Stirrups...which ones?!

C

Charla

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 January 2011
Messages
585
Location
Kent
Visit site
So I am after some good stirrups now....and there is such a variety! Flex-ons, JIN stirrups, free jumps, Acavallo, Lorenzini....the list goes on. So has anyone ever tried and tested any and can highly recommend which to buy?

They all come with a high price tag, so I would like some opinions on which are worth it?

I have friends with flex-ons, which they say are great, with a price of around £150.
Another friend will only use free jumps - I believe these are even more expensive?

I was tempted by the Acavallo - someone told me they bruised her...

Are the JINS any good?

What is the actually difference between all these?

I just want something for flatwork, BS and XC....with good support and that doesn't totally break the bank! Please help!
 
I have Jins & love them, I find the wide foot plate gives a lot of lower leg stability. I did buy a fake pair (same design, but heavier & the paint chipped quite easily) to trial them beforehand.

I was tempted by the design of the Acavallo ones, however struggle with them being plastic and felt a metal pair would be longer lasting for not that much more ££.

Can't comment on the others you've mentioned.
 
I have Acavallo. They are the most comfortable stirrups I have ever ridden in. They don't bruise me at all and they aren't just plastic, there is a metal rod where you place your feet. Much lighter than all metal and so much more forgiving if you have bad knees and ankles.
 
I have the knock off Jins, around £20 on eBay. I bought them for my dodgy ankle and love the wide footbed of them. They are so comfy and quite light, although not light enough to let your foot slip if that makes sense :)
 
Hi Lindylouanne do you have the Acavallo Opera stirrups. I am in australia and looking at buying them but would love some feedback on how they are. Thanks
 
Morganfan said:
Hi Lindylouanne do you have the Acavallo Opera stirrups. I am in australia and looking at buying them but would love some feedback on how they are. Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes I do, I have a badly damaged knee and arthritis in the opposite ankle and I found normal metal stirrups and even flexi stirrups made my joints ache after about 10 minutes in the saddle so I bought one pair of Operas to try. They hang in the perfect foot position so I don't have to constantly fiddle to keep them in place, the footplate is nice and wide which also helps with my stability but the thing I love about them most of all is that they feel as though they are sprung and it takes all the jarring out of my joints. I rode for almost 4 hours last week and didn't ache anywhere. I was so impressed with them I bought a second pair for my other saddle.
 
I believe that you can have the Flex-ons for a two week trial, I am going to try them soon when I can start riding regularly again. It's Shadowhorse who offer this.
 
I have a pair of Jins and a pair of Lorenzini (the jump version).

I like the lightweightness of the Jins and they look good and have worn well with no real denting or scratching. The wide footbed is very comfy.

I LOVE my Lorenzinis as they look fantastic but they are extremely grippy so might not be best for people who worry about getting their feet caught in stirrups. Also, they were very expensive and unfortunately I have noticed slight chipping of the paint with very light use. I keep them for best only.

I also have some bog standard Sprengers, the Shires plastic Compositi ones and a few cheapo eBay pairs of stirrups and can't say I notice a difference in joint pain etc between the more expensive and cheaper pairs, but I don't have pre-existing joint pains in the first place.
 
I have Jins, and love these for flatwork. They are really grippy with a wide, & angled foot plate. Lightweight but won't fly around should you happen to lose one whilst riding. Extra bonus, they look really smart, too!

I have Freejumps for jumping/XC. Again with a wide, grippy, & angled foot plate. Safety aspect of the bendy arm, which is what drew me to them. Heavier than the Jins. Look a bit weird. However, I love mine and wouldn't be without them. Annoying that they can't be run up like normal stirrups. I take mine off when not in use as I currently only have the one saddle.

Apparently I have a bit of a stirrup fetish, as I keep wanting to buy other sets which I don't need lol. I really want to try the new Acavallo safety stirrups (like the Tech with the magnet arm, but the magnet is at the bottom instead of the top). I also want some Operas... and some Lorenzini...

How many pairs of stirrups is acceptable to have for 1 horse & 1 saddle? :lol:

ANYWAY some of these stirrups are very much personal choice, I know people that hate Freejumps and others (including me) that love them. Same for other kinds. My advice, if you know anyone with a set you might like to buy, ask if you can borrow them to see how you like them first.
 
I have a pair of Jins and a pair of Acavello Operas.

I adore them both for different reasons. The Jins have the beautiful wide footplate, are lightweight and just look fabulous! I have SJ/ XC in them and really loved them however I now only use them on my dressage saddle as I also treated myself to the Acavello Operas to use on my jumping saddle. Used them for the first time in competition on Saturday and was so impressed with them, they weighed nothing, again look cool and my foot didn’t budge once (the fact we got a clear round has also convinced me they are some how lucky)

The only thing I would say is with the Jins is that they have quite a sharp edge on them so if you have soft calf skin type stirrup leathers mind you don’t scratch them - I’ve ordered a pair of cheapy stirrup iron covers off eBay and they have done the job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top