I am currently looking at getting some new stirrup irons, having finally got quite sick of plastic toe cages. But before I go out and spend however much money on them; what type of stirrup irons do you prefer, or find work best?
I'd prefer some sort of safety stirrups over the plain Fillis ones, as we do have quite a few beginner children over for the occasional ride, and my not as experienced sister will come out with me some times to have a quick go. But other then that I am not currently competing, and even when I do hopefully later in the year it will only be a few low key show jumping days. So looks aren't extremely important
I rode in peacock stirrups for years, especially when I was younger & jumping. They're not much different from just a plain stirrups except for the safety feature. *Knock on wood* I personally never got stuck in my stirrups so never really used the safety feature. I had a student however that I was grateful to have them with as she ALWAYS ripped the bands off my peacock stirrups when she came off (that's actually my student in my avatar picture with the peacock stirrups LOL).
The flexi stirrups shouldn't SEEM super flexible when holding them in your hand as they need to have a little resistance. I just switched to these last year & really like them. My ankles & knees are always bothering me and I don't have those problems as much with the flexi stirrups.
I ride in MDC stirrups. They're not "safety" as such but being able to have them hang correctly all the time can certainly make them safer if you lose a stirrup.
I like these: They are elegant, the balance is great and your foot can slip free easily. The only thing I've heard is that sometimes it can be difficult to get them back if you lose them. However I lose my stirrups with an embarrassing frequency and haven't had any trouble tucking my toe back in.
There are plenty of used peacock irons for sale on ebay. Buy used ones, cheap. Then put your big money into something nice looking and new for yourself.
I have some of those curved side (bent leg) irons, in both style shown and the Fillis style that has the heavy thick weighted bottom. I like them for flatwork. I don't jump. But you might want to get a smaller size if you go with that style. The treads tend to feel larger due to having that one side completely open.
If you want a safety iron with a conventional look, look at KwickOut irons. I have a couple pairs of those, too. The side is hinged to open and release your foot. There are no leather tabs or rubber bands to lose or have to replace, either.
I use a Dremel tool and Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish or the metal polishes sold at hardware stores to polish up used irons that have a great patina of scratches. Works great.
I love my flex stirrups. However i've recently got to ride in a friends Jin stirrups and I LOVE them. They are so comfortable to ride in, balanced, light and I love how the grip on them as it doesn't make my foot feel stuck, but secure. However they are not cheap. http://www.jinstirrup.it/stirrups/jin-stirrups.html They will be my next stirrups when I get a new saddle.
I hate jointed, flex or any other kind of contorted stirrup, they just don't feel right to me. I prefer plain, old fillis stirrups, they feel correct, call me old fashioned.
Thanks everyone so much for replying, much appreciated. I still haven't decided on what style I want after all this time, even after talking to a few horsey friends. At the moment I'm thinking of just getting some Flexi Stirrups, and then maybe having a plain pair of Fillis ones as well. I think I'm just trying to be overly cautious with what I go with, as I don't exactly have loads of money to throw around trying to find the right ones C;
I personally like the jointed or "flex" stirrups. They feel better on my ankles and you can really tell the difference over jumps.
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