# stirrups



## tim62988

a bit like the saddle thread:

what stirrups do you use?


my abetta came with their wide and thick padded ones which I generally like

wife has a Pandora saddle on order and we are looking for something for the saddle if we like it. I must say I/we/she would love caged stirrup and one that the cages & pads can be removed for painting/powder coating so we can add some color :-D

but more to the point: what do you use, what do you like about them, what do you dislike about the ones you have or have tried?


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## greentree

I prefer the nylon sport tack wide padded stirrups. They are made by easy boot now, I believe....beware of the no name plastic ones, as they break when they hit trees. I once had the metal ones, but they hurt my shins when I carry the saddle. 

I like the cages, too, although mine are cageless...


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## Speed Racer

You ride Western, so my stirrups would be useless for you. Mine are Metalab 2-way jointed. Love them. My old, arthritic knees, ankles and hips love 'em too!


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## Eole

Most distance riders I know use Easy Ride stirrups, plastic with cage. They come in metal as well, but I'm worried about risk of crushing foot in a fall. 

Personnally, I have tiny feet and find the EasyRide too big and clunky.

I switched recently to a no-name aluminium with cage stirrups. They come in many fun colors. I love they are light, have a wide comfortable platform, a removable cage and affordable price. I've read the paint might peel off with time as a downside. The foam isn't thick, but so far I don't need more cushioning.
Amidale is the original model in UK:
Aluminium Light Weight Flex Ride Caged Safety Endurance Horse Riding Stirrups | eBay

I got a US copy:
ALUMINUM ENDURANCE RIDE CAGED SAFETY HORSE STIRRUPS With L/key For Remove Caged

There's a lady on FB Endurance Tack page selling them in all colors.


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## Hondo

I'll throw in that I ule EZ Knees stirrup turners that makes for more comfort for my bone on bone knees. I often wear a heavy hiking boot with an aggressive sole and find that a plastic stirrup lets the sole slide out of the stirrup more easily. They had a leather bottom which I removed and then beveled the back of the stirrup to ease the exit a little more. As always, YMMV


https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...Pv3h3bfJx6hxD2ZgZg2Szb9h3yJKl6Qr3kRoCU2Lw_wcB


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## tim62988

english stirrup users feel free to comment as i'm hoping others can also benefit too


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## Idrivetrotters

I may change my mind with more miles, but I'm conditioning for LD's and future 50's and I'm using my Wintec AP (old fashioned kind) and regular English irons for my stirrups. I also have a smooth gaited OTSTB so I'm not posting much and I fox hunted for years so going into 2 pt for a cruise to free up his back is no big deal. I rode in a friend's Tucker with cage stirrups and while I loved the saddle, I was not a fan of the caged stirrups, but I am eyeballing some English irons that are a bit more wider if my current irons get uncomfy. So I'm probably not much help here.


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## greentree

The easy rides come in both western and English post widths...


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## Eole

Greentree, I've never seen any option of a narrow EZ Ride stirrup. If there is, I'd be interested.


OP, before switching for the Amidale copy, I've been adding Cashel Stirrup Cushions to my English stirrups. It worked fine for many years.
Cashel English Stirrup Cushions Pads Pair


You can also add cages to regular English stirrups.
Korsteel Polymer Stirrup Toe Cages Pair


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## Avna

Not an endurance rider just trails, hopefully longer and longer ones. English saddle and EZ ride stirrups. No cage, although it would be safer. I do ride in boots with heels, not trail-running shoes. I find my stirrups to be extremely comfy.


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## greentree

Eole, they used to come in 1 1/2", 3" , and 4" posts. Mine are 3", my friend rode in a wintec and always had the narrow ones.
Now that they are EZ ride, but it may be different...


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## Eole

greentree said:


> Eole, they used to come in 1 1/2", 3" , and 4" posts. Mine are 3", my friend rode in a wintec and always had the narrow ones.
> Now that they are EZ ride, but it may be different...


Oh! I misunderstood: yes they come in English, Endurance or Western leather/fender width. I thought they had different FOOT sizes, I wish!


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## 6gun Kid

well to be honest my answer would be, depends. I have a pair of iron oxbows on my saddle that is for sale. I am hoping that when it sells, The buyer wants the plain rawhide, roping stirrups that came with my new saddle. 
My every day riding stirrups are brass bound 4" monels, and if I am riding in the brush or back country I have a pair of roughout tapaderos.


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## Saskia

I ride in MDC stirrups. They have this great twisting mechanism at the too which allows you to set how they fit, and they have wide foot beds. They're english though. 

I've ridden in other stirrups but English and western and none have come close.


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## Avna

Saskia said:


> I ride in MDC stirrups. They have this great twisting mechanism at the too which allows you to set how they fit, and they have wide foot beds. They're english though.
> 
> I've ridden in other stirrups but English and western and none have come close.


