Has anyone used any ot the jointed stirrup irons on the market? The ones I know of are Dublin's irons with the tilting footplate and the HS Sprenger 4-way swivel irons with black rubber-coated sleeves down the arms. The Sprenger irons are very expensive and there are a number of cheaper copies on the market, but apparently these aren't as flexible as the expensive originals.
The reason I'm asking is I wonder if they'll help me improve my lower leg position. I find it hard to keep my heels down and therefore my calf muscles tend to be slack instead of firm and my aiding probably suffers. I don't have stiff knees or particularly stiff ankles (unless I ride at jumping length and then my ankles do get stiff). But I do get a stiff lower back and feel my seat doesn't follow the movement as well as it should - and one of the claims made for all these jointed stirrups is that they help with shock absorption in the back as well as hips, knees and ankles.
One of the things I have read about the Sprenger irons are that they give you the deep-seated feel you get when you ride without stirrups - I'd be interested to see if anyone's experience agrees!
I do a lot of dressage and I also need to know if these techno-stirrups are legal in competitions!
In short, I'd love to hear from anyone with practical experience of these stirrups, especially the Sprengers. They're hellishly expensive for mere stirrup irons, but if they really were to make a difference I could probably persuade my other half to get them for me for Christmas.
The reason I'm asking is I wonder if they'll help me improve my lower leg position. I find it hard to keep my heels down and therefore my calf muscles tend to be slack instead of firm and my aiding probably suffers. I don't have stiff knees or particularly stiff ankles (unless I ride at jumping length and then my ankles do get stiff). But I do get a stiff lower back and feel my seat doesn't follow the movement as well as it should - and one of the claims made for all these jointed stirrups is that they help with shock absorption in the back as well as hips, knees and ankles.
One of the things I have read about the Sprenger irons are that they give you the deep-seated feel you get when you ride without stirrups - I'd be interested to see if anyone's experience agrees!
I do a lot of dressage and I also need to know if these techno-stirrups are legal in competitions!
In short, I'd love to hear from anyone with practical experience of these stirrups, especially the Sprengers. They're hellishly expensive for mere stirrup irons, but if they really were to make a difference I could probably persuade my other half to get them for me for Christmas.
