# Spurs - with experience and skill, is it just as easy to ride with/without them?



## horsecv (Jan 21, 2014)

I'm a beginner rider. Today I tried spurs for the first time and it feels like I'm cheating because it is so easy to get the horse to do what you want.

Without the spurs, I have to kick the horse just to get him to trot! Whereas, with the spurs, I feel like I can apply a slight pressure and he will canter!

My question is, with experience and skill, is it just as easy to ride a horse without spurs as it is with them?


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## Rideordie112 (Dec 7, 2013)

Spurs are not for making the horse go faster. They are for finesse, and refining things. In my personal opinion, beginners should not be allowed spurs for that very reason. That is not the proper way to use them, to re enforce leg, use a whip. 
When I ride with spurs I have complete control over them. And 95% of the time, I'm not even touching my horse with them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

With time and practice, you'll learn to really appreciate the refinement in communication a pair of spurs can give you. I barely touch my horse and he's moving, he's much more sensitive to the leg and aides than he was before I added spurs. Mind you, I rarely touch him with them anymore but it's nice for the time when he misses a cue. 

So, I guess the answer is yes and no. It gets easier and more subtle with, but not without, though you will develop your leg and set aides and learn to apply them properly and that alone will make your riding easier.


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## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

horsecv said:


> I'm a beginner rider.


That right there is the reason you should NOT under any circumstances use spurs. I have been riding for donkeys years and I am only just starting to use spurs for finesse. You never use them for speed or to give the horse a jab in the side. They are there to be used when you want the horse to move in a specific direction, say for lateral work. The horse will understand more easily which direction you want them to go in, rather than just a big old heel pushing them over. I suggest you whip those spurs off your boots right now,and give him a smack behind the saddle with a whip to get him moving.


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## jinxremoving (Apr 6, 2009)

horsecv said:


> I'm a beginner rider. Today I tried spurs for the first time and it feels like I'm cheating because it is so easy to get the horse to do what you want.
> 
> Without the spurs, I have to kick the horse just to get him to trot! Whereas, with the spurs, I feel like I can apply a slight pressure and he will canter!
> 
> My question is, with experience and skill, is it just as easy to ride a horse without spurs as it is with them?


If you're taking lessons with someone, I am shocked that they would let you wear spurs as a beginner rider. I wasn't allowed to wear them for well over a year and even now, I'm extremely careful on what horses I use them on and to what extent. (I use them mainly just for lateral work on certain horses that need an extra *nudge* if you will, but never for impulsion or make the horse go faster.)

Part of me wonders if you're asking for your cues properly or possibly sending mixed messages to the horse? We have a few beginner riders at our barn and some of them love to kick the school horses to ask for a trot or a canter, when it's totally unnecessary and a subtle - yet correct - aid is all that it would take for an experienced rider to perform.

My opinion, start doing a ton of no stirrup work and work the muscles outside of the barn. Do a lot of leg and calf strengthening, also work on your upper body as that is neglected so much. Also, watch other people ride the same lesson horses you ride... if they don't have to kick the horse into a transition then you definitely don't need to as well.


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## Ian McDonald (Aug 24, 2011)

Jinx is just old-school. I think he had to polish tack and clean stalls every day for ten years before being allowed to lead a horse, nevermind ride one. 

But yeah, spurs are okay so long as you know where your leg is. The better question might be, are your legs sensitive information-conveying aids or just a gas pedal? If they're just a gas pedal, it won't be long before you won't be able to ride that horse -without- the spur.


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

I don't think a lot of people who use spurs have enough control over their leg to even use the spurs. Let alone putting them on a beginner rider. Pretty soon you're going to have a dead sided horse. For impulsion use a whip, take off the spurs.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I have to agree with the above... Until you are able to get the horse to trot and canter without them, you really shouldn't be using spurs.

