Best Stirrups?

[*jumper*]

I'm in need of a new pair of stirrups, and although my trusty Fillis irons have done me no wrong, I'm looking into different styles. I do jumpers, and something with a little more grip would be nice. I kinda like the black Royal Rider irons, but have heard nothing about them either way. Any other worthy brands/types I should look into? (preferably not super expensive...) ;)

Thanks!

[WorthTheWait95]

I've tried them all pretty much and have yet to find anything better then my plain fillis irons. I had the royal riders for a while but they were so light I had trouble picking them up after dropping them for no stirrups work. It made me nervous about what might happen if I lost one on course while jumping so I gave them to a friend who loves them for her knee but she also has trouble catching them. All of the jointed flexi stirrups seem to make me ride in a bit of a chair seat and I feel like I have no base of support for jumping. It's all personal preference though.

[theroanypony]

I like my plain old heavy, weighted fillis irons, with super comfort grip pads on them. Perfect combination. :D

[*jumper*]

I'm kinda feeling the same way...I have never had any problem with my Fillis irons. I rode in the Royal Riders once and liked them, but the lightness was weird. The flexible irons aren't really up my alley, but I thought I'd ask! I may just pick up a pair of metal grate pads and throw those in, since my pads are shot.

[indygirl2560]

I have a bad knee so I got the flexible Royal Riders earlier this year and I love them! They surprisingly relieve a lot of my knee pain and help my ankle not to lock up on the side with my bad knee. I'd highly recommend them. Royal Rider is also very good about replacing defective parts. When I got mine I noticed they squeaked so I called Royal Rider and they let me exchange them for new ones at the tack store I bought them at. Royal Rider=two thumbs up!!!

[besttwtbever]

I ride in the hunters usually but will probably be switching to jumpers soon. I ride with the Flex II stirrups by Korsteel. I like them because they only flex in one direction and they don't flex very much, but just enough to get my heels down while keeping a good leg position. I also like the fact that they don't have bulky rubber around the sides and they are very discrete (especially helpful in the hunters).

[JinxyPoo]

I used to be a OMGFILLISONLY!!! but I have been converted to royal riders. They might be hard to drop and pick up, but you will never lose one unintentionaly! They are pretty pricey but I just got some from the UK on Ebay and even with the shipping it was still a lot less, I think about $120 and they sell for $150-175 here? They also make a flexi version if you like that.

[make x it x so]

I personally like my plain old fillis irons with the metal pads (not cheese graters, just the metal version of the regular stirrup pad).

Never tried Royal Riders, and I don't like the Sprenger jointed stirrups at all- for me they seemed to encourage hyper-flexion of my heel and I felt that I didn't have a solid base. Also, they made it really hard for me to put my heel down in a regular stirrup.

[Bearhunter]

If you have no physical issues with the fillis stirrups, then you should keep them. I have terrible problems with my back so the flex stirrups have been a lifesaver for me. I will say though that the Super Comfort Stirrup Pads are amazing and can be used on any stirrup.

http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=6038&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Shopping%20Feed-_-NA-_-16038

[theblondejumper]

I've been pretty pleased with my Herm Sprengers. I found they have just enough flexibility. Was worth the $175 I dropped on em!

[mbmarsh]

So here's the thing - I love my Royal Riders, EXCEPT that they are so light weight, I find if I need to wiggle my foot around a bit while I'm riding to change the position, they're likely to choke all the way up to my heel, and I really have to work to get them where they're supposed to be.

However, they feel great on the knees because of the wide footbed and the cheese graters - I've been wanting to find a pair of steel ones with the wider footbed, but don't know where to look.

I will say, if you go with Royal Riders, a lot of people find that the hinged ones are too much of a change all at once - I have the regular ones without flex, and really like them, it's just that I like them more because of the wide base than the weight.......

[Pirateer]

I LOVED my Prestige Silks (and I stupidly sold them). FABULOUS, lightweight, etc. SO comfy.

Don't really like my fillis irons at all, but don't really have $200 to drop on a new pair of Silks. *le sigh*

[Lori]

Nothing I have tried beats the solid base feel of my regular old fillis irons. :)

[Anyplace Farm]

Another vote for Fillis irons. I have also noticed, in just about every pic of a grand prix or upper level rider that more and more people have gone back to Fillis. Hardly ever see the jointed stirrups anymore and yes, the Royal Riders are just way too light, making it difficult to pick them back up if inadvertently lost, according to lore.

Personally, I've never switched from Fillis irons. Only thing diff I tried was diff stirrup pads. Hated cheese graters and went to white Sprenger, nubby looking ones that give me plenty of 'grab'.

[Trixie]

I wouldn't bother spending the money if the Fillis irons are serving you well.

For me, they're hell on my knees, so I use the MDC ultimate stirrups.

[IsolaBella09]

I LOVE Royal Rider stirrups or the Prestige Silks. I want to buy a pair but they're too pricey for me right now. I hate cheese graters as they beat up my stirrup leathers and they put too much pressure on the balls of my feet. I have my plain Fillis stirrups with the Super Comfort Pads attached on top. They're comfy and grippy. If you switch stirrup pads, instead of buying brand new stirrups, you can save money and still get a 'new' grip.

