Might have to ride in spurs..

[BlizzardBudd]

ok so iut might not seem that much of a big deal for some people , but i have never had to ride in spurs and dont know what to do with them..
the owner of a horse i am riding wants him to be schooled in them as it will make it easier for me and my 'little' legs.
does anyone have any tips for me?
i WILL be getting help from someone else at the yard till i get used to riding with them on too.. so i will be told if i am doing anything wrong
thankyouu

 

[Snowysadude]

I would just tell the owner your not confident in them to be honest - if you are not used to them how guilty would you feel if you accidentally marked the horse or if the horse reacts badly to them? x

 

[Elbie]

I would say try him without first!

Our loan horse was always ridden by his owners in spurs and they had him 8 years. We never rode him in them and he was fine, could be a bit sharper but generally ok.

I used them for the first time out hacking and didn't find them hard to get on with. I now hack out in them if i'm alone as he is hard enough to get out the yard as it is and there are scary cows round the corner. Spurs giving him a gentle poke to ask him to walk means he tends to listen to me more.

 

[BlizzardBudd]

I would just tell the owner your not confident in them to be honest - if you are not used to them how guilty would you feel if you accidentally marked the horse or if the horse reacts badly to them? x

i did tell her that, i just thinks she wants to make it easier for me as he isnt very responsve without them and he's been schooled in them for years. x

I would say try him without first!

Our loan horse was always ridden by his owners in spurs and they had him 8 years. We never rode him in them and he was fine, could be a bit sharper but generally ok.

I used them for the first time out hacking and didn't find them hard to get on with. I now hack out in them if i'm alone as he is hard enough to get out the yard as it is and there are scary cows round the corner. Spurs giving him a gentle poke to ask him to walk means he tends to listen to me more.

thank you

 

[unbalanced]

When you're riding without them think about which part of your leg you're using to give different aids (e.g. for a transition, lengthen stride, move hindquarters over, leg yield etc) and whether you're using your calf, the inside of your ankle or whether your using your heel.
I ride my mare in spurs and she is very sensitive so the deal we have is 'don't MAKE me use the spur!' Ideally I should be able to ask whatever I'm asking using my weight or seatbone or voice and if not the signal travels down my leg through my calf and ankle and eventually to the spur. There is nothing automatic about using the spur every time I put my leg on.
Personally I find they are very useful for lateral work but not very useful for getting more 'go'. A schooling whip is better if you need more impulsion.

 

[JessnGeorge]

Try the Mark Todd roller ball spurs, they are much kinder (bascially a stainless steel ball within a holder). And forget you have them on ie aids as normal and don't turn heels in. UNLESS you don't have a secure seat when they could do more harm than good and perhaps look at an alternative, perhaps a schooling whip if a back up to normal aids are needed

 

[BlizzardBudd]

Try the Mark Todd roller ball spurs, they are much kinder (bascially a stainless steel ball within a holder). And forget you have them on ie aids as normal and don't turn heels in. UNLESS you don't have a secure seat when they could do more harm than good and perhaps look at an alternative, perhaps a schooling whip if a back up to normal aids are needed

ok i saw some of those and might give them a try. i use a schooling whip aswell, but he doesnt listen to it anymore

 

[LaurenBay]

I haven't ridden in spurs for about 3 years now! The last time I had to use them was with a share Horse, he was a serious napper, not because he was unconfident though, he was just stubborn. He could nap for England, so when hacking I would ride with spurs, I didn't mind him playing up in fields etc but when he decides to plant himself, spin and buck in the middle of the road I would use the spurs. As soon as I applied them he would move forward and he would get a pat.

So my only advice is, make sure you are very aware of your heels. Make sure you apply them and release when needed. Don't nag with them.

I would be tempted to try without first so you can get an idea on the Horse.

 

[ABC]

You'll be fine, she wouldnt have suggested them if she thought you'd hurt the horse in anyway

Just like others said, don't keep your leg on as much, as you don't want him becoming unresponsive to spurs too (then you really are buggered )

 

[Tickles]

If horse isn't responsive to being hit with a whip then jabbing it in the side with bits of metal perhaps isn't the best thing to try to get at the route cause.

Can you look at
- variety of work (take it for a good blast/jump it/whatever)
- natural build and paces of horse (i.e. are you expecting a cart horse to act like a blooded animal?)
- diet/general health?

I expect the first will be one of the best things.

 

[Elbie]

ok i saw some of those and might give them a try. i use a schooling whip aswell, but he doesnt listen to it anymore

As i've said our horse isn't too bad, just a bit sluggish in the school and he does sometimes ignore a flick of the schooling whip. Our instructor gave us this tip:

Work on a 20m circle with a trotting pole at X (so you go over it as you can round on the circle). Walk up to it, sit still and do not nag with your leg. Ask for trot just before you get to the pole. If your horse does not trot its an instant leg, tap with the schooling whip and loud voice! Come back to walk and repeat. Our horse learnt very quickly! He doesn't remember every time but doing that little exercise helps him for the rest of the lesson. Using a pole is good as there is always a constant point you are asking - as opposed to using the letters it can be a bit hit and miss when you are asking for a transition.

 

[nikCscott]

I ride in spurs everyday as my horse does a handstand if you so much as touch him with the whip. I ride in short spurs which only really touch him when i really want them too - only usually when he feels like he's going to nap.

When i started wearing them (in the olden days) i had lessons in them- is this something you could do?

The rollers look good as long as you ride correctly with you feet straight, if you're inclined to turn your toes out they are quite big and end up pushing straight in I over heard a lady at a show ages ago talking about her humane spurs,
but unfortunately the way she rode in them didn't look humane to me.

Id say try them - you sound like you'll be aware of them so are not going to be causing any damage and if you don't get on with them take them off.

Good luck

 

[BlizzardBudd]

I ride in spurs everyday as my horse does a handstand if you so much as touch him with the whip. I ride in short spurs which only really touch him when i really want them too - only usually when he feels like he's going to nap.

When i started wearing them (in the olden days) i had lessons in them- is this something you could do?

The rollers look good as long as you ride correctly with you feet straight, if you're inclined to turn your toes out they are quite big and end up pushing straight in I over heard a lady at a show ages ago talking about her humane spurs,
but unfortunately the way she rode in them didn't look humane to me.

Id say try them - you sound like you'll be aware of them so are not going to be causing any damage and if you don't get on with them take them off.

Good luck

yeah i will take them off and if i even feel like i'm not using them properly or aanything like that i will take them straight off

thank you everyone!!