just wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on jumping with spurs on a hot horse? The mare I’ve been riding is quite sensitive to the leg and it only takes a couple pokes with even my round small spurs and she’s in a fizzy mood for the entire jumping lesson. I don’t need spurs to make her go forward she is very responsive to my leg. I have never really had a horse I didn’t wear spurs with in case I needed them, but in this case I’m debating not putting them on at all to keep her in a quieter attitude for jumping. My trainer however is very set in her ways where we all jump/show with spurs and a whip, better to have them and not need them than need and not have, which makes sense, but this mare just gets so hot with even a light touch of a very round blunt spur. I carry a whip but have never had to use it. I’m not even sure if I got into a situation where a a spur would be helpful - if it would help with her because it just makes her angry and scrunchy, but she is quite happy to move forward with just a squeeze of the legs and a cluck.
This is tough because you are at odds with your trainer and we can have no idea if your horse’s response is as good as you think it is or your trainer thinks it could be better without seeing any video. Trainer might be right and you are barn blind, can do better or maybe just leg is enough. Not really so simple not knowing you and the horse.
Theres a real trap many fall into thinking the horse is sensitive when the reality is it’s saying no and rider lacks the skill to press the issue it doesn’t realize anything needs to be improved. Correct flatwork and lots of itincluding extension, collection and basic laterals fixes much of that teaching the horse to accept all aids and respond correctly. And are you truly leg to hand or does trainer see the need for more consistent leg?
Do you have any continuing issues like getting excited and rushing fences, not having a confirmed lead change or not finding distances? It’s all related.
No, not everybody needs spurs but you can easily wear them without using them if you are a strong enough rider to strap them on in the first place and it’s the trainers policy everybody wears them in her barn.
Sounds like you’ve answered your own question.
Spurs = angry and scrunchy mare.
Why make a horse unhappy when it’s clearly not needed?
To be more clear we have no issues with proper flatwork, she is very responsive forward, laterally, she will counter canter easily no issues with lead changes, we are very confidently jumping around the 1.15s. And really kind of just curious about everyone’s thoughts as it occurred to me taking the spurs right off never popped into my head as an option lol
My trainer was the same way, BUT we worked up to being able to wear spurs. Carried a crop first, or dressage whip if horse was really lazy and rider had weak leg. Rider’s leg had to be strong/educated enough without spurs first, then allowed to wear them. You should be able to use your leg without using the spur, even when it’s on all the time. It sounds like you’re inadvertently poking her with the spur? In which case, I would ride without them and work on stabilizing leg, so you are eventually able to have spurs on and only using them meaningfully. A more educated leg may work to get mare less hot/irritated also.
So, no, spurs are not always necessary, but a rider can have them on and not in use. Or take them off, if you can’t control when you use them, when you put your leg on.
Hard to answer without knowing you, the trainer, and the horse 
But I will share my story. I have an OTTB who has carried me through the 1.50m/FEI jumpers. My guy has a heart of freaking gold. He will jump any fence, any time, at any place, with no question or hesitation. If he stops (which he’s done a grand total of maybe 3 times in the last 12 years of showing), it’s because he literally believes that he is saving my dumb ass life.
I carried a whip on him for a long time, because I believe that you should always ride with a whip. But the reality was that if I touched him with it, it melted him down. So then I carried it because I thought that he needed to learn to be ridden with a whip.
It was really never a major issue, but on a whim I dropped the whip at the back gate 4 or 5 years ago and walked into my first class sans whip. It made a big difference in his focus. From that point on, I have never carried a whip while riding him at a show.
Do I believe that you should always have a whip? Yup. Do I ride all (well, most) of my other horses with a whip or crop in hand? Yup. Does this individual horse need one? Nope.
You (presumably) know your horse the best. And while I do ride every horse with spurs (my TB never minded those), if I had one that just couldn’t handle them? I’d ride without.
Now with that being said, I still ride my guy with a whip every day at home. In fact, I use the whip fairly regularly…just a tap on the shoulder with a rare swat behind the leg when he’s being lazy, but I still believe that he should get used to it. And he has for the most part. There’s just no need for it at a show. He’s proven to me that he will. not. stop. unless my life depends on it. And I trust him utterly and completely.
