Now that we have waded through the muddy waters of flexing, one rein stop, why not go into the correct use of spurs, regardless of discipline
Lets start with the basic prerequisites:
The horse should first have been taught leg aids
the rider has to have an independent seat, so that he never touches the horse with those spurs unless he intends to
Spurs then are used to re enforce the ignoring of light leg aids.
Only enough spur pressure is used to get the desired response
The rider always goes back to asking with leg alone, giving the horse a chance to be light to the leg aid alone
THey are never used as the primary aid, and that includes any lateral work
A horse has to have a reason to be light to leg aids, thus a horse that is ridden with spurs, soon learns that if he responds tot hat light leg aid, you in turn will never go to the spur
A horse can feel a fly on him, so he most certainly can feel a leg aid, even when asked for lateral movement
Lets start with the basic prerequisites:
The horse should first have been taught leg aids
the rider has to have an independent seat, so that he never touches the horse with those spurs unless he intends to
Spurs then are used to re enforce the ignoring of light leg aids.
Only enough spur pressure is used to get the desired response
The rider always goes back to asking with leg alone, giving the horse a chance to be light to the leg aid alone
THey are never used as the primary aid, and that includes any lateral work
A horse has to have a reason to be light to leg aids, thus a horse that is ridden with spurs, soon learns that if he responds tot hat light leg aid, you in turn will never go to the spur
A horse can feel a fly on him, so he most certainly can feel a leg aid, even when asked for lateral movement