03/02/2024
Why I ride in spurs….
There is some talk on SM at the moment about spurs, and I’ve certainly had plenty of comments from the alternative brigade, about how disgusting it is that a VET rides in spurs. So I thought I’d tap a few words about exactly why I think spurs are a useful aid, and why I think they should be here to stay.
Firstly, I absolutely don’t think that anyone inexperienced, or with a swinging or weak lower leg, should ride in spurs. You need to have a secure lower leg and a strong core, to be able to decide when and if you need to even use the spur. Those of us that are experienced at the higher levels, will actually rarely even make contact on the horse’s sides with our spurs. They are there purely to use as an extra aid if needed. So if anyone “non horsey” is reading this post, and wonders why we ride along digging bits of metal into our horses’ sides; we don’t.
I would much rather see a nudge from a spur, than a rider constantly banging their legs against their horse’s sides. There is nothing worse than seeing someone have to constantly nag with their heels. Tap, tap tap. The horse should respond to one light nudge with the heels, and move away from the rider’s leg when he feels that nudge. No pain. No niggling away at the horse. Obviously the “pony club kick” is a different matter, as a lightweight 8 or 9 year old kid won’t be doing much harm by “flapping”, but an adult rider constantly digging their heels into their horse’s sides, cannot be pleasant for the horse.
My ultimate aim is to get my horses so sharp off my leg, that I then don’t need spurs for dressage and show jumping. If I don’t achieve that, and they always need spurs, then I don’t beat myself up about it. However, I always ride in spurs when I go XC, especially at the higher levels. Why? Because the difference between your horse being in front or behind your leg at 3 or 4*, could be the difference between life and death, for both horse and rider. One split second of hesitation before taking off over a huge solid fence, can, and has, resulted in rotational falls. Again, we don’t dig our spurs into our horses’ sides for the entire 6-12 minutes, and we may not even use them at all, but they are there as a safety net if the horse drops slightly behind our leg, especially as he or she tires. This isn’t cruel; we aren’t kicking and beating them. We are fine tuning an elite athlete to prevent a fall or injury, or worse.
Do I believe spurs should be compulsory in dressage at any level? Absolutely not! It’s great news that riders at GP level can now choose to ditch their spurs, if they feel that their horse will remain sufficiently in front of the leg. As I said, my ultimate aim is to use spurs to get my own horses sufficiently sharp off my leg to be able to ditch them. BUT. My aim is only achieved if I don’t have to then constantly kick and nag with my legs. That’s not pleasant for anyone.
Do I think spurs should be banned? No. I think that would result in riders banging and crashing about on their horses’ sides as they try to get them in front of the leg. Again, I am 100% sure I’ll be hunted down yet again by the alternative brigade, for stating that I think spurs are a fairly essential training aid in teaching a horse to remain in front of the leg. If you don’t compete at a high level, or don’t compete at all, it can be quite tricky to appreciate just how sharp a horse needs to be off our leg aids. This isn’t being derogatory about anyone who doesn’t compete, but it’s a simple fact that unless you have felt a horse slightly back off a 1.20m solid fence, or a 1.50m coloured oxer, you will struggle to understand just how much you need your horse to respond quickly to your split second leg aid.
To conclude. I am allowed to ride in tack, use spurs and a whip in the correct way (as training aids), and use training aids such as draw reins, even though I am a vet. I ride huge, powerful competition horses, and they do need to listen and respect their 9 stone jockey. The amount of abuse I’ve received from the “alternative brigade” lately, has, quite frankly, been vile. If you want to simply enjoy hacking, and never put a bit in your horse’s mouth again, then that is absolutely, completely and utterly, fine! I won’t come and hound your pages because it’s not my area of expertise, and I just want to live my own life. I have horses to compete. Sorry if that offends people, but I have no issues whatsoever with horses being used, in a humane way, for sport. Ultimately, that is what the vast majority of horses are bred for. Just as cows mainly exist for us to eat, horses mainly exist to race, jump, or perform fancy dance moves. These horses receive the best of the best in terms of care, nutrition, etc etc. If we choose to use a training aid on them, in a humane way, then that does not mean I shouldn’t be a vet. I will continue to use spurs to ensure my horses are listening to me, for my own safety, as well as their safety.
Photo of Johnnie and I en route to double clear, Hartpury 3* Long, 2021. With my spurs on, but not in play.
