Spurs? God help me!

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HayleyUK

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I need some help, I've never bought/used spurs before today, but in my lesson my trainer said she needed to be sharper off my leg and spurs would mean i struggle less..

I apparently need some short rounded ones.

Do they have a special name?
Are these type dressage legal for unaffiliated?

Help!
Bewildered and confused!
 
Prince of wales spurs are the most common short and rounded ones. You'd probably need a 15mm pair.

Spurs are dressage legal as long as they point downwards. I wear mine at unaffiliated level, and they're 40mm beasts!
 
Thanks for that
smile.gif


I rode today in a pair of spurs, I think they were POW ones... but quite long :/
 
You can wear any spurs that do not have a rowel on them for dressage. Of course for unaffiliated they may have their own rules or they may just state in the entry details "rules as per BD"

If your leg is independent, and you are capable of sitting on the horse in any pace, even in a spook, whilst doing anything you like with each leg, such as sticking one out, swinging them about, rotating your ankles, (perhaps try this whilst someone has you on the longe) then you can safely wear them.

You must be capable of wearing the spur and NOT touching it onto the horse unless you really want to. So your leg has to be normally toes forward and you ask for forward with your ankle bone area, as per normal, then when you don't get a response having asked, then "poke" with the spur.

Look at a range of spurs and choose whichever one you like. It is supposed to be milder and easier to use a short one, but you have to stick your toes out that much more to poke the horse that way! I use a longer one, prob about an inch and a half, it's so easy to touch the horse with. The mildness of the spur is debatable, the large lump on the end will bruise, the sharp spiky ones will cut, I think a smaller end is more effective and therefore kinder in the long run than banging about and bruising the horse.

Any spur can give marks, bruises, rub their skin off, or cut and make them bleed. be aware of this. Just be aware of how independent your legs are.
 
Trainer says I'm fine to ride in them
smile.gif
So Im not over concerned.

Basically, they are there to touch her with, not stab or kick etc so she moves off the leg quicker.

I want the kindest I can get :/
 
http://www.classicdressage.com/acatalog/Spurs.html and page down once.

Out of these I would go for 2 or 4 (but that's just my personal choice,) if I were buying my first pair, simply because it would take less pressure and poke, than a bobble one to get a reaction, thus gaining a stiller seat/aid etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating stab/kick at all! I am advocating do less to get more! So with a nce leg, which of course your trainer says you have, then you have the ability to give a small aid. With a larger bobble ended spur you'd need more pressure to get the horse to feel it wouldn't you? It stands to reason...
 
no idea... apparently they stop spur rub marks which is why I bought them but then my girl stopped getting the marks with my plain ball ended ones so never actually took them out of the packet.
 
I use big beastie dressage spurs with pastry cutter rowels as I think it is better to use your leg once and get a response than to jab, jab, jab away with a rounded spur and not get a reaction from your horse. My horse is never marked either despite being fine skinned - I would be worried if he was!
 
I rode in POW ones today and literally just touched her with them and she went forward.

Shes tense with a stick and stressy but not sharp enough without one.
Bloody mare!
 
I ride in the POW spurs because they're slightly squared off at the ends. The round ended ones didn't really have any effect with my girl.
 
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