spurs...

[prince&me]

my mate Jess owns a horse called spot who is a cross breed.
my horse became cheeky at jumping and i had problems controling him.
my mate said i should give up trying to control him by patience and i should buy spurs my dad who has been working with prince hates spurs and has been using other methods to help (all have failed).
i have not thought that much of spurs and i dont know how my palomino will react
spot was once extremly bad but since Jess got spurs he annswers perfectly to the lightest touch.
should i buy spurs or should i keep to my normal methods?

[Manda]

Obviously if you are having problems, you need to change your methods. I would ask a trainer about spurs before you use them, because you have to have to have a good leg position and make sure you aren't jabbing your horse with them all the time. Before you try something that could potentially be dangerous (if your horse reacts badly) I would ask a trainer.

[Skip_n_Hide]

I agree with Manda... get advice from your instructor... they will be happy to help! :D

[DixieGirl]

You should get a trainer. Or what worked for me was a crop. Also you can lounge him in a round pin and make him respect the whip and go from there.
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~Horses leave hoofprints on my Heart~

[DressageDoll]

Spurs help SOMETIMES but you might find it more helpful to teach your horse to to be more respectful of your aids. Do this by schooling flat work more, really work on your leg yields and shoulder ins (lateral work) because this will help your horse learn to take more cues from your legs when moving towards the jumps and give you more control. The answer to the problem is not always a new tool, but maybe a change in training. If your horse does not respond correctly to your legs it sounds more like their are holes in the training, then the horses problem. And while the spurs may be helpful in some situations I would suggest attempting a couple days attempting flat work and if you feel he is not leg yielding off your leg or slightly dead to your leg then go with spurs and continue with flat work until you feel fully satisfied he is taking his cues from your aids. Then start putting him over fences again, taking time to school lateral work between sets of jumps so he remains more focused on your aids and not only on thinking of ways to evade. Stuff like this will help your horse become more consistent and better trained.

[saddleseatsweetie]

spurs are onyl good when used properly
make sure ur spurs are only touching them when u want them too
i ahve to use spurs on my horse becuas ehe requires a lot of leg wiht what we do and ym legs alone just didnt cut it

[prince&me]

i dont think ill use them. as i went to a yard were they were using them and they had a couple of palominos wich were used with spurs and one had the same prob as my horse and its flanks were arte messed up and i know it might not turn out like that but it really grosed me out that when he finished the lessons that his sides were slightly bleeding and needed sponing down.
i know its not that bad but im really babyish about pain and i dont want to depend on others to clean him up after i ride.
thankies foe all the info though!!!

[Nalu]

Hi, I don't think spurs would be the way to go. One other poster suggested ground work...YES! What you really need is to work one-on-one with your horse and gain respect. Remember that you & your horse have to work as one unit. You can get a trainer to help you out. With another person there they can make sure that the issue is NOT with you. Many times a horse has issues because of its rider. So slow down and take more time with your horse & please do not resort to spurs...it takes a well trained person to use them & they can do more harm then good on the wrong feet.

[Fells_4_ever]

Spurs are fine if all esle has failed. As long as you know how to use them correctly then there isn't usually any problems. All horses are different tho.