Spurs - for competing?

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sloulou

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Hi competition experts
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I need your advice... took my horse to our first gymnastic jumping clinic with John Jacks on Saturday - and we did ok in places - but not so ok in others
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Anyway - I was advised to get a larger pair of spurs
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as bless him, my boy is one of those slightly backward thinking beasties..

So - having not competed for a long time - I wondered which type / length would be best - that I could safely use for jumping / dressage competitions. The idea is that we aim towards affiliated comps - but realistically am thinking unaff. for this year!

The ones I currently have are tiny... and don't use them all the time - just for jumping really...

Any suggestions
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I have spurs ranging from 1.5cm to 3 cm's...have a look on Horse Hero, there is a newly added video regarding spurs!

I have long legs, and find that for a spur to be really effective, I need to ride in the longer ones for dressage. For jumping when my sturrups are hitched up, I can get away with the smaller ones.

JB xx
 
They are - I use 3cm ball ended spurs for my dressage fellow. I don't like sharp ended spurs as they mark!!

Will occasionally use a 3cm large rowel, but they are only legal for BD as RC & BSJA don't like more interesting spurs

I have rollerball and smaller spurs for the more forward going beastie!

ETS: Should I be concerned that I have 7 pairs of spurs???
 
For training I always use very small spurs, or none.
For competing, sometimes and on some horses, I use larger spurs.
It depends on the horse, and what I notice when competing; some horses can get quite tense with large spurs.
My only suggestion is to try, and see what’s best for your horse.
 
I have roller ball spurs for at home and use a small approx 1cm sharper spur at competitions. Mine is Chestnut and has v thin skin though hence the roller balls - but I would say I don't get quite as good a response from them!
 
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I have always been taught that spurs are for refining the aids, not for making a horse go faster!! Thats dressage for you I guess!

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Well I would say it counts as refining the aids if you can use a light touch of a spur rather than a heffing great pony club kick to get a response!
 
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I have always been taught that spurs are for refining the aids, not for making a horse go faster!! Thats dressage for you I guess!

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PMSL - I knew someone would say something like that
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I guess it depends on the horse/ rider /whole picture and in an ideal world it would just be for refining the aids...

You do realise how patronising that sentence sounds?!
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have always been taught that spurs are for refining the aids, not for making a horse go faster!! Thats dressage for you I guess!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I would say it counts as refining the aids if you can use a light touch of a spur rather than a heffing great pony club kick to get a response!

[/ QUOTE ]

You see that is my thinking too - I have always been taught that is better to use spurs lightly rather than deaden my horse's sides. I also school him with two schooling whips (and no spurs) because I'd rather flick with the schooling whips thasn keep nagging at his sides - and it does work for that
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But can't be having two schooling whips for jumping - doesn't work for me..

I guess is the same as people saying you shouldn't use strong bits - would rather use a strong bit than haul their mouth off with a snaffle..

each to their own tho
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So sorry if it sounds patronising, but I get sick of seeing people riding in spurs to make their horses go, when they can't control their lower leg, and only apply the spur when its needed. Laziness is generally a schooling issue, that is often best addressed by correcting straightness, and getting a horse switched on through transitions etc. I am fully aware that there are exceptions to every rule, but in an ideal world I reckon people would address their schooling problems through correct work, rather than a 'quick fix' of putting a stronger bit in a horse's mouth, or wearing spurs
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