I ride in spurs with my gelding, and it took some practice to learn how to use your leg without using the spurs.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

You should always learn to ride without any extras, then you learn to used a crop, which you deliberately use. Spurs can stick the horse if you cannot control your leg, even the mild ones.
My lesson horses, which I owned, would move out if my student would pull a crop out just to use, bc they saw it in their peripheral vision and then responded. As was states above, spurs are for finesse. A horse that refuses to move needs more training and is dangerous to ride.
If you have to ask whether to use spurs, you are not ready.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

My mare would sometimes get a tad lazy and not respond like she should. The spurs went on, I'd touch them to her sides and then never had to use then as she listened a little better.


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

I too...am surprised that as a beginner, your instructor slapped on a pair of spurs. Spurs are NOT for go.....they are for high level refinement when you have paid your dues and have learned how to get a horse to "go" without them. Spurs require a STEADY leg and someone versed in using them, NOT for someone who can't get forward from a horse....a dressage whip at the leg helps for that, but once again.....not with a beginner.

I use spurs on my horse every time I ride, and he has a spur STOP....the EXACT opposite of go. The more lower leg and spur I use, the more his back rounds and hock drives depper, and the slower he'll go...and he WILL stop if I use a steady pressure with both spurs, stop on a dime.

Like I said...if someone can't get a horse to "go" without them...the rider needs to learn HOW to get forward from the horse by using their aids....seat and leg.


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

I had a horse once, and he was a really good horse, that I always had to ride with spurs. Never touched him with them, but he knew as long as they were there, he had to live up to his end of the bargain. One day, since I never did touch him with the spurs, I figured I didn’t need to wear them so away we went, I think we had to go and bring in a mob of steers for sale or something, anyway, whatever we were doing that horse handled like some clapped out old sh#$ box school bus. I rubbed the heels of my boots to the leather, the horses sides were all reddish coloured from the boot polish ground into his hair (he was buckskin so it showed) Cheeky little *******. Wouldn’t do anything, cut corners everywhere and turned as slow as a wet week. I rode him the next day, with the spurs, and was determined that if he put a foot wrong he was going to feel them too. He was perfect. Light as a feather and moved fast off my seat bone, never mind leg, much less spur. 
Some horses just know when they can get away with silliness, and when they can’t, and who they can get away with it and who they can’t. That horse you rode might just have been one of them. But like everyone else is saying, probably better off without them if you are a beginner.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm not keen on a beginner using spurs - it takes a while to train your legs and heels to stay in the right place and until you do can do that the risk of constantly jabbing your horse with them is too high
Riding a horse that's lazy is a really good opportunity to build up strength in your legs and seat
This is an English riding thread so I assume you were using spurs that looked like this?


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## horsecv (Jan 21, 2014)

Jaydee - yes. specifically prince of wales.


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## IndiesaurusRex (Feb 23, 2011)

Prince of Wales spurs may be blunt, but they still have the ability to *hurt*. As a beginner, I cannot imagine your leg is strong enough to not give the horse the occasional unintentional jab with your leg - I have been riding for 13 years now, and I still do it sometimes, and for that reason, I only wear spurs very occasionally.

OP, I notice you haven't really replied to the posts, and I'm sorry if they have disheartened you - none of these are meant to be offensive or saying you are a bad rider. I think the majority of the comments are in surprise that your instructor has told you to wear them - you are the student, and as a beginner, expected to do as you are told.

Enjoy your lessons!


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## horsecv (Jan 21, 2014)

IndiesaurusRex said:


> Prince of Wales spurs may be blunt, but they still have the ability to *hurt*. As a beginner, I cannot imagine your leg is strong enough to not give the horse the occasional unintentional jab with your leg - I have been riding for 13 years now, and I still do it sometimes, and for that reason, I only wear spurs very occasionally.
> 
> OP, I notice you haven't really replied to the posts, and I'm sorry if they have disheartened you - none of these are meant to be offensive or saying you are a bad rider. I think the majority of the comments are in surprise that your instructor has told you to wear them - you are the student, and as a beginner, expected to do as you are told.
> 
> Enjoy your lessons!


Right. My instructor wants me to wear them so I'll wear them. Not much for me to do at this point I guess. 

