Astrid Morice started riding at the age of 3, when her father took her to baby pony lessons on Sundays. Unfortunately, at the age of 10, following a serious fall during which her helmet broke, her parents, worried about her safety, decided to have her stop this sport. It is only 4 years later that she took up riding again in a club: since then, this passion has never left her. Now at almost 20 years old, she continues to ride every week.
A jack of all trades, Astrid has competed in show jumping and endurance, a discipline in which she participated in the French championships with her show pony, Utopik des Merles. The little 12 year old bay taught her everything.
Suffering from hyperlaxity of the ankles, it became difficult for Astrid to use classical stirrups that she considered too light, especially in show jumping where the balance position requires a constant support on this part of the body. “My ankles would pull when I tried to maintain contact with the floor. I had to put less pressure on my stirrups to relieve myself, but they didn't hold my feet. This made me unbalanced, especially when jumping: I was not reassured and I was often afraid to lose them in case of a big jump.”
That's when she discovered the Ophena S magnetic safety stirrups on Instagram. After several months of thinking about getting them, she finally bought them for herself. “I knew that I could in any case benefit from the 60-day risk-free trial, and if it didn't fit, I could always send them back.”
In the end, she didn't use that guarantee, since the first time she used them, she fell in love. After a few moments of adjusting to the magnetic feel under the boot, she began to enjoy the stability provided by her new magnetic stirrups.
“I can lower my leg without pain.”
“You can feel from the first session that your feet are stable, parallel to the ground, well down and immediately in the right place. With the Ophena stirrups, I have a good foot position with my heel pointing to the floor, but I don't have to press hard on the floor to keep contact, so I can lower my lower leg without pain. I'm well positioned without having to constantly maintain excessive pressure, unlike with standard stirrups.”
What she likes best about her stirrups?
- The stability they provide, even though she suffers from ankle hyperlaxity
- Knowing that she won't lose them, whatever the weather
- Their safety, which reassures her parents
For Astrid, the stability that the Ophena stirrups give her despite her hyperlaxity of the ankle is their major asset: “The Ophena stirrups have relieved me and improved my stability, especially in balance. I feel more stable, relaxed and upright in relation to the ground. It's great for the lower leg, they allow me to be well lowered without pulling excessively on my ankle. You feel good in your feet: you don't need to force yourself, you are naturally stable.”
In jumping competitions, with the adrenaline of the course and the big jumps that can be made with your horse, it can happen that you lose your stirrups. Astrid no longer has this fear. “It reassures me to go out in competition and to say to myself that I won't lose my stirrups, which is a problem for many riders. On big jumps, the Ophena's allowed me to catch myself and not fall, since they were always there at the landing.”
And this statement holds true regardless of the weather: whether it's raining, snowing or windy, the Ophena magnetic safety stirrups stay in place.
“Even in the rain, you can't lose them. Even with water and sand: it holds.”
Astrid's parents, worried about her practicing this sport where accidents can happen, especially since she fell when she was 10 years old, can put aside the risk of her foot getting stuck in her stirrup if she falls. “The times I fell, the stirrups let go of me without any problem.”
In conclusion, the Ophena S magnetic stirrups have really changed her riding.
“Before, when I rode in stirrups from other brands that were meant to be innovative, I didn't really feel like I was wearing something that changed the way I rode or my ease of riding.” The magnetism of Ophena's safety stirrups has allowed her to worry less about her ankle problems, ride safely, and focus on her riding.