[*jumper*]

Thanks for all the input...I think i'll just stick with my Fillis irons and maybe pick up those super comfort pads :)

[Elementgrl2]

I love the Royal Riders, they are super comfortable, and the pads last forever.

[Mimi La Rue]

I too love my Royal Riders flexable irons. I switched to riding in them about two months ago. Before I had HS Bow Balance irons and they gave me horrible pain in my knees. I have pretty crappy knees but I have never experienced knee pain from riding before (only jogging) like I did riding in the Bow Balance irons. Once I bought some RR's and rode in them - no more knee pain. I'll never ride in other irons again. My knees and back are happy in RR's. My local tack shop has the RR's flexable irons at $120. I think they are mispriced but I didn't say anything.

[GreystoneKC]

Royal Rider Flex are God.

[MintHillFarm]

I've been pretty pleased with my Herm Sprengers. I found they have just enough flexibility. Was worth the $175 I dropped on em!

I love mine, have them on both saddles...worth the money for sure. I have one pair that is at least 15 yrs old and the other pair 4 yrs.

[LSM1212]

For those of you who ride in regular Fillis stirrups... do you worry about them not being a "safety" stirrup (getting a foot stuck)?

I have been riding in the 2 way jointed stirrups for years because I figured w/ my neck/back/knee problems, they would help some but didn't want to plop down a ton of money on stirrups. They have served me well but I have been feeling a little less stable so I picked up a pair of plain Fillis to see if that would help. I feel it has (more secure and stable) but I worry about the safety factor. At least w/ the jointed ones, they would bend and my foot could slide out if needed.

A friend suggested the MH Quick Release stirrups.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-38361&tid=froogle&CATALOG_CODE=1X814&EID=X1814001&zmam=1460880&zmas=1&zmac=49&zmap=X1-38361&bhcd2=1245245051
So I can have the stability of solid irons (non-jointed) but still have the safety feature.

Thoughts?

[Anyplace Farm]

There are so many other weird things that can happen in relation to coming off a horse that I can't focus on just the stirrup thing. But I'm a big believer in putting together for yourself what makes you comfortable and makes you feel safe.

[WorthTheWait95]

For those of you who ride in regular Fillis stirrups... do you worry about them not being a "safety" stirrup (getting a foot stuck)?

I have been riding in the 2 way jointed stirrups for years because I figured w/ my neck/back/knee problems, they would help some but didn't want to plop down a ton of money on stirrups. They have served me well but I have been feeling a little less stable so I picked up a pair of plain Fillis to see if that would help. I feel it has (more secure and stable) but I worry about the safety factor. At least w/ the jointed ones, they would bend and my foot could slide out if needed.

A friend suggested the MH Quick Release stirrups.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-38361&tid=froogle&CATALOG_CODE=1X814&EID=X1814001&zmam=1460880&zmas=1&zmac=49&zmap=X1-38361&bhcd2=1245245051
So I can have the stability of solid irons (non-jointed) but still have the safety feature.

Thoughts?

I think there is the same risk of getting your foot caught in a bendable stirrup as in a regular fillis iron. For me the fillis irons are the easiest stirrups for me to drop and pick up at will so I view them as safer. But again that is all personal preference. In reality it's possible to get your foot stuck in a kid's breakaway peacock stirrup so as the above poster said it's really what makes you comfortable. That being said I've come off a whole lot of times in my riding career (I've always used regular fillis irons) and have never caught a foot, even momentarily.

[analise]

I've got these and I like them: http://www.doversaddlery.com/foot-free-stirrup-irons/p/X1-0702/cn/97/

They look pretty "normal" but they've got the safety factor too for allowing your foot to come out if you fall.

[hollyhorse2000]

I recently switched from my MDC to regular fillis to see what would happen. Well, what would happen is I HATED them. I then tried going back to my Herm Sprenger's and found that they gave me more support than my MDC (not sure why). Some HS Bow Balance were recently on sale and I just ordered a pair for giggles. Not sure what I will think, but will give them a try . . . (I also have a lot of different saddle pads; I guess I'm a hoarder . . . )

[Chic Hunter]

HS jointed. Love them w/cheese grater pads.

[Anyplace Farm]

I have to say, I also am not of the mind that flexible stirrups would allow you to get your foot out of them. Reason why is, they give and take with pressure and no pressure. For instance, when I rode in them (a student of mine's saddle) I hated them because I could not fidget my foot around in them to adjust positioning because when I pressed down, they gave, but when I lifted my foot up slightly, they stayed right with my foot. Annoying!

So, if your foot gets stuck in them, I highly doubt they'd help you. As you tried to jerk your foot loose from them (highly unlikely because you'd be getting dragged at this point), they would take up any slack because of their 'springiness'.

If you are truly concerned about getting your foot stuck in a stirrup, get the Peacock stirrups for adults or the ones that have the weird twist to them that allow your toe to slip out.

[LSM1212]

Guess I've had alot of false sense of security! I just figured that the jointed ones have more 'give' and would help in sliding your foot out. Honestly? All of my falls have been after I lost my stirrups anyways!

Thanks for the info. I do like the MH ones my friend suggested and they do have the quick release on the side. So will try a pair of those.

I heard too many horror stories re: peacock... so no thanks on those!