They look really cool. $200+ though. I looked at the website and it seemed like a lot of people with all kinds of different leg pain were helped by them.


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## natisha

6gun Kid said:


> well to be honest my answer would be, depends. I have a pair of iron oxbows on my saddle that is for sale. I am hoping that when it sells, The buyer wants the plain rawhide, roping stirrups that came with my new saddle.
> My every day riding stirrups are brass bound 4" monels, and if I am riding in the brush or back country I have a pair of roughout tapaderos.


Why not change the stirrups before selling?


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## gottatrot

I'd like to try the new EZ ride stirrups that have the more grippy foot beds but they're very spendy. I have a pair of the older ones but I don't use them because my feet slide out when I put my heels down.









Currently I'm very happy with my stirrup set up. I use the lightweight composite stirrups and added the wider, grippy footbed that a friend sold me on. The footbed is like a tire tread and cushions nicely while adding width and grip.
Stirrups:








Footbed:


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## egrogan

I have just a cheapo pair of iron double jointed stirrups-they have a little bit of flex to them which supposedly helps your knees. I've had this kind for about a year now, they are fine: https://www.horseloverz.com/english...-stirrups/coronet-fillis-irons-double-jointed

"Caged stirrups" are another one of those things I never heard about until reading it on the forum. Can someone tell me more about them and why you use them?


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## egrogan

^^ sorry, just re-read my post after the time was up to edit. Was typing on my phone and made it sound like the stirrups were MADE OF iron, rather than calling them irons  that would make for a harder ride for my little mare!!


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## Avna

Cages are like tapaderos, they keep your foot from sliding through.


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## tim62988

my wife is looking for caged because she generally rides in a hiking boot and we both like a wider stirrup so we can drop the stirrups while trail riding and pick them back up easier when we are ready to speed up or get into some hilly stuff


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## Kato

My western style I use EZ Ride plastic with cages. My Aussie that has English leathers I use Herm Sprenger Bow Balance stirrups. I have had knee and ankle issues for years and my Bow Balance stirrups were the only stirrups I could ride for more than 15 min in. I love the padding in the EZ rides. On one set we taped off the pad, cage and top bar and painted them with a paint specifically made for plastic so that they were a different color. They are now 3 years old and have held their color well.


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## phantomhorse13

Chiming in late (was away at a ride with no cell service), but another vote for the EZ Ride w/cages here (I ride in low hikers just about exclusively). We have the older type.. have heard mixed reviews about the new ones but haven't had a chance to try them for myself.

I have eyed the colorful ones people are selling on fb (I think they are supposed to be knock-off Clouds), but haven't needed any so no excuse to try them. The Cloud stirrups were all the rage for a while, but they were not easy on the wallet so I never tried those either. I have to say, to look at them I was skeptical about how they could be better then the EZ Rides when the pad was so thin.. but some people have raved about them.


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## tim62988

phantom: curious what people don't like about the new ez stirrups? thinking about ordering from riding warehouse for the versatility of being able to be used no matter what style saddle my wife ultimately ends up with


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## phantomhorse13

I heard some complaints about the pads being too grippy, so that people could not easily reposition their foot. I could see this being a potential issue for me, as my hikers def have a lot more tread than the sneakers I used to ride in. I also heard they are harder to find again if you lose one (I assume because they are lighter than the old type, but don't know that for sure).


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## tim62988

never thought "too" light would be an issue, since we both drop our stirrups a lot it is a good thing to keep in mind although I think I could remove some of the grip, if we go with them i will be sure to let you & others know what we find


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## phantomhorse13

I wouldn't think the light would matter at the halt or the walk.. but i could see how being light might make them jump around more at a trot or canter (think post spook/stumble/whatever that makes you loose a stirrup unintentionally).

I would def be interested in your feedback if you get them!


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## tim62988

ordered a set of the EZ-Ride Ultimate w/ cage since they will be versatile for any saddle we end up with. hopefully here by next weekend so we will see how things go. 

new saddle is HOPEFULLY shipping next week so going to be an exciting few weeks here in NY


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## tim62988

i haven't tried the stirrups yet (they are for my wife) she is riding in timberland flume boots just to give you an idea of the tread pattern

she used to say she could feel her toes going numb by the time we rode from the day parking lot to the first lot (less than 1/2 mile) saturday we did 8 miles yesterday we did 11 and although still had some knee pain she said her feet felt good the whole ride.

not too much grip with that tread pattern at least, easy to pick back up if she lost a stirrup, but I could see that changing on an english leather although I think they still have enough weight that they aren't going to be any more jumpy than other stirrups. better stirrups did accentuate how terrible her saddle is but hopefully the pandora will fix that issue

the one thing I don't like about the stirrups is the plastic cage, when riding through brush that plastic makes some odd noises that took my mare and I a bit to figure out what that sound was behind us


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## Hondo

tim62988 said:


> although still had some knee pain


I had knee pain to the point I had to dismount and walk a while about every hour or so.

