Spurs - a few questions

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In dressage, when do you start to think about using spurs when riding?

My mare is usually in front of the leg, but sometimes can back off it a bit when I have worked her for more than one test and can become a bit stuck against the right leg (hence the problems we have experienced in counter canter). In my opinion she doesn't need them yet, but I have seen quite a few people wearing them even though their horses do not look as though the require them.

So, another question is, what type of spurs would best suit a sensitive skinned horse who also has thin skin so cuts and marks very easily? (they have to be BD legal though). I am asking because I will eventually start to use them with Grace, just not yet, although I would like to see what she thinks of them... you may never hear from me again though if I did
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Thanks,

Rebecca
 
Ive recently started riding mine in spurs, he didnt really need them as he reacts to my leg aids fine, but I find they give my tranisitions jump & they also mean I can be more subtle with my aids. However I only use them for every other schooling session, so we dont become dependant on them. I have noticed that my impulsion mark in tests has consistently increased from a 6 to an 8 in prelim, & a 6 to a 7 in novice. My horse has similar skin, so for everyday wear, I use plastic ones, which have quite a wide end as well; I would recommend them, as I havent knicked his skin yet!
 
Spurs are good when you have developed a stable lower leg and riding makes it feel like your legs have had a major work out!

For thin skinned consider using smooth rowels or implus spurs. The former are very good at rolling over the skin and don't mark like prince of wales types. Impuls spurs are also good, but could still make a thin skinned horse bald due to shape.
 
Spurs should really be used more for refining the aids, than for making a horse go forward. IMHO if your horse doesn't go forward from a leg aid, you should give it a second leg aid (a second chance) then on the third (ignored) leg aid, give it one smart tap behind the leg with your whip. When he/she springs forward, be careful to allow the rein and let him/her go, whilst praising them, even if you were in walk and they canter. This way you teach them to obey the aids.
Good luck
S
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You're probably seeing them on horses that don't look like they need them because the riders are confident in their ability to wear spurs without actually usining them for most of the time, perhaps only using them for the odd reminder (which is what you sound like you want to do with your horse - only use them when he backs off or hangs on the leg?)

Could you try some with your instructor and see how you get on, and make a decision from there?
 
GTs, what on earth are rowels?

Jemayni, thanks for that. I think maybe we could give them a go for the reasons you have stated. Her impulsion marks at the end are consistently 7s at the moment so trying out spurs may help towards getting those into the 8s. She can be a little flat sometimes towards the end of the test too and I find myself having to use quite big aids at this stage (usually at the end of the second test).

Can you use plastic ones in the tests themselves or do these have to be metal?
 
Virtual... Yes, you are probably right there about the other riders. I do not think Grace needs them all the time as she is very forwards from my leg aids (very rarely have to give her more than one reminder) but as I have just put in the above post, she does sometimes back off at the end of the second test and it is in these situations that I have thought about trying her in them. I used to use them on my other mare for Elementary classes as when we had to do the 10m canter circles she just needed a bit more jump in them that the spurs helped to encourage, I didn't really need them for any other areas of the test.

The ones I have marked my other mare who is not as fine as Grace (I think they are a little sharp in my opinion) so that is why I have not tried them on Grace yet. I would like to get some that will not make her bald or mark her at all.
 
Rowels are wheels on the end of the spur.

I think you can wear plastic ones in tests, I asked the woman at my local EC last time out & she said they were fine, I presume she is right as she is the goddess of the BD rulebook! so if Im wrong - blame her! I think you only have to use metal ones if your riding at advanced!
 
I saw a 9 year old kid riding in spurs at a BSJA comp on Sunday. I very nearly had an irate words with the organisers and parents.
 
I used spurs on my boy for the first time this weekend. He is quite lazy moving off the leg and if I use the whip to tap behind the leg about 30% of the time he puts in a buck - I don't want him doing this in a test and he is fairly frightened on the whip. He has obviously been ridden in spurs before as he immediately went in a nice outline (something I have been trying and trying very sweatily to get him to do
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). I ended up buying children's prince of wales spurs and just widening them slightly - they have a shank length of 15mm instead of the longer adult ones.

Can you borrow some first to have a try with?
 
try the impulse spurs. i have them and they have never ever marked they are very kind they roll instead of digging in, they are also quite forgiving if like me hadnt used spurs before and need to get used to it. my mare reacts very well to them and they only cost me £10 on ebay
 
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