Marine Marquet does not come from a horse riding family. Yet, at the age of 5, she began negotiating with her parents to start riding. “I was determined to ride, so I nagged them for a year. They finally gave in and signed me up.” From then on, this sport was an obvious choice. Now at almost 30 years old, she has became the owner of her new companion, Favori du Galain.
A few years ago, Marine gave birth to a little girl and put her passion on hold for 2 years. It is after having resumed riding regularly in an equestrian center that she felt the need to adopt a horse. “I had already had an experience as a teenage owner, and I felt that something was missing: a real relationship with a horse.”
That's when fate put her on the road to Favori. Despite some hesitation, she eventually became her owner in early 2020. “After the birth of my daughter, I became more fearful of riding. I was a little afraid to go back to buying my own horse. One day, by chance, I came across Favori's ad. I told myself that this was the perfect horse for me, that it was too good to be true, and I ended up going to see him and fell in love with him.”
The little bay horse is only 6 years old. Despite his gentle personality and strong-willed character, he can be very energetic at times, giving his owner a hard time. Luckily, a few months before she began her relationship with him, Marine discovered the Ophena S Magnetic Safety Stirrups at a show, and was quite curious about their safety aspect. “It was new, so I was skeptical at first, but I really liked the concept.” She continued to think about purchasing them for a few months, and in the summer of 2020, after she became the owner of her horse, she took the plunge and purchased a pair of Ophena magnetic stirrups.
“What I liked so much about Ophena was the security.”
Each pair of Ophena S is carefully packaged and presented in a case. Marine's first impression when she saw her new stirrups in their box was therefore not surprising: “I thought they were very beautiful, very classy. When you receive them, you say WOW.” On horseback, it was also love at first sight, after some time of adaptation to the magnetic system: “The fact that I was 'hooked' was peculiar and made me feel a bit strange at first, but after 10 days of use I didn't feel them anymore.”
How the Ophena S safety stirrups gave her confidence on horseback:
Favori's young age coupled with Marine's fears after the birth of her daughter could hold her back from riding. The Ophena magnetic stirrups allowed her to forget some of the risks and concentrate more on her riding, especially jumping. “I have a young horse, he sometimes tends to make really big jumps. I used to lose the classic stirrups during these jumps, which made me feel unsettled. Now I don't lose them at all. The Ophena stirrups have really given me confidence in some aspects. There was a period when he was often acting silly, and I was reassured to have them because I told myself that I would not lose them easily, and that if I fell I would not get stuck.”
What does Marine like best about her stirrups?
- Their safety
- Knowing that she won't lose them too easily
For Marine, going for a ride with Favori in total confidence was difficult. She was never totally relaxed, thinking about the risk of losing her stirrups and slipping if he did something wrong. Thanks to the magnetism of the Ophena stirrups, she can now enjoy one-on-one rides with her horse. “I used to be a bit nervous, I didn't dare go for a ride with Favori because he is young and a bit crazy. Ophena stirrups make me feel safe on rides. I know that I won't lose them at the slightest deviation.”
That's the difference with conventional stirrups. No matter how young your horse is or how surprising his reactions may be, you can be sure that you will find your stability easily despite his sometimes sudden movements. “The last time I fell was in my old stirrups. My horse stood up, I got off balance, lost my stirrup and fell. I got the Ophena S a few months later. Then there was a period when Favori stood up at every session: I didn't fall once because I was never thrown off balance.”
“The Ophena stirrups helped me to get over the hump.”
Now, Marine continues her progression and her work with Favori. They have started competing in the Club category, and their goal is to progress to bigger events little by little, without rushing, and accompanied by the Ophena magnetic safety stirrups.
