My instructor is gone for a few weeks so I thought I’d ask COTH my question: How much spur should I be using?
My horse is lazy and isn’t super reactive to the spur either. I always give a squeeze and then spur. When I spur it’s quick turn out then back in. When he ignores my leg I usually give him a very nice poke, usually enough for him to pick himself off and get in a forward trot (asked from a walk and wanting a trot) and sometimes he swishes his tail. I usually let him trot for a minute then bring him back down and try again. Sometimes he moves off the leg, sometimes I need the spur.
I guess the reason I’m second guessing myself is I have to poke pretty hard to get even that, I don’t want to do it too light and him not respect the aid, learning to ignore it but I also don’t want to hurt him. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I would back it up with a stick. You’re right - you don’t want to be poking holes in his sides with spurs, he’ll just get duller. Do exactly what you’re doing, but if he doesn’t listen to a medium amount of spur, tap him with a stick behind the tack. Repeat, only using the stick when he doesn’t trot forward when you ask. Most horses lighten up to your leg after just a handful of transitions 
In a situation where a horse was frequently just ignoring my leg, I would use a crop or dressage whip to get my point across rather than spurs.
OnDeck: Thanks! I think that will probably do the trick.
hj0519: My instructor has asked me to start working with spurs, so I can use my whip sometimes but we need to be able to use the spurs too. Thanks though
My horse is a “pot smoker” according to my Dressage coach because he’s so lazy and just wants to like, chill and go slow man.
I was a nagger. Almost every step, nag nag nag with my leg/spur. With my second lesson with my dressage coach, she took away my beloved spurs. We started with the walk – his laziest gate. She wanted him in a forward marching walk. I would press with my leg for him to walk forward and he was like “wait man, what? Nah, you’re not serious.” She then said “kick him.” So I kicked him and he sped up for about 2 steps and then back to being a slug. She said “Keep kicking him every time he slows down. Be quick with it. He is to keep the pace UNTIL YOU TELL HIM OTHERWISE.” He finally got the message; if my leg touches his side, you better go forward. She asked me to pat him if he really marched forward from my leg or even trotted.
I still don’t use spurs. Instead, I carry a small crop for when he is having a hissy fit and is giving me the middle finger to the leg.
If a horse gives a “less than” response to a leg aid three or four times, use what you’ve got with enough oomph that he jumps forward a step or two.
By jumps I mean JUMPS.
A couple of those and he’ll be yes ma’aming the leg muuuuuch better.
It can also help to change the character of your leg aid. Don’t just drone on with the same press, press, preeessss. A canter depart aid is a brief “press and hold.” A sharper aid that reinforces more would be a single sharp “box him with your calf” -thise leg aid should be sharp and quick like a “Hey!” For example, if on one stride he ignores a polite request to step away from the inside leg, next stride should be a “Hey!” leg aid. A double-tap (“HEY HEY!” -like clapping) is the next escalation.
Changing the character of your leg aid gives you a more diverse and progressive set of aids to work with. Depending on HOW lazy his answer was you can either remind with a single reinforcement or a sharp double-tap, etc. If you develop a sharper, more insistent language than the same old press press press all the time he’ll get a lot sharper himself.
And don’t be afraid to have him jump up in the air a little. Wake his @$$ up!
No reaction to the spur, back it up with a tap of the whip. It worked well on my lazy WB, he now knows how to move forward!
[QUOTE=Zenyatta;7649671]
No reaction to the spur, back it up with a tap of the whip. It worked well on my lazy WB, he now knows how to move forward![/QUOTE]
Agree, if they don’t respond to the spur, immediate application of the dressage whip (in schooling) rather than just bigger or more spur.
I have a lazy mare as well, everyone at my barn calls her a dumb blood since she is literally dumb to the leg at times.
It took my almost 3 years but I have ditched the dressage whip, wear the spurs but only use spurs if I ask twice and get nothing. And it is just enough to get a good hop forward.
If my mare is sluggish, I go for a gallop on the long sides, bring it back to a canter on short, back and forth a few times, then if I need more, I do a couple halt to canter transitions. She knows every aid and is sensitive but she is smart and likes to treat me like a kidlet packer pony if she doesn’t think I mean business that day.
This is usually more than enough to get her brain working and thinking FORWARD.
I never thought spurs were for forward anyways?
Ask lightly with leg.
one more time
WHIP give and go
Ask again lightly
repeat
This is more on the rider to train the reaction. Horse can’t be allowed to be lazy. 99% of these problems are rider based and much of this is understanding how forward feels and not settle for the horse getting sticky and behind the leg. Consistency wins. Its day in and day out.
This is not about pressure, its about timing of reaction and making sure your horse gave a really honest 200% response. DO NOT SETTLE.
Elastic elbows are huge in making horses want to move out.
Good luck!
[QUOTE=cuatx55;7649862]
I never thought spurs were for forward anyways?
Ask lightly with leg.
one more time
WHIP give and go
Ask again lightly
repeat
This is more on the rider to train the reaction. Horse can’t be allowed to be lazy. 99% of these problems are rider based and much of this is understanding how forward feels and not settle for the horse getting sticky and behind the leg. Consistency wins. Its day in and day out.
This is not about pressure, its about timing of reaction and making sure your horse gave a really honest 200% response. DO NOT SETTLE.
Elastic elbows are huge in making horses want to move out.
Good luck![/QUOTE]
This. If you are using your leg and there is no response–and you must use the spur every time–your horse is dull. You need to use a stick, correctly applied just behind the leg, after you squeeze just enough that he should move off your leg.
Yeah i thought spurs were for reinforcing bending or refining more advanced lateral or collecting moves - was always taught to use stick reinforcement for getting horse forward in front of leg, not spur. Same method you are using, only with the stick replacing spur.
Not a problem with my OTTB lol.
Thanks everyone! I did carry my dressage whip although I didn’t have to use it but once or twice. He moved off a lot quicker and more often off just my leg. I think the insane heat might have had something to do with it yesterday. Thanks again!
leg, spur, whip is what I do. If I use the spur too hard, up he goes in the air! Whip never causes that reaction.
Good advice here Be sure that you’re not giving conflicting information to him by being stiff in your back or arms/elbows while you’re asking, as well.
