Spurs!

My horse is very responsive to leg aids and I barley touch her with my leg and she responds, but for english show purposes I have to wear spurs. Will she be okay? How can I get her okay with it without scarring her?

Thanx Bunches!!

Are spurs mandatory where you show?

All of the shows I've ever been to say spurs are optional.

Yes it's for a dressage test

Wow! Spurs are optional over here for dressage tests. Well, at least they were last time I showed which was about 8 years ago

I would say just be ever so gentle, ever gentler than you are now. Try them out before you get in the ring to so you can get used to just how much you need to use them

Interesting, I have never heard of spurs being required for dressage or any other discipline.

If necessary, I would wear them, but squeeze with other parts of your leg most of the time. If you find you need the spur, be sure you have asked without them first, then lightly squeeze with them. If you use them sparingly, it should not be a problem.

Thanx guys!

Yeah I just wanted to make sure becuase she has been trained VERY well becuase she is very sesitive on her sides when you ride her which is awesome! Lol

Are you absolutely sure you HAVE to wear spurs? Id check the show rules... I have never heard of them being mandatory.

Same here I thought they we just optional.. but if you have to have to have them just barely touch her when you want to do or don't even tap her with them at all do voice commands :)

If she's very well-trained...why use spurs? Lol.

(I personally don't like it when people use them just look good...lol)

Although, I have worn them a few times with Blu when I am in need for speed or if he is having an off day when I need him to work...

I never ride without spurs...... all my ponies are trained to spur stop so I use them a lot. I think that if you ride her around at home for 2-3 weeks in them she will become acustomed to them. You can not just assume that she will be fine in them though, she has been broke for 2 years (assuming that she was broke early in her 2yo year) and you claim that she hasn't had spurs on - she may flip out. Although you say that she was trained VERY well so I can only presume that this was done professionally so I think that it is very likely that when she was broke she would have had spurs on her.