clever - but they are much better. No more sore balls of feet or achy ankles. So I would second this suggestion.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I have heard the Springer stirrups are good but never tried them myself.

 

[phizz4]

I ride in a pair of 10 year old Devon Pro's, and I am starting to get 'hot spots' on the soles of my feet (I always ride in wool socks and this is on a western saddle). The sole of my boots has gone more flexible and softer, so it's lost it's rigidity. I would look at your footwear, maybe put some new insoles in like 'Superfeet'. The hot weather doesn't help as your feet swell up. Try taking your feet out of the stirrups when you can so you ease the pressure on them.

 

[Keith_Beef]

@MummyEms : You joined the forums on 22 February 2016... I wonder, has this foot pain has ever been a problem during the past five years?

Maybe you've changed footwear and the soles are thinner or less stiff, now; or maybe changed stirrup or shortened the leathers and you're pushing down in the stirrups more... What has changed to provoke the pain?

 

[pansymouse]

I use Heather Moffett stirrups which have super wide flat treads and are an Icelandic design https://www.bettersaddles.co.uk/shop/heather-moffett-stirrups I have wrangled some cages onto mine (some trimming required) and the overall setup is both safe and very comfortable, and is perfectly suited for the speed work over rough terrain that I do a lot of.

 

[teapot]

Free jumps can turn your ankles and feet to the outside - I absolutely loathe riding in them for that reason.

 

[AFB]

I haven't ridden in Freejumps but I was put off them because of the pin type grip they have on the footplate - I had concerns about them being too grippy and potentially damaging my boots.

I do LOVE my Jins, they have a wider footplate than bog standard irons which I find offers so much more stability to my lower leg. I did have a pair of fakes at first which gave me the same feel for a fraction of the price - they were much heavier than the real thing and the paint quality was poor hence buying the real ones. But doing that could be a cheap option of trying something different and seeing if it's definitely the stirrups causing the issues too.

 

[MummyEms]

Thank you so much for all of your replies.
The free jumps are probably the problem. My boots are really comfy and I don't think it is them.
The horse I'm on isn't fat, the children's ponies are a decent weight but not fat either.
Interesting someone said about vitamin deficiency.
I'll look into all of your suggestions for sure, thanks ??

 

[MummyEms]

@MummyEms : You joined the forums on 22 February 2016... I wonder, has this foot pain has ever been a problem during the past five years?

Maybe you've changed footwear and the soles are thinner or less stiff, now; or maybe changed stirrup or shortened the leathers and you're pushing down in the stirrups more... What has changed to provoke the pain?

Yes I'm 38 and been riding since age 4. So strange this has started now isn't it ?

 

[Sealine]

Are you sure it's the stirrups that are causing the problem? I suffer from mortons neuroma which makes it feel like you have a stone under the ball of your foot. I can no longer wear shoes with thin soles or shoes with no support. I used to live in flip flops at this time of year but they make my feet really bad as they offer no support at all. If I ride for long periods of time my feet hurt and I have to take my feet out of my stirrups.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mortons-neuroma/