[galloping-gourmet]

Just curious about these - I need a new pair of stirrups and a friend rides at a different barn and they all have them - not sure if it is because they are great, or just the flavor of the month? I have Herm Springer stirrups now, and would like to buy some a bit less $$$ if comfy for my extra set. Anyone?

[alibi_18]

I have the Jin Stirrups for both my dressage and jumping saddle and love them!

It is not a fad for me, it is just more comfortable!

I have extra flexible ankles and couldn't stand the herm sprenger 4way.

ETA : There is now knock-off you can find for less $$

[Calvincrowe]

I have Royal Rider (you know, the black "plastic" ones that are now banned for equitation), and love them. I have horrible feet, and with these stirrups, they no longer fall asleep, sting and burn. I feel very stable over fences, and have no trouble picking them up if I should drop them for some reason.

I would suggest riding in different stirrups before buying, maybe try your friends? Not everyone loves the different types. I like my cheese grater "pads", but some find them too hard on their boots/feet.

[PNWjumper]

I agree with CC....try some out if you're able.

I have MDC stirrups on all of my saddles (the plain fillis type, not the jointed ones, but still with the swivel head where you can "click" them out to 45 or 90 degrees). When buying a new pair I decided to give the wide tread a try since so many people here have raved about them.

I feel no difference between the wide tread stirrups and my normal tread stirrups. I don't dislike them, they just don't feel any different to me. With that being said, my old ones all have cheese grater pads on them and the new ones have the diamond-y looking metal permanent pads (which are less destructive to stirrup leathers as you run them up), and I will say that I'm impressed that they feel as sticky on my feet as the cheese grater pads. That might be a function of the width? Whatever the case, it wasn't worth the extra cost of the stirrups in my opinion.

[hj0519]

I agree with trying different types out if you can. What works for one person may not work for another. I tried the Jin stirrups but really didn't like them.

[Renn/aissance]

I got my wide-tread stirrups on a suggestion from several people here. My ankles are shot from years of running track and field with very poor hind limb conformation and in normal fillis irons I could ride for 10 minutes before they started screaming. It wasn't a lot of fun. The wide-tread stirrups are much, much more comfortable for me.

[candysgirl]

I have the $45 Composite wide tracks on my jumping saddle. They make a WORLD of difference in how my knees feel. I foxhunt and trail ride in that saddle and any other stirrups my knees are killing me after less than an hour. With those? I can ride all day with the wide tracks without issue.

[Tha Ridge]

I have the $45 Composite wide tracks on my jumping saddle. They make a WORLD of difference in how my knees feel. I foxhunt and trail ride in that saddle and any other stirrups my knees are killing me after less than an hour. With those? I can ride all day with the wide tracks without issue.

What stirrups are these? I haven't seen a pair that inexpensive, but would LOVE them. The wider tread makes a huge difference for me (Morton's neuroma in my left foot).

[soloudinhere]

What stirrups are these? I haven't seen a pair that inexpensive, but would LOVE them. The wider tread makes a huge difference for me (Morton's neuroma in my left foot).

I have the Horze.com ones that are $18 after 50% off and they're great. Especially if you're not sure you'll like them.

[maigenesis]

I rode in my trainer's Jin stirrups and love them! I am young, but have plenty of injuries (previously broken ankle and fused spine). The wide track and metal 'diamond' pads makes it easier to keep my feet still in the stirrups.

When I buy my next pair of stirrups, I will get the MDC Sport classic ('clicky' top with no flexibility and wide metal tread) because I like the wide tread, I don't need flexibility, and I like the moveable top.

[Hippolyta]

I just went to the Jin Stirrup site & discovered you get them plated in 24K gold w/ Swar. crystals



http://www.jinstirrup.it/

[candysgirl]

I misspoke. They're actually more like $35. http://www.vtosaddlery.com/Merchant2...FYs7MgodPFoAqA

I LOVE mine. I got them locally for $45 when I got my foxhunting saddle last summer. The jointed stirrups I feel are too unstable for me to hunt in. I don't feel secure with them. These? I don't think about while riding, which is what I want. I don't want any piece of my tack to be in my conscious thought while I'm riding. If it is, there's probably a problem. I don't have oh god my knees hurt thoughts. I don't have oh god I lost a stirrup and can't find it thoughts. I just *don't* think about them.

[akhunterrider]

I have the non jointed royal rider stirrups. I've had them for going on 3 years. Bad joints run in my family. With regular fillis irons I experience occasional pain and with the royal riders I experience none. The jointed herm Sprenger ones caused me a great deal of pain, particularly when I got off the horse and tried walking.

[DMK]

I put Pro Jump Wide pads on my sprenger stirrups years ago. LOVE them. Makes a huge difference in my back/knee/ankle comfort, plus they are grippy like graters minus the saddle/hand damage (when you pull them down w/o thinking).

http://projump.com/ExtraPads.htm

[ponyjumper525]

I did EAP with Chris Kappler this past summer and he said that the rider depends too much on those kinds of stirrups and it force them to push their leg forward rather than their heel down. And, as a result, when you jump, it forces you go get behind the motion (just a hair). I hadn't noticed this until he said it, and then it was VERY obvious. There is a lady at my barn that rides in them, and she even says it's hard to get her heels down.

[candysgirl]

I did EAP with Chris Kappler this past summer and he said that the rider depends too much on those kinds of stirrups and it force them to push their leg forward rather than their heel down. And, as a result, when you jump, it forces you go get behind the motion (just a hair). I hadn't noticed this until he said it, and then it was VERY obvious. There is a lady at my barn that rides in them, and she even says it's hard to get her heels down.

Here's the thing though, I can actually put my leg in the proper position with my heels down better with the wide tracks. Why? Because my knees don't hurt in them. I really haven't found an issue with the ability to keep my heels down even when hunting over carried terrain.

[jen-s]

I've ridden in the wide stirrups a few times and found them helaciously awful to get my heels down. As someone who has a tendency to let my heel creep up, especially if I'm using lots of leg, this was a problem. In my younger days of overly deep heels, they might have been a godsend, but not now.

[Indy]

I have the MDC hunter stirrups and love them. I feel more stable in them and they make my painful ankle less painful. That being said, I'm not sure if those qualities are 100% due to the wider footbed or because I switched to them from a pair of 2-way jointed HS-type stirrups. I did not try a regular pair of fillis stirrups after finally giving up on my jointed pair, so there is a possibility just loosing the jointed ones is what made things better for me. Regardless, I love them and I'm not giving them up any time soon fad or no fad.

[Denzel]

I have the Kat stirrups (same as Jin, just made in Germany). I previously had a pair of the Equiwing composite stirrups. I love them both! I too couldn't ride in regular fillis irons with a short stirrup for very long without my ankles and my knees getting way too strained, and hated the instability of the jointed ones.

I find I have zero problem getting my heel down with the Kat stirrups, and from what I've seen, they actually seem to help get the heel down and have a quieter leg because they are more stable, I've seen it in quite a few riders who have switched to the Jin at my barn. I would definitely try them before you buy them though, I rode in a friend's saddle that had them prior to shelling out that kind of money for stirrups.

[ChocoMare]

My knees and ankles live because of these: Composite Wide-Track Reflex Stirrups

I tried to go back to regular fillis stirrups and was crippled.