Lift or Go? Pick the tool for the job
Today as I was toodling around on my horse
commiserating to myself how hot it is and how I didn't
particularly want to 'go' myself, I recalled a
particularly hot night years ago teaching a student who was
wearing spurs.
When I was learning to ride, I was told you were only allowed to wear spurs when
your teacher 'graduated' you to this honor and in my head I
was wondering who exactly had told this rider to be wearing
spurs. Because if I knew, I'd be putting a little
ticky mark next to that instructor's name. So I asked "When did you start wearing
spurs and what was the reason for it?"
The answer I got was "Pretty much as soon as I
got this horse. (their *first* horse, after a couple months
of lessons.) It wouldn't go, so
the instructor told me to wear spurs." As I watched the legs
flailing around even more. Yep. Ticky mark to the instructor.
So here's my two cents on this:
You shouldn't be wearing spurs until you can reliably
keep your leg quietly on the horse with the heel away from
the side of the horse. (If you know me, you know I
don't use that word should very often. This is one of those
times. If you can't keep your leg quiet, you really shouldn't be
wearing spurs.)
If you want your horse to go, you need to use your whip
-- judiciously. You ask the horse to go and see if it goes.
If it doesn't you ask again and follow it up with a tap of the whip
behind your leg. (This is because you are closing the door behind
the horse.) It's also important to review what you're doing
to ask the horse to go! If you've asked badly and then gotten on
the horse about it, the horse will lose respect for you and 'the horse
doesn't go' will be the tip of the iceberg.
If you want your horse to lift, you use the spurs.
Again, you're asking the horse to move away from the closed door.
In this case the closed door is under them. And there are a lot of
ways to get lift without using spurs. Theoretically, spurs are not
needed until you start with piaffe or passage -- and if you've done your
homework well, you might not need them even then.
Spurs will not make a horse go forward. If you have a busy
leg, they will eventually become noise and your horse will tune you out
and loose respect for you.
This isn't to say 'never wear spurs' or 'never use spurs.'
Spurs are part of the equestrian toolkit and an educated equestrian uses
their tools in an educated way. Quiet legs can wear spurs and
use them when they are meant to be used. The goal is to develop
quiet legs and use equipment in a benficial way.
I learned a little bit about spurs on a trip to Switzerland. As I was assigned my horse the lady
casually reached behind her, grabbed a pair of spurs, and handed them to
me. I was shocked. I'd just walked in and pretty much said,
"I've been on a horse a few times and can ride
ok." And without batting an eye she gave me the name of a
horse and a pair of spurs with insanely long necks on them and little
rounded knobs at the end. While continuing to chat up the person in the office with her. (Eek)
Getting on this fellow was a bit like climbing a small mountain.
Even their mounting block wasn't much help. This horse was
massive. But I managed to haul myself on top. Nosebleed territory.
He was a dream! No spurs required. My initial dread of
being on something roughly twice the size of any of my horses quickly
morphed into total delight. I was in heaven! (At the end of
the lesson, the instructor apologized for not being able to teach me
anything. Apparently they did hear me say "I've been on a
horse a few times and can ride ok" and the teacher they gave me was
the one who got the newbies. My lesson was basically a walk, trot, canter class. I was like, who cares! riding
this horse was more than enough. He was what every school master
should be.)
What I learned, though, even if she didn't realize it, was that a
longer spur is safer. When my leg did want to roll, the side of
the spur informed me quickly, before my leg could roll hardly at all,
and helped to keep my heel away from the horse.
For this reason, I recommend long necked spurs with
knobs.
A lot of folks recommend the short necked spurs. The problem
with the short ones is that they don't give enough feedback for riders
to know their leg is out of place and the little stobs end up banging
into the horses' sides without their riders even knowing they're doing
it. If they are not round, they will also be sharp. (and
banging....)
This is one of those counter-intuitive things. You think the
long neck means a heavier acting spur, only it's not. The longer
neck gives better feedback and helps to develop an even quieter
leg. AND spurs are not for go.
Whips are for Go. Spurs are for Lift.
|