Spurs or no spurs?

[Mcgilly.rose]

Hi guys, spurs for a young horse who won’t move off the leg? Fine with going forwards but she gets confused when asked to move sideways off the leg. Thoughts? Would only ever use plastic spurs in the first place, unless convinced otherwise, as I don’t like the idea of spurs in the first place. Thanks in advance.

 

[moosea]

How young is the horse?
Have you tried working from the ground first, using your hand to replicate the leg aid for the movement?
I usually only wear spurs for more advanced horse to give a more direct aid.

 

[LEC]

If you think spurs are needed for moving off the leg then it means you don’t need them as the training hasn’t been done well enough. Spurs will just be a short term fix. My general rule is the horse should be sharp off the leg without spurs and then spurs get added for a bit of finesse/backup at a competition or a bit of training.
Training horses to be off the leg longitudinal or lateral is often a mind issue as it’s just a case of repetitive training which the rider is always sharp about.

 

[Goldenstar]

No I would not use spurs it won’t help .
The horse needs to be shown what free forward movement is in it needs as a start to walk when asked and then continue to walk actively until you ask something else .
This takes time you have to take time to teach it .
Mix this up for the horse at the beginning and it’s a hard thing to change .
I teach this using a long whip ( sometimes two ) I do it hacking with another horse up beside the horse every time the horse becomes inactive I use the whip(s) into an allowing or even loose hand you .
I am not using the leg to say forward at first it’s forwards on you own I am working for with a loose off the side leg .
I work on this until the horse gets that it has to walk freely on its own it can take six months to get this in the bag it’s a waste of time training until the horse gets this .
I tend to use six or so 45 minute ish hacks to work on this .
I consider this done when a horse will walk out round the hacks he knows without me ever having to correct lack of activity .
I do a version of this reversed for horses who are tense and rush where I work to get them walking calmly and relaxed round our most used rides .

 

[Leandy]

No, you need to teach the basic correct response to the aid first. Spurs aren't just for jabbing at them to provoke a reaction, they are for refining the precision of the aid to refine the work. Not sure what you are wanting to do with the horse but plastic spurs are not permitted for dressage under the BD rules. I think the concern is that they can break and become sharp.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I teach this using a long whip ( sometimes two ) I do it hacking with another horse up beside the horse every time the horse becomes inactive I use the whip(s) into an allowing or even loose hand you .

Can I ask @Goldenstar, what do you mean by the last part of that sentence? ‘I use the whips (s) into an allowing or even loose hand you’

My 5yo is really responsive to my leg when ‘she’ wants to be.. for instant, in an open field or jumping I just have to touch her. Hacking back past her friends or when she doesn’t want to go forward, she will totally ignore my leg. I back up with a short whip, she’ll zoom off, then repeats. Your approach sounds definitely worth a try..

 

[tristar]

i don`t like the idea of spurs either and have never used them

if she is young the first attempts at sideway i try to make fun, we fumble bend the wrong way, argue in a soft way, i take no notice, just make a few attempts at the end of a session, in no way serious, i try very hard to be relaxed about it, then i just have to laugh at how wrong it can go, but, i give lots of praise to effort, and within a few weeks they get it, then i can work on improving it over time

i do exactly what G S does, in the marching out walk thing, the good walk will fitten up the whole horse,

most of it is they do not understand, so patience is the key, do you do leg yield, i do leg yield as starters, away from the track few strides of straight then back to the track, i try not to allow wrong bend and from day one i am thinking baby half pass, it surprising once they get that in walk, used warming in up, how well they can perform it in trot and its quite loosening and straightening

and the riders hands and length of rein can affect results, some seen to like support some a longer softer freer contact to start with. you know you are getting somewhere when you feel the hind legs cross underneath you even for a couple of steps