Where should your foot be in the safety stirrups?
If you have ever taken a riding lesson in your life, you will most likely have heard the notion "heels down!" plenty of times. But in addition to keeping your heels down, it is important to know where your foot should be in the safety stirrups. In fact, an incorrect placement of your foot can affect your position, posture, and be unsafe.
Placing your foot correctly in the safety stirrups
It is important to know where your foot should be positioned in the safety stirrups. If your foot is too deep in the stirrup, it can get stuck and/or slide through the stirrups. If it is not deep enough, you may easily lose your stirrups while riding. Also, an incorrect placement of your foot will affect your position in and posture, as well as the effect of your leg when you use it.
In the video below, a trainer explains the correct positioning of your foot. You can watch the full video to get the best out of the advice, but we have included a summary below.
1. Do not press your heels down too much: this will make your foot ineffective and stiff. Keep your weight on your heels, while still keeping your ankle soft.
2. The footbed of the safety stirrups should be placed right behind the ball of your foot.
3. Your heel should be located below your seat bone, with a direct diagonal line to your knee.
4. Keeping your foot and leg soft ensures that your ankle, knee, and hip stay soft. This is important in order to give our horses the best, most accurate signals.
If you are unsure about the positioning of your foot, your trainer can help you to place your foot in the right spot - and remind you to keep it there.
Why are safety stirrups important?
It is important to make sure that you use safety stirrups at all times when riding. The purpose of safety stirrups is to make sure that if you should fall off your horse, your foot will release and you will not get stuck in the stirrups and get dragged behind your horse.
Today, there are multiple different kinds and brands of safety stirrups that use different features and safety mechanisms. You will have plenty of options to compare and choose from, to make sure you will have the kind of stirrups you need and want.
Safety stirrups are always paramount, no matter if you are a beginner or an advanced rider. After all, you never know what will happen.
Ophena S and Ophena T magnetic safety stirrups place your foot in the correct spot
Our Ophena S and Ophena T magnetic safety stirrups have gotten raving reviews among our customers. We have designed beautiful, super safe safety stirrups, that also have a magnetic connection.
The magnetic connection pulls your foot automatically in the correct spot. The best part about this is that you will never have to wonder if your foot is in the correct spot: we got you! Also, the magnetic connection ensures that you will not lose your stirrups while riding.
In addition, our magnetic safety stirrups also feature an open side, which ensures your foot will release from the stirrups in case of an accident.
Our safety stirrups come with magnetic insoles and a 60-day money-back guarantee, which ensures that you will be happy with your purchase. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
Customer story
In the video below, Johanna from Sweden noticed that using our stirrups helped her to position her foot better, while it improved the position of her entire leg. As the magnetic connection places your foot in the right spot automatically, as a result, you will sit better and straighter.
Psst! Johanna speaks Swedish, but don't worry - the subtitles are in English!
