My previous stirrups were very flexible on the side, which at the time I thought was great. When I switched to these I thought they felt weird at first, but then realized how much more stable I was in the tack! Especially at the canter- my lower leg felt much more secure. I luckily haven't had an opportunity to test them out with a fall, but I feel safer in them, especially now that I am starting to jump. The metal tread was a turn off at first and I was worried it would scratch my saddle (it hasn't). They do collect some arena dirt but I find the brush on my hoof pick is perfect and it just takes a few seconds to clean them off before putting my tack away. Overall super happy. I got them in blue, which is a beautiful contrast on my black horse.