Spurs

[AnnaPK]

Im wondering wether spurs would be suitable for me and my horse.
my horse (17hh Anglo European) is not fresh or forward and it takes a few taps with my leg to get him to move on. Often in the canter ect when i want him to pick up the pace i find my heel coming up and because of this my toe pointing down which obviously isnt ideal im wondering if a light extension of the leg is what i need or not…

 

[splashgirl45]

If you don’t have full control of your leg positioning then no don’t use spurs.. you need to work at getting him obedient to your leg signal at the slower paces and then it should be easy in canter . A schooling whip is quite useful, ask for increase in pace and if he ignores the first nudge a little flick with the whip behind the leg should give him the idea. A little flick and not anything harder, you are not punishing but encouraging him to move forward with a light leg aid .. do you have lessons as a trainer should be able to help you with this

 

[catkin]

Only an instructor who can see you both can really answer this.
There are a number of schooling exercises that can help too depending upon what you as a partnership need.
I know how frustrating it can be as I have a pony who can tend to 'down tools' at times, we use many different exercises depending on what he's telling me at the time. A good instructor who 'gets' (and likes) my pony has been instrumental in sorting this.

 

[ycbm]

It takes a few taps with my leg to get him to move on.

This seems to be your primary problem.

If he doesn't respond to the first request with your legs, tap him with a long schooling whip on his bum.

If he doesn't respond to that give him as sharp a tap with the whip as is needed to make him react.

Trust me, you won't need to do it more than a few times, he'll soon work out it will be easier to move off when you ask him nicely.

Of course only if you are sure he is sound and well.

In the canter if you use the inside of your calves to press to ask for more, not your heel, then your legs can stay wrapped down round him.

 

[blitznbobs]

If you are losing balance ( which is why legs tend to creep up, ) then make sure that you are not giving mixed signals… so often horses not going forward is because when they do the rider a) doesn’t really mean it and b) pulls them up either because they don’t like the forward movement or they are holding their balance with their hands, a good instructor will help with both of these issues and be able to tell if spurs would help but not going off the leg is a training issue tbh… spurs are for refinement of aid and shouldn’t be sued if you can’t keep your legs still.

eta a ‘few taps‘ is the wrong way to train forward. One squeeze then back up with whip or i quite like a legs of saddle clap (the noise causes a reaction) continuing to give the same signal over and over makes the horse not react to the first tap… you need to ask, back up and reward … once you get the desired result, reward is sitting quiet and not signalling anything at all.

 

[AnnaPK]

Yes me and my instructor are working on how fast his reaction is but km not sure wether spurs are for me

 

[Glitter's fun]

"Louder" commands isn't the answer. You need to train him to listen out for "quieter" ones. - so no to spurs (and especially not if your feet aren't always exactly where you want them to be). Spurs are for refining the messages between a rider and horse that are both experts and both already have the leg aids fully sorted. For example in dressage.

As has been said, also work to remove anything that may be stopping him going forwards, such as strong hands or leaning forwards or poor balance.

When I took my new share this spring he was "slow and nappy". He was in a very tight flash that no one seemed to remember why he had ever needed. It was just on him when he arrived. Removing that made a big difference, & then I've been training him with squeeze-clicking noise with my tongue-whip. Didn't take him long to realise the click meant "whip coming".
(ETA He is still very slow with his owner but it is because he stops whenever the rider leans forwards. Owner is a complete beginner who bought him to take lessons on, so understandably is still dealing with balance issues.)

 

[Glitter's fun]

From an article in HHO
“Often, riders who have developed a habit of kicking with every stride have desensitised the horse to the leg aid. This bad habit needs correcting before spurs are used; nor should spurs be seen as a solution to a horse that has become ‘lazy’ moving forward because of this habit,” .
‘Used wrongly, spurs are very detrimental to a horse’s training’
Full article here

Which are the best spurs for dressage? - Horse & Hound

Thinking of using spurs during dressage training or competition? Here’s what you need to know when choosing the best ones for you

www.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[Birker2020]

This seems to be your primary problem.

If he doesn't respond to the first request with your legs, tap him with a long schooling whip on his bum.

If he doesn't respond to that give him as sharp a tap with the whip as is needed to make him react.

Trust me, you won't need to do it more than a few times, he'll soon work out it will be easier to move off when you ask him nicely.

Of course only if you are sure he is sound and well.

In the canter if you use the inside of your calves to press to ask for more, not your heel, then your legs can stay wrapped down round him.

I echo above.
But make sure you are ready to go forwards with your hands when he moves forward.
If he shoots forward and you are caught off balance and catch him in the mouth it will difficult for him to trust you again.