Louise Vilard is a 21 year old student in human resources. Her mother has been passionate about horse riding for many years, which is why it was no surprise that she started riding when she was 6 years old. Today, Louise rides three times a week as part of a half-lease on a horse from her stable.
Vandyck d'Al is a 12 year old Halfinger with whom she fell in love from the moment they met a year ago. Very versatile, Louise and him tried all the disciplines: from dressage to jumping, through footwork and cross country. Vandyck is a rather willing horse, but he is also very energetic and naughty. So she has to be careful sometimes, and that means paying attention to her safety.
Although Louise has never had a serious fall due to her foot getting stuck in the stirrup, she once came close to an accident: “I had a fall with my old stirrups, where my foot had trouble getting free. I had to balance on my horse while I took it out of the stirrup. I felt like my foot was stuck, and that it was going to stay stuck if I fell, even though I eventually managed to get it off.”
She came across Ophena on Instagram a few months ago, when she was planning to invest in some new, quality stirrups. She was so intrigued by the innovative Ophena S magnetic safety stirrups that she ended up buying a pair for herself. “What convinced me was the design, the leg positioning I was seeing in riders riding with them, the safety aspect, and especially the very positive customer feedback on the website and on social networks.”
“We really have a luxury experience.”
Upon receiving her magnetic stirrups, Louise was not disappointed by the luxurious appearance of their packaging: “I received them earlier than expected. It's very well presented, and you really get a luxury experience, with the box, the instructions and the personalized note.”
The experience doesn't stop with the single-sided design of the stainless steel stirrups, their patented technologies were the final convincing factor in her first session with them in dressage. “When I first tried them on, I really felt like my foot fit in the stirrup. I immediately felt that it was in the right place, and that it was constantly following my movements, which was very nice. Plus, I got the kick right out of them.”
What Louise likes best about her Ophena S stirrups?
- Their magnetism
- Their safety
The positioning of the magnets in the magnetic insoles was designed to favor an optimal position and a better stability of the leg. “It is particularly pleasant to have the feeling of having the foot well magnetized in the stirrup, which does not move and remains in its place. My leg doesn't move forward or backward too much thanks to the magnet and it moves less, especially when galloping and jumping.”
“The floor tilt is not too strong, but is perfectly sufficient.”
This feature, paired with the 4° tilt of the stirrup floor, also allows for a better leg drop. “They do a good job of helping me get my heel down. The slope is not too steep, but is just right.”
The posture that the Ophena stirrups encourage riders to adopt, can sometimes lead to the disappearance of certain muscular pains to which they were subject:
“With my old stirrups, my lower back used to ache at the end of each session, but not anymore.”
The strength of the magnetic connection is designed so that it is sufficient to prevent you from falling and getting caught, but releases you immediately if you fall off the horse. Louise has experienced this on several occasions: “When I get unsteady, it is easy for me to regain my balance. On the contrary, the two times I really fell, the stirrups freed me very easily.”
In the videos below, we can see that the stirrup not only frees Louise in a very natural way during her fall, but also helps her to stay on the horse despite a lack of stability.
Louise is thus won over by her magnetic safety stirrups, which she uses at each session with Vandyck. They have been riding together for a year now, equipped with Ophena.
