MagicMelon
Well-Known Member
Umm why do you think you "need" to have spurs for competition? Absolutely you dont!
Electrified spurs !
- Thread starter Gingerwitch
- Start date
Umm why do you think you "need" to have spurs for competition? Absolutely you dont!
stormox
Well-Known Member
Nothing wrong with spurs. They are there to refine your aids, to make them more precise. A light touch rather than the whole leg/heel. they aren't for digging in to a horse that wont go. A 'pony club kick' can be far harsher than a gentle touch with a spur. A kind rider with spurs is far nicer for the horse than an insensitive rider without.
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
depends on the competition, they are indeed mandated for some (FEI dressage springs to mind, though you can use dummy spurs then).
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
I have just introduced my ex racer to spurs for this exact reason. He is starting all his lateral work now and I'd rather give him a small aid with the spur to increase his understanding if necessary, than bang away on his sides.
Cortez
Tough but Fair
Spurs are a requirement for FEI competition. They are not the evil instruments of torture you seem to think they are, in fact quite the opposite as they refine the aids to a mere whisper for advanced work. Of course spurs can be used roughly, like any other piece of kit.
onemoretime
Well-Known Member
haha I dont think they are wired to the mains, probably some sort of battery system but I have no idea really and have never seen anything remotely like it. He should be banned.
SissyTheEvil
Active Member
Well. At least here in Finland if you compete in dressage, spurs are needed. I was writing down notes for a judge, points were taken when rider had no spurs. They could be tiny, but they had to be. Thought it was same rule every where.
TPO
Well-Known Member
Spurs should be used for refinement; not for "forward".
The american rider used the "jigger" at a barrel racing competition. According to social media she was notorious and banned from other venues.
I think "jiggers" are used, illegally, on the racetrack in America. If anything is deemed to give an edge you can bet it'll be used behind closed doors worldwide.
Humans never fail to sink even lower
The american rider used the "jigger" at a barrel racing competition. According to social media she was notorious and banned from other venues.
I think "jiggers" are used, illegally, on the racetrack in America. If anything is deemed to give an edge you can bet it'll be used behind closed doors worldwide.
Humans never fail to sink even lower
Gingerwitch
Well-Known Member
From the appalling clip with the jigger I just cannot see what was trying to be achieved. The horse was going backwards ! We also need to consider that horses have a much lower tolerance to electricity, having 4 points of contact with the ground. Do you remember the tragic case of the racehorses in the paddock, a couple died and from what I heard the survivors were never the same. The handlers had no idea their was an issue. I believe it was due to a live cable underground.
Tally05
Active Member
Not that I agree with these electrified spurs and it seems they are designed to shock.. but from seeing the dog collar types you can have them at a setting that is actually a vibrate feeling rather than a painful shock, I'm wondering if that ever gets used for dressage behind the scenes?
tristar
Well-Known Member
tristar
Well-Known Member
tristar
Well-Known Member
well done the rider without spurs
tristar
Well-Known Member
why would you need to bang away on his sides,? sounds awful, surely the skilled trained can do lateral work without that
tristar
Well-Known Member
thank you my thoughts exactly, we have a rescue, he went through hell,, we are so protective of him
TPO
Well-Known Member
Bang??
You need to surround yourself with and/or go an watch skilled, sympathetic riders.
Ad an aside I've watched loads of vids in here and FB of milliepops riding and I can assure you there is no "banging".
Spurs used correctly refine the aid. Refinement means less not more
tristar
Well-Known Member
stuff the fei, its the horses that need the protection, from bad riding and the fei who don`t uphold their own rules
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
well I can see a way to use spurs in a light way that make them a useful training aid rather than a cruel invention to be jettisoned so I guess we're approaching things from a different perspective. if a horse doesn't understand a blunt leg aid because it is learning something new, but understands a light use of the spur, then I would rather one touch with the spur than repeated and confusing blunt aids.
tristar
Well-Known Member
greenbean10
Well-Known Member
I think that's highly likely. There is some horrible stuff that goes on behind the scenes in every discipline. It’s my view that a huge number of riders at higher level don’t give a monkeys about their horses.
Cortez
Tough but Fair
What have you got against spurs Tristar? Have you ever been taught how they work?
TPO
Well-Known Member
Maybe take some time to educate yourself
tristar
Well-Known Member
i just go forwards, sideways, backwards, and everywhere else, without them always have
i think its seeing people ride with them that don`t look good anyway, to my personal eye, top comp riders etc, sometimes i don`t like the way their horse go and wonder what contribution , forced training, over training, tight nosebands, dominating riding, ugly performances, winched in ?necks, when you can clearly see the horses are better than the riders and given the chance would show beautiful work, where is the art in all this?, i want to see art and beauty, and horses performing with joy expressing their natural pleasure and opening up their paces and physical potential, , who has the patience? ,but that takes years, i want to see horses working into old age, sound and happy and giving pleasure to learners, being able to teach the npvice and being treasured just because they are horses and for no other reason
tristar
Well-Known Member
TPO
Well-Known Member
Well I know the correct use of spurs so I'm a notch ahead of you there ?
tristar
Well-Known Member
you`ve been around a lot, seen a lot, why do you think the fei are so lax,?
tristar
Well-Known Member
are you quite sure about that ,? i would never assume i was ahead of anyone else, that`s not what its about for me, but thank you for your interest
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
so is the issue that some people mis-use them?
there are plenty more people that mis-use their snaffle bit and heels of their jodhpur boots, day after day all across the country. everyone should aspire to be fair to their horse in training but I don't think that the perceived actions of some mean that no one should have access to training aids or equipment that many people find useful and horses do not suffer from.
It's all very well picking holes in the performance of other people. the horses might well be better than the riders but I would say that most people are trying to be the best that they can be and I'd guess that most would describe themselves as a work in progress. if we go down the route of demanding utter perfection for the good of the horse, IMO it ends up in the rabbit hole that riding horses full stop is not ethical and no matter how much of a wonderful rider you are, you just shouldn't be doing it.
there are plenty more people that mis-use their snaffle bit and heels of their jodhpur boots, day after day all across the country. everyone should aspire to be fair to their horse in training but I don't think that the perceived actions of some mean that no one should have access to training aids or equipment that many people find useful and horses do not suffer from.
It's all very well picking holes in the performance of other people. the horses might well be better than the riders but I would say that most people are trying to be the best that they can be and I'd guess that most would describe themselves as a work in progress. if we go down the route of demanding utter perfection for the good of the horse, IMO it ends up in the rabbit hole that riding horses full stop is not ethical and no matter how much of a wonderful rider you are, you just shouldn't be doing it.
tristar
Well-Known Member
so many people are able to see it for what it is at times, surprisingly people who don`t ride, the good is very good, but the bad is so obvious
Last edited:
scats
Well-Known Member
The only time I’ve really winced watching someone ride in spurs was a young rider who had a very lazy pony, but she was actually kicking it with the spurs on. Horrible to watch.
Mostly I see them used correctly, as a refinement to the leg aid or a tool used lightly to get a forward motion, rather than the rider having to rely on using a huge amount of leg, which in itself is not particularly pleasant for the animal.
No doubt there are a lot of people out there using spurs incorrectly, but the same can be said for whips, bits, leg...
Mostly I see them used correctly, as a refinement to the leg aid or a tool used lightly to get a forward motion, rather than the rider having to rely on using a huge amount of leg, which in itself is not particularly pleasant for the animal.
No doubt there are a lot of people out there using spurs incorrectly, but the same can be said for whips, bits, leg...