Elisa Marcato is a 20-year-old student. Very versatile, she started riding at a very young age and has practiced all disciplines, from dressage to jumping through horse ball, and made her debut in competition at the age of 7. Now, she has a Elegido, a beautiful Spanish horse, in half-leasing for over a year.
The 18-year-old black gelding is very sanguine, which makes his gaits very beautiful to watch. He and Elisa only practice dressage, at an Amateur level of competition.
A few months ago, she discovered the Ophena magnetic safety stirrups on Instagram. Intrigued by the concept, which she had never seen before, she was mesmerized “At first, I thought they were really pretty, then I wanted to know more. I found out about the magnetic system on the website, and thought it might be very interesting for falls. Even though it's never happened to me, I've seen people get stuck in their stirrups several times before.”
“It really does feel like a luxury product.”
When Elisa received her package, she was able to see firsthand the open design that she had fallen in love with. “When you get the box, it feels like a luxury product, so it's really nice.” And the Ophena experience didn't stop there: Elisa was first surprised by the new sensations provided by the magnetic connection, innovative technology in the safety stirrups. “You're really not used to feeling the stirrup hooked to the sole, so it was weird at first. But by the end of the second ride, I was already pretty used to it.”
“Eventually, I quickly got the hang of taking them off.”
Every time she wears them in public, riders are amazed by the mono-branch silhouette of the Ophena magnetic stirrups. As a result, Elisa is regularly asked to answer their questions:“People are often intrigued. I get a lot of questions from riders asking how it works and if my feet really stay in place, so I explain the magnet system.”
What Elisa likes best about her magnetic stirrups?
- Their magnetism
- The fixity they provide
For dressage riders, who ride their stirrups pretty long, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain contact with the floor of the stirrup. With Elisa working on dressage figures of a certain level, and Elegido having gaits with natural bounce, the help provided by the magnetism of the Ophena stirrups is highly appreciated. “On dressage figures like the passage, which bounces quite a bit, I used to tend to lose my classic stirrups, but here not at all. Since you ride with long stirrups, it allows for better leg fixity.”
“You don't lose them easily, except if you fall.”
Another special feature of Ophena is the orientation of the stirrup eye. When you fix your stirrup leather through, you notice that they fall perfectly perpendicular to the saddle. Elisa really appreciates this feature. Coupled with the wide floorboard, it adds fixity to her entire leg. “When I was riding with other stirrups, since I tend to turn my tiptoe inside, the sole of my foot would sometimes lift out a bit. Now, I really have my whole foot in constant contact with the floor of the stirrup.”
“I don't feel any pain in my joints anymore.”
Finally, Elisa was pleasantly surprised by the cushioning of her Ophena S stirrups. Indeed, although this is not their main feature, many riders like her testify to a decrease of their joint pain. This would be due to the good position allowed by the low center of gravity of the stirrups. “I find that they absorb shock well. I used to have Flex On stirrups because my knees hurt. The first time I rode with the Ophena's, I had to adjust, but the cushioning is good and I don't feel any pain in my joints anymore.”
Elisa and Elegido are currently in the process of starting dressage competitions in Amateur. So they continue to train and evolve together, equipped with Ophena.