I was just wondering if an experienced rider could communicate with the same level of detail and precision to a horse without spurs. Seems like the answer is no, so I guess I will have to learn this on the fly.


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

horsecv said:


> Right. My instructor wants me to wear them so I'll wear them. Not much for me to do at this point I guess.
> 
> I was just wondering if an experienced rider could communicate with the same level of detail and precision to a horse without spurs. Seems like the answer is no, so I guess I will have to learn this on the fly.


 Well, it’s not quite that straight forwards. You do need to have a bit of experience to know how to use spurs effectively, an experienced rider should be able to do this, and conversely not inadvertently use them by accident. When you are just learning there is a danger that you could engage the spurs wrongly and at times when you shouldn’t be doing so. 
For an experienced rider it’s not that they can’t ride the horse as well without spurs in spite of their experience, its more that they may well generally get a horse trained better with them. It’s kind of like this (in my experience anyway): Not all horses will need to have spurs used on them, some never do, those that do, without the spurs they may either not progress the way they should, or, like my old horse in my post above, get lazy. As long as I had the spurs on he went really well and was a good cow horse; and I literally never had to go near him with a spur even though I had them on my feet. He felt them once or twice while I was in the earlier stages of training him and he knew what they were and what they were for. Use them right a time or two when needed and chances are you won’t ever need to use them again, though you may always need to wear them. 
On the other hand another of the horse I had at the time was every bit as good as him, they used to outdo each other every other day, but I never had to wear spurs on that horse, never while I was training him nor when he was a good going work horse, he just never needed them. Now however, whenever I train horses, I tend to have them on as a kind of default position, or as a backup; my attitude has become that it’s better to have them on and never use them than need them and not have them no. But again, the primary point here is that one can wear them and not need them if the horse goes alright without them.
You have to judge from the horse how you might use spurs, but I guess the point people are trying to get across is that you need to know how to use them in the first place. If your instructor is telling you to wear them he/she probably knows something about the horse that you don’t yet, and is probably confident that he/she can teach you to use them properly without abusing the horse. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, don’t be scared of the spurs and just pay attention to what your instructor is telling you (if they start telling you to gouge the horse’s sides with the spurs, then you might start to worry).


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## IndiesaurusRex (Feb 23, 2011)

horsecv said:


> Right. My instructor wants me to wear them so I'll wear them. Not much for me to do at this point I guess.
> 
> I was just wondering if an experienced rider could communicate with the same level of detail and precision to a horse without spurs. Seems like the answer is no, so I guess I will have to learn this on the fly.


I hope you don't feel attacked by this thread, I think people are just trying to point out the potential for this to go wrong. Even our very own Prince Harry was pulled up on cruelty charges after these pictures showed up on the web, and he is someone who is an experienced rider and polo player, and has ridden since he was a child, and yet still these accidents happen. As you can see, it looks to be a fairly deep puncture wound.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I would imagine that the trainer has the situation well under control if they want you to use the spurs so you can only trust in their judgment on this one
As you become a more experienced rider you will learn how to ride with more energy and your legs will become a lot stronger
Maybe wearing the spurs will actually make you more self aware of your leg position
I will add that I worked in a riding school at one time and some of the beginner horses almost needed a cattle prod to get them active never mind spurs - its what makes them safe but it doesn't make for easy riding when you get to the stage when you need them to 'go' so you can progress


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## Valentina (Jul 27, 2009)

Spurs should ONLY be used by experienced riders - so if rider can't get horse forward without them they need to become a better rider before using them.

Use a whip for forward, spurs are for lateral (sideways) work. Spurs, with a "not so good" rider maens the rider could inadvertantly be "hitting" horses sides with the spurs when they don't want to. So horse (initially) speeds up/goes sideways, rider pulls back, horse get totally confused. 

Eventuially horse get ****ed off and no matter how hard rider kicks/spurs horse they don't get much of a reaction.

See post of "horse dead to leg" (this forum) for details on how to get the horse to better listen to a request for forward WITHOUT spurs.


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