Your thoughts on spurs please

H

Hugo10

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Dec 26, 2007
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Hi,

My horse is very lazy in the school but I hate nagging him with my legs all the time to get him going forward! I've tried riding with a croup However, as my hands are the weakest part of my riding (I struggle to keep a contact and they sometimes move around too much) I really struggle to hold one :eek:

Last year I brought a small pair of spurs thinking that they might help wake him up and get him working at a better pace (there have a very small 'nub' rather than the longer ones that you get) but I'm a bit scared to try them.

Should I give them a go and do you think they might help?
 
i see spurs as being a clarification of leg aids.
if your horse is lazy then do more transitions to really wake him up, dont do more than 5 strides without a transition or doing something different. you have to get him thinking forward to go forward, really open out his paces, maybe send his canter into more of a gallop down the long side and try and collect him on the short sides
i personally really dont like spurs, but that is due to having seen many people doing pony club kicks wearing sharp spurs :mad:
 
I have used them on a very dead sided pony to re-educate him, then taken them off again.

He had never really understood leg at all. Once he had things refnied in his head, he didn't need them again.
 
Spurs aren't my favorite either, but once in awhile I ride a horse that just doesn't listen to my leg without them.

I think a lot of horses prefer simple, direct signals instead of constant nagging. If you feel like it takes all of the leg strength you have to get your horse moving, you might want to try spurs. Most lazy horses I’ve ridden have adapted fairly well to spurs. At the very least it won’t hurt to try, and can often be much more humane and effective than lots of kicking. One quick little poke is usually all it takes and then you can worry more about your riding and less about kicking your horse into upward transitions.
 
thanks for the replies.
I know what you mean sugarlump about transitions but the problem that I have with him that that he is so lazy at times that it's hard to get him to change pace at all. it's like he can almost switch himself off to my legs :confused:
 
I can see the logic of using spurs but i personally would never use them myself

p.s Wally that youtube move Frances posted do you still have a sheltie

coloured with- white all over with light brown spots?
 
I'd say the same as the others.....I'd rather give a horse a quick poke with the spurs rather than constantly booting in the ribs to no avail. Then again they are very very often misused.

I'd never use them personally, because I have no confidence that my lower leg will behave itself. How is your lower leg Hugo10?
 
palmerlover52 said:
I'd say the same as the others.....I'd rather give a horse a quick poke with the spurs rather than constantly booting in the ribs to no avail. Then again they are very very often misused.

I'd never use them personally, because I have no confidence that my lower leg will behave itself. How is your lower leg Hugo10?
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My lower legs are pretty good. One of my troubles though is when I TRY and ask for canter my upper body goes to pot bacuse I have to use SOOO much legs to try and get him going and I kind of lose balance and end up leaning forward. So I'm thinking that if he responded well to spurs maybe my transitions would be better?
 
You should only wear spurs if your lower leg really is under control. In any case, I wouldn't use them on a horse that didn't understand / ignored the leg aids - they're for refinement not volume! E.g. double bridle + spurs = refined riding. Jabbing lazy horse with spurs = nasty.
 
JamesJackson said:
You should only wear spurs if your lower leg really is under control. In any case, I wouldn't use them on a horse that didn't understand / ignored the leg aids - they're for refinement not volume! E.g. double bridle + spurs = refined riding. Jabbing lazy horse with spurs = nasty.
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i have never 'jabbed' my horse with my spurs !
 
Do you have lessons at all? If you do decide to go down the spur route I'd recommend doing so under watchful eye of instructor.

I'd never used them previously but my lad is lazy off the leg in walk so our dressage RI insisted I use them instead of the nudge nudge kick nudge to keep him moving actively forwards. Worked a treat!! I dont ride with them all the time, but do find that when I'm schooling without he can tend to lean/fall into my inside leg on corners, which he wouldn't do with spurs.

Just seen post by JamesJackson and would add that my horse isn't lazy through other transitions/paces, it was just getting him to walk out that was the problem. Instead of keep kicking, once we'd learnt how to use spurs he was strutting off with the lightest touch, and I didn't have to nag him.
 
Sticky's GF said:
but do find that when I'm schooling without he can tend to lean/fall into my inside leg on corners, which he wouldn't do with spurs.

My horse does exactly this :rolleyes:

I haven't had a lesson since March but I am having on this Saturday. My RI is always saying 'wake him up' and 'you need to push him forward'. She would like me to ride with a whip as it keeps him going, but she also gets on at me about my hands, which are so much worse if I carry a whip with me . . . .I can't win :confused:
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Yeah I know, so many things to think about!! Best you chat with yr RI and see what she thinks. He/she may have another opinion on it entirely - whereas my RI actually carries spurs with her!!
 
if used correctly i.e as a reinforcement then spurs have their place, I have used them on my TB and my sharer uses them when schooling him.

Certainly better than constant nagging but make sure you know how to use them properly
 
JamesJackson said:
You should only wear spurs if your lower leg really is under control. In any case, I wouldn't use them on a horse that didn't understand / ignored the leg aids - they're for refinement not volume! E.g. double bridle + spurs = refined riding. Jabbing lazy horse with spurs = nasty.
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100% with you on this, JamesJackson! Hugo, if you are having troubles in any way with your balance (and if you have hand problems, you have balance problems) - spurs are not the answer. Spurs are for refinement, not extra power.

I think your horse is "lazy" because you are in his way. If your balance is uncertain, the horse feels this and a either slows down or speeds up - they try to get in tune with your rhythm. I'm afraid I think you need to work on your own balance and consistency with the aids, not on extra volume.

Perhaps look for another instructor who will take another approach? Perhaps one with Centered Riding or Englightened Equitation type focus? It's incredible what small adjustments to the rider's position make to the horse - and it needs someone who can analyse the whole situation by seeing you to find the best way. Picking up on the falling into the inside leg problem, I'd try putting more weight on the outside stirrup and moving your upper body to the outside. The horse follows the centre of gravity of the rider - if you tip to the inside, the horse tips to the inside. By putting a spur on - you put it between "a rock and a hard place" - by shifting the weight, you make straightening up the comfortable and logical thing to do.

I fear it's quite terrifying how many problems are rider based rather than horse based - and if we can find the right way to work on ourselves, the changes in the horse are wonderful! ;)
 
JamesJackson said:
You should only wear spurs if your lower leg really is under control. In any case, I wouldn't use them on a horse that didn't understand / ignored the leg aids - they're for refinement not volume! E.g. double bridle + spurs = refined riding. Jabbing lazy horse with spurs = nasty.
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Would have to agree-shouldn't be used unless the rider really has good leg control-nasty!
 
I personally don't use them, but don't exactly have good experiences of them after watching local shows with young children hammering them into defenceless ponies sides to do chase-me-charlie :rolleyes:
Each to their own though, I think they are acceptable in capable hands, and if they serve a purpose. I would not use them to move a 'lazy' horse, but as a refined leg aid.
 
i dont really like them, when used correctly then they can be useful. however, you say that you cant keep a contact correctly and so maybe your position has some faults and the horse maybe accidently digging the horse. even the best showjumpers do it when they jump.

i would try to get csome lessons on your position and aids to see if this helps the horses way of going before trying spurs.
 
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