ridecamp@endurance.net: [endurance] Riding shoes & Stirrups
[endurance] Riding shoes & Stirrups
Diane E. Nelson (nelsonde@ttown.apci.com)
Wed, 31 Jan 1996 15:42:41 -0500 (EST)
I was in the same boat--old riding sneakers had slits along the sole that
let the water/mud in. Went to State Line's store in DE (the new one) and
tried on several models. My old pair were Sportiffic's. The new ones
appear to be made in China with a very narrow last--would not fit my feet
even when I fiddled with different sizes. I ended up coughing up the big
bucks for the Ariats. Really like them--did a 30 in them, but in good
weather. Gave me lots of ankle support. I have a bad tendency to ride
against my outside toe and the Ariats give excellent protection in that
area. May not be the best choice for those limber enough to get off &
jog along (those days are way past for me). Don't know how they'll hold
up after a full season--but I've seen what hunter/jumper & eventers do to
their shoes around the barn, and they seem to hold up pretty well.
Stirrups--wide is GOOD. I like the Trail Tech III (plastic with medium
wide tread, spring mechanism and padding). These work for me but Kevin
hates them. He likes the kind that Roger Rittenhouse sells (can't
remember the brand). I'd like to try the wide platform variety made out
of black anodized aluminum but don't have a vendor. Anyone know which
type I'm referring to? If you need to work with standard English
stirrups, I found that wrapping a thin, flexible piece of foam around the
outside bar (or inside if that's the problem area) and securing with duct
tape works pretty well. Solves the toe, but not the sole fatigue problem.
Diane @ Safe Haven