Pascale Bayon is the mother of two daughters, including 14-year old Ambre, who followed her mother's passion for horses from the age of 4, when her parents enrolled her in baby pony classes. In the riding school where she has been practicing for a long time, she met Crazy, a double pony to which she got so attached that her parents ended up buying him.
After many years of improving together and good results in eventing and showjumping, Ambre became too tall to ride Crazy. Pascale and her took a long time to get over the psychological hurdle of putting him up for sale, and his departure was a heartbreaker.
Afterwards, Ambre pursued her equestrian progress in clubs, before becoming the owner a few weeks ago of Agna Plus, a 6 year old Hungarian sport horse of extreme kindness. She and her mother took their time and tried several horses before adopting him, but Agna was truly a crush and they did not want to let him go.
In a constant search for safety and comfort on horseback, Ambre is often puzzled when she discovers innovative riding gear. On Instagram, she was seeing more and more talk about the Ophena S magnetic safety stirrups. With her former pony, which was very energetic, she would sometimes lose her stirrups and get into trouble when it would get upset. The concept of the magnetic safety stirrup appealed to her, and seeing how stable the leg of Ophena users is made her talk to her mom about it.
Pascale and Ambre's grandfather then surprised her at Christmas, and the young rider discovered a pair of Ophena S stirrups under the tree. “There is absolutely nothing to say about the packaging: it was superb.” Besides the unique open design of the magnetic stirrups, Pascale was eager to observe their impact on her daughter's riding. "The first thing she did was to try them on. And there, it was love at first sight"
“She doesn't get out of her stirrups, she always has her foot firmly secured in it.”
Pascale only had one concern: the magnet, and the ease with which Amber's foot would come off if she fell. However, as the magnetic force of the Ophena safety stirrups is designed to be just strong enough to prevent you from losing your stirrups accidentally, but to release them without any problem in case of a fall, Pascale's fears were vanished: “What I was afraid of was whether, in case of a problem, she would be able to remove her boots easily. In the end, the one time she fell, the stirrup released her very quickly. Even her coach said that he was now confident the boot would come off without any problems.” Ambre didn't even feel her foot come off.
What she likes best about her safety stirrups?
- Their comfort
- The stability of the leg they provide
- Knowing that if she falls, her feet will come out perfectly
“They’re great stirrups for kids.”
The last time Ambre was competing, Pascale witnessed a child fall while participating in a small event. Unfortunately, his foot was too far into the stirrup, and he got stuck in it while his horse kept trotting. This could have led to a dangerous accident. “That's when I thought that for kids, these are great stirrups. If that boy had had Ophena's, he wouldn't have gotten stuck in them.
As the mother of a young girl practicing a sport in which accidents are frequent, Pascale is determined to equip Ambre in a way that minimizes the risks. With the Ophena stirrups, one of the major concerns of parents and riders alike can be addressed. “These stirrups provide optimum safety, so the value for money is excellent.”
“Safety on horseback is priceless.”
Now, Ambre keeps on progressing on her horse, and Pascale and her will start working on the young Agna Plus to move on to jumping competitions, always accompanied by the Ophena stirrups.