I got some Cashel EZ knees and that helped, but not enough. I'm diagnosed with bone on bone on both knees. Knee replacement is in the future.

I began riding with my feet out of the stirrups occasionally as a means to rest my knees and postpone the next dismount.

Eventually I found a location for my feet where my knees did not hurt or tire at all with my feet further forward and lower than recommended.

I moved my stirrups to that location and now I can ride 4- 5 hours until my entire body wants a rest and my knees are still fine.


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## tim62988

her old pony she never got knee pain, and never knew that her saddle for that pony had uneven stirrups that is how often she used her stirrups even while trail riding.

her new horse is still a bit green, so not ready to just drop the stirrups yet, and also not ready to lower them too far. did have to lower them one hole to accomidate the different stirrups but IF she likes the new saddle we will get biothane stirrup leathers that will be punched on the 1/2" to give a bit more fine tune adjustment for the knees


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## tim62988

well lesson learned with these new stirrups, the cages will catch & crack easily.

tried out the new pandora saddle & the stirrups today just around the round-pen and pasture. saddle has promise, i like the stirrups but barely caught one on the eye of an eye bolt walking back into the barn and it cracked the plastic on one of the cages. hopefully some glue and maybe a wrap of electrical tape it will be good to go.

obviously not a problem with the stirrups, just not sure if those cages are worth $60 to replace when there is no give to them like I would have hoped.


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## Hondo

Here's what I use. Been on the stirrups for two years now with no problems. I mounted them where my foot will not go in far enough to get hung up.

Leather Tapaderos | Made by Weaver Leather ? Trailhead Supply


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## tim62988

thinking may need to look into those more. went out to try the saddle with a bit different set-up and noticed a chip out of the plastic on the offside stirrup that must have just hit something on the trail?

i will say the stirrups felt ok with my cowboy boots, but also wasn't super comfortable with the saddle so that may have contributed.

put the saddle's sheep skin cushion on and switched to my keen hiking boots and those stirrups were great. didn't seem to have too much grip, were easy to hook back into when i dropped them


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## phantomhorse13

Wow, I am shocked to hear how poorly the cages are doing already!!

The pair of stirrups (with cages) I have used for years have some scratches on them and certainly plenty of filth.. but the only major flaw in them was from where it took a full
impact with a shod hoof. 

I guess nobody makes things to last any more.


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## tim62988

i have an e-mail in with ridingwarehouse they are in contact with easycare, so i don't expect anything but we will see.

the stirrups are $9.00 more with the cages than w/out, but replacement cages are $60 more?!? hopefully I didn't come across terribly in my review & e-mail saying that for a $9.00 upgrade to cost $60 to replace that I felt easycare should drop their price to their distributors so then the distributors can sell the replacements at $10-20/pair in which case a pair or two per summer is a pain but hey it's $20-40 depending on abuse/mileage so a reasonable cost.

zip over to distance depot and they have a biothane cage for $30 that will fit these stirrups so for anyone looking your cheapest option may be to buy the stirrup from ridingwarehouse w/cage ($130) then the spare cages from distance depot for ($30) if yours original cages break


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## bsms

One option folks might want to consider are 4-bar stirrups:










$33 for the stirrups, plus another $13 if you want the leather covers.

Stirrups for Australian Horse Saddles

I've used had mine for 7+ years...solid brass, as far as I can tell. That makes the tread about 3" front to back, versus about 2" for standard English stirrups. El Bandito pre-ride:










I like to ride with weight in my stirrups, not for long times and I'll probably use less weight as my horse gets more reliable, but they are easier on my feet than standard Fillis stirrups. I ride with rubber sole cowboy boots without the leather covers on the stirrups. 

The price of the EZ ride stirrups made my eyes bug out...gotta go fit them back into my eye sockets now, and maybe take something for my heart. At that price, they ought to come with foot men who jog along side of your horse, cradling your feet with their hands!


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## phantomhorse13

bsms said:


> The price of the EZ ride stirrups made my eyes bug out...gotta go fit them back into my eye sockets now, and maybe take something for my heart. At that price, they ought to come with foot men who jog along side of your horse, cradling your feet with their hands!


Heh, you should check out the price on Cloud stirrups (just make sure you are sitting down and not drinking anything). :wink:

You can find knock offs for less money.. but I have to say in my experience, the knock-offs are not _quite_ as good as the EZ Rides over the longer distances. My guess is the stirrup bar (which is under patent) does make some difference in the shock absorption, as that seems to be the main difference between the real ones and the fakes.

