Which safety stirrup should I choose?

Ophena's safety stirrups in a side-by-side comparison

All our stirrups are safe and elegant, but they have a core difference:

Regardless of your choice, this is what you always get with Ophena:

Detailed comparison of Ophena A, Ophena S and Ophena S Pro

Ophena A Ophena S Ophena S Pro
Pictures
Ophena A
 Ophena S
Ophena S Pro
Safe design ✔ ✔ ✔
60-day money-back guarantee ✔ ✔ ✔
Free worldwide shipping ✔ ✔ ✔
Grip High-friction spikes Magnetic and medium-friction tread Magnetic and high-friction spikes
Usage Traditional use (without magnetic insoles) Recommended to use with magnetic insoles (included) Can be used with and without magnetic insoles (included)
Competition Legal All disciplines Showjumping (Details here) Showjumping (Details here)
Attachment System Angled Slot Smart Attach™ Smart Attach™
Tilted tread 0° 4° 4°
Material Body High-grade aluminium High-grade stainless steel High-grade stainless steel
Material Tread		 High-grade aluminium Fibre-Reinforced Polycarbonate High-grade aluminium
Weight ca 460g ca 650g
ca 650g
Available Colours Silver
Black		 Silver
Onyx Black		 Silver
Onyx Black
Engraving possible ✔ ✔ ✔

Get help deciding

Do you compete?

If you compete in Showjumping, you should be fine with any of our stirrups. But if you compete in Dressage, Cross Country, as well as a few other disciplines, we recommend you to stick with our non-magnetic stirrups Ophena A. That is because our magnetic stirrups Ophena S may not be allowed in these disciplines.

To be clear:

  • Our magnetic safety stirrups (Ophena S) are explicitly allowed for use in Showjumping competitions by FEI, BS, USEF / USHJA and many other organisations. You can find an overview here. 
  • Our non-magnetic safety stirrups (Ophena A) are allowed across all disciplines.

If you don't compete, the choice is all yours :) 

Do you like to reposition your feet a lot while riding? Or are you looking to keep them in the right spot at all times?

Our magnetic stirrups attach right under the ball of your foot. That's the recommended position (although we also offer alternative magnet positions). While it is possible to reposition your feet a little, you cannot move them back and forth that much because the magnet holds them in place. Many riders love this feeling of safe fixation (check out some reviews) and can focus on things other than their stirrups. But if you already know that you like to move your feet around a lot, we'd recommend you to go with our non-magnetic stirrups.

Are you looking to improve your leg position and body posture?

A good pair of stirrups should support you, not hinder you. All our stirrups are designed to do exactly that! But our magnetic stirrups are truly special, because they stick to your feet, which has several benefits: 

  • You are less likely to lose them.
  • It feels very natural. You'll probably forget that you wear stirrups.
  • This allows you to focus on your horse, your balance, your posture, your leg position and more. Substantial improvements are often noticeable after only hours of usage (and also translate back to traditional stirrups).

If that sounds good to you, we encourage you to give them a try! Don't forget, we have a Money-Back Guarantee. Needless to say, our non-magnetic stirrups provide great grip and control, too.

Which stirrup is the safest? 

Both Ophena S and Ophena A were designed for maximum safety. Both have a sophisticated design and patented technologies to maximise your safety. And both started with the idea of an open design.

  • The Ophena S has a fully open design. In case of a fall, your foot has a large area to escape and no release mechanisms in the way. The magnetic connection, which keeps your feet safely attached during the ride, breaks easily in case of a fall. Dismounting is also straight-forward with a simple foot motion. 
  • The Ophena A is closed with a soft piece (The Twister™), which is connected to the main stirrup body at two separate points. Each of these points can release the Twister™, which provides a very high safety level. The problem we see with many other safety stirrups is that they required a certain (often substantial) force in a certain angle in order to release. So there is a real chance that they won't release (and we know that this happens fairly often, too!). Hence, the Ophena A is designed to release in any direction and regardless of where the force is applied.

To conclude: If all you are looking for is safety, we'd recommend the Ophena S for their completely open design. But both stirrups provide highest safety.

Ophena S vs Ophena S Pro

If you have decided to go with magnetic stirrups, you still have two options to choose from. The brief recommendation: If you are a beginner, we recommend you to go with the standard version. If you ride on a higher level or are an advanced show jumper or cross country rider we recommend the Pro version. Otherwise you can find a more detailed comparison between the two here.

I'm still unsure, can I get advice?

Of course, you are welcome to reach out to our team via chat or our contact form.