PNW Jumper - I feel like this is a similar case with my mare. She just gets fried when she feels the spur. She is a thin skinned chestnut mare. And while everyone is so quick to assume lack of control of the leg and being uneducated etc etc I think being used to riding with spurs my entire life and requiring them on all my previous horses it just becomes and bit of an auto reaction sometimes to spur a little where I could just add a little leg instead. Which is not correct, but does not mean lack of leg control or being uneducated. Just bad muscle memory
Why not have a sit down talk with your trainer? See if they have a concern. Mine always wanted me in spurs for lessons as did any clinician, was easier to put them on and not use them but when I was just flatting I rarely had them…but Id hear about it if I got sloppy and let minor things slide. Ask your trainer.
My trainer always just thinks the horse is being a hot chestnut mare and is quicker to suggest a stronger bit/noseband than anything else. She is more of the opinion that the horse should learn to accept a little spur without getting so reactive. I tend to be more on the side of doing what works for the horse as long as they are doing what is asked. I am not expecting to have a solution to my issue I will figure it out one way or another, I was really just curious what everyone’s opinions were and hearing about any similar experiences.
It’s possible actually that your horse can feel the branch of the spur too, not just the spur point itself. If you want to know what touches your horse, you could try putting some sort of color on the spur branch and point (maybe a different on both) and see where you actually touch her. I’ve never tried that; I wonder if maybe livestock crayon would work.
I’m with you: what matters is what works for the horse. I specifically would not be OK with putting on a fiercer bit or noseband so I could wear spurs. That’s just putting the horse in a tighter box and creating more anxiety for her. If you have a child who is struggling in school, is more anxiety the way you’d go for better learning or a better performance?
The rule of “generally wear spurs and carry a whip in case you need it” is a good one but IMHO a smart horseman is always ready to consider exceptions to meet the needs of a particular horse. I generally ride a horse in a bit and yet there are times when I’d move a horse to a hackamore because that particular horse had a need. For that matter, I usually use jointed snaffles, but I have a horse that doesn’t like them and is way happier in a mullen mouth.
The other time I’ve made an exception to that rule was when I had a horse that was getting dull to the spur. In that case, I rode without them except/unless for competitions so I’d have a sharper horse when I needed it.
Take your spurs with you into the arena. Tell your instructor you will put them on if necessary, and she can say “I told you so” a million times.
If your mare is better without the spurs, give her a cookie when mounted, so your instructor will have something else to worry about.
i don’t jump all of mine with spurs. I’ve seen GP riders who don’t jump around with spurs. But i will usually carry a bat if I don’t have spurs, just in case.
shrug. my trainer would have considered that something for rider to work on, and part of continuing to learn how to ride. That said, I would remove spur before bitting up or using more tack.
Based on what you wrote you do not need spurs, but you do need a different trainer.
Again, without actually seeing you and the horse, no way to know if the trainer is full of BS about a bigger bit and different noseband or your mare is not consistently obedient to the aids and holding you back from meeting your goals in the sport.
Have you taken any clinics or lessons on her from another trainer?
I never used spurs when I was showing. My mare hated them and my trainer didn’t want to make her unhappy. I did carry a crop at a show but almost never at home. I don’t think a stronger bit is the answer. I suggest just talking to your trainer and saying you don’t want to wear them. I had to go against my trainer on a few issues years ago and she respected my choices. After all it’s my horse.
IMO, do what’s best for the horse that results in her going the best for you. If you’re getting the results you want without spurs, then why ride in them?
I don’t use spurs on either of my horses (but I’m also out of shape and don’t have a highly-educated leg.) My gelding would absolutely launch me if I rode him with spurs. My mare wouldn’t launch me, but she sure would let me know she was mad.
lol love this
I don’t ride my horses in spurs at home unless I am going to be reinforcing lateral work. I feel spurs are best saved for shows so that the horse isn’t dulled to them and you have a bit extra. (Except in certain cases. upper level dressage, certain horses that dislike crops, etc)
If your mare dislikes spurs I would try doing some rides when you aren’t in a lesson without them and see how she does. If she is still responsive then try it in a lesson.
I ride almost everything in spurs. That being said, I have ridden a few really sensitive or reactive horses without spurs, because like the OP I sometimes have a tendency to go to the spur when I shouldn’t. I am working to fix this, but it is a bit of a process. There is also a little mare that I ride semi-regularly that just does. not. react. to spurs, which I realize is a problem, but I only ride her for the owner every once in a while and I don’t think it is something for me to fix, so I don’t ride that mare in spurs. If I have them on, I will sometimes just leave them and not use them though.