I rode with someone over the weekend who had a massive issue with the cages not allowing him to get his foot into the stirrup in the way he was used to. I had never considered that could be an issue for a man with a large foot - he physically couldn't get the stirrup into a home position because his toe hit the front of the cage.


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## tim62988

I wear a size 8.5-9 (mens) depending upon the boot/shoe and noticed my cowboy boots did NOT work for these stirrups but my keen hiking boots were awesome.

I reviewed the stirrups a few weeks ago on ridingwarehouse, then contacted them so they could let the distributor know that the cages had already broken, told them I knew one was my fault the other not sure what happened there. they put me in contact with EZ care, i spoke with a woman named Dee she said they haven't seen any others crack/rip/chip so wanted to see some pictures. I e-mailed the pictures and they will send me a shipping label then replace the cages for me. 

they want them back asap to make it right but we will have to wait and send them out after our camping week with the horses next week so I will let you all know how the turn around is from easycare but so far easy to deal with


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## carshon

I personally don't have issues with stirrups but with the extra leather at the bottom of my fender. I have very short legs (for a person of my height) so my stirrups are shorter and that has caused lots of extra leather at the bottom of the fender. No amount of broomsticks, warm water bottles, leather conditioners have made the issue better. I purchased EZ Knees and the metal dug into my leg. With my old solid horse I rode stirrupless when I could I now have a new horse and don't trust her enough to do that. Like BSMS I am bone on bone and waiting for a knee replacement - after my last knee surgery (the 4th on that knee) I may not even be a candidate for conventional knee replacement and at 46 am too young so most Dr's won't even consider a replacement yet

Maybe the issue is the fenders and not the stirrups?


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## smrobs

carshon said:


> I personally don't have issues with stirrups but with the extra leather at the bottom of my fender. I have very short legs (for a person of my height) so my stirrups are shorter and that has caused lots of extra leather at the bottom of the fender. No amount of broomsticks, warm water bottles, leather conditioners have made the issue better. I purchased EZ Knees and the metal dug into my leg. With my old solid horse I rode stirrupless when I could I now have a new horse and don't trust her enough to do that. Like BSMS I am bone on bone and waiting for a knee replacement - after my last knee surgery (the 4th on that knee) I may not even be a candidate for conventional knee replacement and at 46 am too young so most Dr's won't even consider a replacement yet
> 
> Maybe the issue is the fenders and not the stirrups?


You might look for some plain jane leathers to replace yours with. I have a similar problem, most adult fenders are too big for me and leave a lot of extra that I have to deal with. Some companies will sell "small adult" fenders but barrel fenders are usually smaller and lighter than normal ones.


As for stirrups, I'm just a cowgirl instead of an endurance rider.....even though we frequently cover 10+ miles every ride. That said, I stick with 3 inch deep roper stirrups. I like any stirrup that will slip off my foot easily and I will refuse to ride in any that will grip my foot. The idea of being dragged terrifies me...so much that I also buy my boots (slip on roper style) a half size too big so that they will fall off if I get hung and can't get free.


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## tim62988

carshon said:


> I personally don't have issues with stirrups but with the extra leather at the bottom of my fender. I have very short legs (for a person of my height) so my stirrups are shorter and that has caused lots of extra leather at the bottom of the fender. No amount of broomsticks, warm water bottles, leather conditioners have made the issue better. I purchased EZ Knees and the metal dug into my leg. With my old solid horse I rode stirrupless when I could I now have a new horse and don't trust her enough to do that. Like BSMS I am bone on bone and waiting for a knee replacement - after my last knee surgery (the 4th on that knee) I may not even be a candidate for conventional knee replacement and at 46 am too young so most Dr's won't even consider a replacement yet
> 
> Maybe the issue is the fenders and not the stirrups?


find someone with an endurance saddle or english saddle that you can ride in. my wife's new saddle is sortof like a mcclellan saddle but no fender of any sort, just a stirrup leather my butt wasn't 100% sure of the new saddle but my knees/feet were 100% sure that it was much easier on them vs my synthetic abetta w/ cushioned stirrups which only start to bother me after my 7 or 8 and even then isn't bad walking for a few min and i generally feel better but I think without any resistance from the fenders my legs were even happier with just a straight leather there


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## LlamaPacker

*Cage Stirrups or Break-Apart for Safety?*

I'm looking for stirrups to be safe for kids. I see "break-apart" type stirrups on the tack websites. Does anyone have experience with those and recommend them or do most of you feel like the "caged" stirrups are safer and sturdier?


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## tim62988

I personally don't see why one would be better vs another. neither will allow you to get "caught" so probably just personal preference


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