By JESSICA SHANNON
Freejump’s air vests and stirrups are synonymous with safety. Their products are approved and used in all arenas, including the hunters, where they are becoming more and more popular.
The company is proud of their innovative designs for safety equipment while being leaders in the industry of safety technology in equestrian sports. As more and more riders are seeking ways to be safer in the saddle, Freejump provides advanced technology, beloved by professionals and many amateurs who proudly protect themselves with their highly regulated safety products.
Freejump was founded in 2001 in Bordeaux, France. Their headquarters remains in Bordeaux with a subsidiary in Montréal and an office opening in Miami, FL, by the end 2024, allowing them to focus on the hunter market after decades of success in eventing and jumpers.
The company’s dragonfly logo symbolizes freedom and lightness, but it also represents the incredible technology behind a dragonfly’s flight capabilities—and Freejump’s products. Dragonflies have a unique ability to hover, fly backwards, and quickly alter their direction as needed. Freejump’s motto, Advanced Riding Experience, is fully lived out from design, to testing, to the arena.
Born and Bred in Bordeaux
Known as innovative safety experts, Freejump’s home in Bordeaux has in-house testing, paddocks, and a jump arena between their offices, and additional spaces staffed by Butet, CWD, and Devoucoux. Horses are also stabled underneath their offices, and their herd is ready to join their human teammates in testing products. Freejump currently employs 35 people, including 5 engineers who are constantly improving upon their current line while creating and testing new products, including 12 new products in production.
Freejump’s stirrups, airvests, and helmets are created, built, tested, and assembled in France. Many other companies have products built and assembled in countries far from their headquarters, limiting quality control. Freejump is able to view every part of the process. “We understand the product, because every stage of it is ours,” says Damien Aurenche, Freejump’s sales and marketing director.
Stirrup Safety in the Hunter Ring and Beyond
Many hunter riders are putting safety above tradition. With Freejump’s product line, that classic hunter look can still be achieved while protecting yourself and your horse. Aurenche says, “Hunters don’t need to continue using lower-developed products as a sacrifice for traditional looks. Hunters and dressage riders will benefit a lot if they evolve like the eventing and jumper disciplines have.” Freejump invented what is now recognized as a safety stirrup, and they remain the leader of the technical stirrup.
Their stirrups may be associated with the jumper ring, but they have been approved by USEF for use in the hunters since 2013. Julie Taglang, who is Freejump’s Director of Operations North America and based in Montréal, notes that Jimmy Torano rides in Freejumps’s stirrups. She says, “Our classic stirrup puts the rider’s leg in the ideal position for hunters.” Their Soft’Up Classic +, Air’Pure, and Air’S Stirrups are approved for the hunter ring.
Their original technical stirrup, released in 2005, was an L shape with a magnetic attachment keeping the foot in place. Due to the shape, a rider would be easily released from the stirrup in the event of the fall. The 2nd generation of the stirrups were reinforced with the full triangle, which has more even weight distribution, and they are unbreakable. Top riders report that they love the comfort of Freejump’s stirrups. Riders tend to refer to these stirrups as “safety stirrups,” but Freejump’s stirrups are so much more.
The safety aspect of their stirrups is a bonus, and that feature is only needed if a rider falls. Their real feature, however, is shock absorption. With regular stirrups, the horse and your joints absorb all force and weight. The higher the jump, the more weight the rider puts on the stirrup. Shock absorption holds that weight to relieve your joints and the horse’s back. All of Freejump’s stirrups absorb 30% of the shock, and Freejump is the only company who can stand by this claim with confidence.
Freejump’s stirrups have a single-branch spring steel design that acts as a suspension. Their testing hypothesizes that a 65kg (143lb) rider who rides their horse for an hour, 5 times per week, and averaging 30 jumps per week, will put about 230,000 joules (the equivalent of a 40 mph car crash) of pressure on the stirrups and, therefore, the horse’s back and rider’s joints. Freejump’s Soft’Up Pro+ stirrup, for example, reduces that impact by two thirds, compared to a traditional stirrup. That comes out to reducing the pressure on the horse by 76,000 tonnes from 228,000 tonnes per year with a traditional stirrup. The AIR’S line of stirrups look more traditional and are built with an elastomer and mechanical system with the same incredible shock absorption.
