Welcome to EN’s Product Review series! Who doesn’t love shopping, especially when the object of your search is new gear for yourself or your horse? As an enthusiast of all products equine, I LOVE trying out new gear. Please join me as I narrate my personal journey of trying out all of the products featured. While I will make no recommendations, I hope you have fun reading about my many adventures of trying new products, and that hearing about my personal experiences helps you on your own quest for new gear. Go Shopping.
But what's more, I love that they also sport my name along the outside, which is visible while my feet are in the irons. Photo by Lorraine Peachey.
Sometimes, the items that I use in everyday life can be a bit ordinary at times. A girl can only be surrounded by so many neutral tones. Which is why I personally try to infuse a pop of color into day to day life whenever I have the opportunity.
Since I’m an unofficial ‘queen of all things matchy matchy’, I don’t only like to add color into everyday life. I take it a step further, as I also like to use it as a way to color coordinate items. And the result? A polished and well put together look!
Let’s talk about riding apparel and gear, and by that I’m including everything that I’m wearing, and my horse is wearing. Adding color into the mix can be pretty simple, in certain ways. I can easily grab a colored top for me, and a bright colored saddle pad for my horse.
This kind of color coordination is pretty basic though. And as a ‘queen of all things matchy matchy’, I want to take my coordination to the next level. Which surprisingly enough, involves me bringing my tack into my realm of color coordination.
As I go to tack up one of my horses, I grab a pad and my saddle, which is equipped with all of basics: irons and leathers. Which irons and leathers don’t sound like they would be particularly exciting, both are oh so very important when I’m in the saddle.
There are many irons on the market today, available in different materials, styles and more. While I’m a bit focused on style, something that I won’t compromise on is function. Because a jazzed up stirrup iron might look great, but it must also support my performance in the saddle.
My pair of Jin Stirrup irons are red, which helps them to color coordinate with my apparel and gear. The red of the irons certainly lends an extra pop of color! Photo by Lorraine Peachey.
The stirrup irons that I’ve been happy to be riding in lately are a pair of Jin Stirrup irons. The first thing about Jin irons that caught my attention is the wide variety of colors that they are available in. Colored irons have always fascinated me, because they really look fantastic.
But I want my irons to be more than a pretty face. There are a couple of features that I want to see. First, I’m kind of obsessed with wide tread stirrups, as I feel like they give me a better base of support. Which helps make me feel more secure in the saddle.
In addition to the wide width, I also like the tread to provide a good amount of traction. A pair of irons with traction generally help to keep me from dropping my irons. Which also makes it an important feature for me, personally.
Jin Stirrup irons are visually appealing at first glance. The design is attractive, and I also like the subtle Jin Stirrup logo that graces the front of the irons. They are made out of certified sky high quality aluminum, each iron only weights about 3/4 of a pound.
The foot bed of Jin Stirrup irons provides a wide base of support, which certainly makes me happy. And as part of the wide base, the tread features a grated, diamond like pattern. Both the base and tread combine to provide support and traction.
Another really fun option that I simply adore, is the ability to personalize the irons. Jin Stirrup irons are 100% made in Italy, and when they are ordered directly from the manufacturer, having them personalized is an available option.
The wide tread of the Jin Stirrups help to provide my feet with a supportive base that continues to help me feel secure in the saddle. Photo by Lorraine Peachey
My pair of Jin Stirrups are red, which helps them to color coordinate with my apparel and gear. The red of the irons certainly lends an extra pop of color. But what’s more, I love that they sport my name along the outside, which is visible while my feet are in the irons.
I also want to point out that the color of Jin Stirrup irons is anodized, which helps to provide protection from corrosion. During all of the use that my irons, I haven’t seen any kind of effect or compromise to the color. It still looks as good as it did on day 1 of use.
Riding in Jin Stirrup irons has been a very lovely experience for me because they really do hit the features that are really important to me in a stirrup. The wide tread helps to provide my feet with a supportive base that continues to help me feel secure in the saddle.
I also find that the grated diamond tread of the base allows my feet to have a good amount of grip, which seems to reduce the number of times I lose my irons. And one of my favorite features is what I call the ‘landing strip’ on the back side.
On the rear of the irons, the tread angles downwards, which helps me when I’m going to pick up my irons. I also find that that extra angled bit of tread helps to give me a better grip when I’m flexing my feet while they are in the irons.
Another feature that I notice when riding in Jin Stirrup irons is their weight. Or shall I say, lack of weight. I personally like that the irons are lightweight, since they are crafted from aluminum. They also help make my saddle a little lighter when I carry it, which is a plus.
Jin Stirrup irons are available for purchase directly from the Jin Stirrup website. Irons are available in a 11 different colors on their website, which you can view here. A pair of irons retails for 147 Euros, which converts to just under $170.
You can learn more about the features of Jin Stirrup irons here, and irons are also available from select retailers in the United States.
Go Colorful & Functional Stirrup Irons. Go Jin Stirrups. Go Eventing.
