| When you begin to train a horse, you will use your | | | | hands full staying on! |
| natural aids of hands, voice, weight and legs. Besides | | | | Spurs are attached to the back of the heels of your |
| those tools, you may find the use of artificial aids | | | | boots and come in various sizes and shapes. The spur |
| beneficial when trying to communicate and train a | | | | is a metal protrusion that extends directly behind your |
| horse. Although technically, the saddle and bridle and | | | | heel. When you use your lower leg on the horse's side, |
| other tack like a martingale could be included in this | | | | the horse will feel the added, sharper feeling of the |
| category, generally speaking, "artificial aids" most | | | | spur, creating further encouragement to move |
| commonly refers to crops and spurs. | | | | forward. Remember that when you train a horse you |
| A crop is basically a whip that varies in length from | | | | are teaching him to move away from pressure, |
| being rather short, like a two-foot long bat, to rather | | | | whether that is pressure from the bit or from your |
| long six-foot lunge whip. The whip is used to help | | | | legs. In this case, the spur is a punctuation mark, |
| encourage the horse forward, that is why it is called an | | | | stronger pressure that is motivation to move forward. |
| "aid". Crops are NOT for the purpose of injuring or | | | | You must be very careful wearing spurs when you |
| punishing a horse. Too often riders over use a crop | | | | train a horse. Horses who have been mistreated by a |
| and either scare or intimidate the horse, which makes | | | | previous rider using spurs may over react to the feel |
| matters worse. Of course, you want the horse to be | | | | and take off with you. Also, if you forget that you |
| respectful of the crop, otherwise, it would do no good | | | | have on spurs and use your legs carelessly, you may |
| at all because they would ignore it! But with that said, it | | | | find yourself unprepared, with a scared or frightened |
| is not a tool for punishment when you train a horse. | | | | horse, trying to escape the sensation by running away, |
| Think of it, rather, as an extension of your arm, giving | | | | kicking or bucking. |
| you greater power to communicate. | | | | Often riders will wrap their metal spurs with some sort |
| Often the shorter crops have wide, flat leather ends | | | | of bandaging to soften the effect of the spur. Then, |
| that create a slapping noise when it is used on the | | | | the spur is sharper than your blunt heel, but not as |
| horse's shoulder. That noise is usually enough for the | | | | sharp as the metal would be otherwise. |
| horse to come to attention and move forward as you | | | | English spurs are usually slender, blunt on the ends and |
| are asking. Always be careful if you decide to carry a | | | | are strapped on your heel and fastened around your |
| crop. Some horses may have had a previous rider | | | | boot across the top with a leather strap. |
| who abused them with a crop and their reaction will be | | | | Western spurs are usually larger and heavier and |
| to get away from it! With most horses, merely carrying | | | | often have rowels. A rowel is a notched disk that can |
| the crop is sufficient encouragement to move on. | | | | spin around on the end of the protrusion. These can be |
| If you decide to carry a crop after you have already | | | | sharp or blunt, depending on the style. Obviously, if |
| mounted, have your assistant slowly walk to you | | | | misused they could create a great deal of damage to |
| carrying the crop vertically at her side and then slowly | | | | a horse's flesh. You rarely see these used and only |
| raise the crop up to your hands. It would be a big | | | | experienced horsemen who understand how to use |
| mistake to walk briskly toward the horse with the crop | | | | the aid properly should use them when they train a |
| clearly visible or moving in any significant way. That | | | | horse. |
| would intimidate the horse and you might have your | | | | |