Which spurs and type of horse?

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MissJessica

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This only relates to flatwork schooling, not jumping or hacking.

In the last 12 months I have worked very hard to improve our flat work, regular schooling at home working on feedback from lessons and competing, but I have to confess my leg is becoming loud :o( not loud LOUD but I am such a concious rider so it feels loud to me, its never a kick but we start out light and lively with my leg and after 30 mins I then have to tap, tap, TAP?! Hello? I am up here? I feel like I am then carrying him not the other way around.

I use a schooling whip at home to tap, light and lively with my leg then tap with the whip if I am ignored, I have two issues with this when competing.
1) I then have to reorganise my hands when I am in a test, I feel tapping with the whip affects my contact then I have to get organised again.
2) can be a spooky monkey therefore strides out when we first arrive in the warm up, warming up well and in front of my leg then seemingly switches off when we change arenas to do out dressage test, so should I warm up without then grab my whip before I go in...?

I must add he is clever and that he is fit, he regularly does hill work, canter work and showjumps weekly, executing beautiful walk to canters without a whip or a more than one simple tap of my leg in sight.

Considering spurs as I can control my leg and I am disciplined and concious about using spurs. I feel a bit like he is ruling me with this.
 
If you wish to try them, possibly start of with roller ball spurs as they can be quite mild. That is what I use and found it made a nice difference in sharpening up the aids.
Roller_Spur.jpg
 
Get rid of the stick permanently. it is a total distraction unless you are one of the one in a million totally brilliant riders. Loose the fuc+++ A well aimed spur is much better,bit it must be well aimed and your leg must be good
 
Definitely recommend the spurs. My coach once said to me (classical dressage focus) that I am better to use spurs than just my leg as we are a)more accurate and b)less 'niggly' with the spurs. I have a tendency to have a relatively 'loud' leg on my more than backwards thinking horse, but with a spur it's leg on and GO. I don't get after her as much and I am actually less likely to rub her.

Be careful that he doesn't become dead to the spurs too - you need to learn to take your leg off after asking, and if he doesn't respond, two sharp taps of the spur and schooling whip behind your leg, let him go. Point 11 in the article here talks to what I'm getting at http://www.horseandrideruk.com/article.php?id=2798
 
My sister only rides in spurs when competing, she feels like it gives her an extra bit of oomph in the test.

I would practice changing arenas during schooling if possible so he gets used to the idea a bit more, and realises he still has to work in the second one.
 
I have the little stubby blunt spurs for my pony as, like you, I find carrying a schooling whip effective in backing up my aids but not brilliant when I'm trying to keep a consistent contact. I don't use them all the time but pop them on now and again as a reminder. I'm finding the better he gets the less I need them, but they are useful backup! The big thing for me has been learning leg on to ask him to do something, then leg off and let it drape quietly whilst he gets on with it!
 
I'v found what works with my horse (who like yours is spooky but switches off) is to use my schooling whip for the 1st 10-15 minutes. make sure he is well in front of my leg 1st and foremost, before dropping my stick. I do use short roller ball spurs intermittently but find he is very sensitive to these and he becomes tense so I don't like to use them all the time.
 
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