Freejump’s new stirrups have even more shock absorption. The safety features of their stirrups are a by-product that riders will be grateful for if they fall. For all other rides, riders can have peace of mind that they are protecting their horses by reducing the pressure on their horse’s back. Given the variety of models, these stirrups can be used to protect horses in all disciplines.
Matching Tradition with Safety in Air Vest Innovation
Freejump created their own air vest and they own their own technology and service the product themselves. Once the Miami office opens, Freejump will be able to do any necessary service work on a rider’s air vest Stateside. While the US location can relieve some anxiety about having maintenance done closer to home, Freejump has also made adjustments to ensure riders of all disciplines feel comfortable competing in them.
Some hunter riders may remain concerned about what judges may think about air vests, but Taglang says that “Looking traditional and wearing an air vest is not an issue on the East Coast.” Air vests are more and more popular in the equitation ring, too, and they were seen at both Capital Challenge and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, including on medal final winner JJ Torano and many others. To ease any worries related to the traditional hunter look, Freejump began sewing their dragonfly logo onto their vests in black thread instead of white, making it virtually impossible to see the vest over a black hunt coat from a distance.
Freejump launched their first air vest in February 2020 and released their 2nd generation with their own materials and technology in June 2021. The latter was the first air vest to pass NF S72-800:2022 safety standards, the only official standards for equestrian air vests. Their vests do not simply meet safety regulations but also protect against impacts along the spine. The vests fully inflate in less than 1/10 of a second. Their vests are comfortable and worn by top riders in all rings. Children as small as 55lbs, for instance, can wear a Freejump air vest. Israeli showjumper Ashlee Bond protects herself in Freejump’s airvest, as well as with their new helmet.
Heads Up
Freejump’s most recent innovation is their helmet, which will hit the US market in January 2025 and is already seen in other parts of the world. Their helmet is the only equestrian helmet to protect the temporal area, which is a standard protection in ski and motorcycle helmets. “The temporal area is the softest part of the head and worst part to hit,” says Aurenche. Freejump’s helmet looks beautiful while also offering protection on a crucial part of a person’s head.
Their helmets are are ASTM approved, and Virginia Tech has already given them 4 stars and ranked them 13th on their latest helmet test ranking. Freejump’s helmet might be significantly higher on the list, but Virginia Tech’s study does not test the temporal area.
The helmet is constructed with multiple layers. The outer shell consists of a carbon fiber which has layers of high tech, interwoven fibers. These fibers allow for the highest impact resistance. The in-molding is a sheet of polycarbonate that is molded over the shell, adding a protective barrier between the outer shell and EPS shell. The EPS shell is an absorbent, low-density EPS foam. Without the outer shell, Freejump’s helmet would resemble the looks and protection of a bike helmet, which have high safety standards. Their new helmet will also soon have an optional feature of an intercom in the helmet that gives the rider the ability to communicate with their grooms, students, and coaches safely without having the added safety risk of using a cell phone while in the saddle.
This helmet’s unique ability to protect the temporal area is innovative and tested in their labs in Bordeaux. Freejump tested the helmet with resistance tests. Their helmet responded by allowing shockwaves to spread over a larger surface area. The temporal area is the most fragile part of the skull, and their technology reduces the risk of concussion in this area. Impact on the temporal area can be catastrophic and Freejump’s helmet is the most advanced helmet on the market.
“Our job is to change minds,” says Aurenche. He and Taglang agree that riders are caring less about tradition and more about their own safety, and riders of all disciplines are becoming more open-minded about trying different products that protect themselves in all horse sports. Adds Aurenche, “Freejump is a trailblazer for these stirrups and air vests, and now helmets.”
