spurs w/ uneven branches, which way?
Wendy S
The 20 year old school horse needs some additional motivation, so I picked
up a pair of tiny spurs at the horse show today. I got home to find that
one side is longer than the other. So... does the short side go on the
inside or outside of my foot?
The spur part seems ever so slightly angled, and they look more appropriate
with the long branch to the inside. I guess I have a 50/50 shot at it...
did I get it right?
--
Wendy in Chandler, AZ
Emily Brooks
"Wendy S" <wend...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:VSUtb.6942$iS6.4721@fed1read04...
AFAIK, the short branch goes to the inside and the spur must angle
downwards. If there's a rationale for that, I suppose it lets you move your
heel less to apply the spur and the downward angle helps to keep you from
impaling the beast. But that's a guess on my part.
Emily
Wendy S
> AFAIK, the short branch goes to the inside and the spur must angle
> downwards.
They are pointed down, that part's in the rule book. They spur part appears
to be angled a bit inside/outside as well.
Any rationale for the short/long branches?
Cricket
Less leg movement is all I ever heard - I've always used them that way
(short inside, turned down) because, um, I always have? I'm going to assume
someone knows the real answer?
J. Z. M.
>
> The spur part seems ever so slightly angled, and they look more appropriate
> with the long branch to the inside. I guess I have a 50/50 shot at it...
> did I get it right?
Long branch on the outside. You got it wrong! :) The spur is uneven to let
your leg lie beside the horse with undue movement when you enact the spur to
the side of the horse. So be careful. LOL If you want to make sure you have
to turn your leg in and kick the horse hard to engage the spur angle
outwards! <kidding>
I will assume these are Prince Of Wales with an inch knub which curves
slightly downward, the outside of the spur iron is longer and the entire
spur looks like a *U* with the knub at seven o'clock.
<not trying to sound snide now> You ought to get smaller little knub-knub
spurs that are less than a half inch and are in the center of the U. The
ones you have now are for a more experienced rider. <sorry> With these
spurs you will have to watch where you put your leg so you do NOT
inadvertently prick your horse with every stride. Either that, or learn to
hold your leg very still.
Jody
Wendy S
> I will assume these are Prince Of Wales with an inch knub which curves
> slightly downward, the outside of the spur iron is longer and the entire
> spur looks like a *U* with the knub at seven o'clock.
> <not trying to sound snide now> You ought to get smaller little knub-knub
> spurs that are less than a half inch and are in the center of the U.
Wow, don't hurt yourself when you jump to conclusions! Re-read the original
post and you'll see I said *tiny* spurs. They are one-quarter inch Tom
Thumb spurs. Shaped like a "U" with the nub at 6 o'clock, but one side of
the 'U' extends further up. I found them in a catalog:
http://www.statelinetack.com/viewProduct.do?prodNum=EI3-650866
The nub is not offset, it's centered at the back of my heel. I still don't
know why one branch is longer than the other. Is it just for looks, or
does it serve a purpose? I only have one other set of spurs, and they are
shaped as you describe, an even 'U' shape with the spur centered. Honestly
when I took these out of the package, I initially thought I had been given
one child's spur and one adult's.
Corey Kaye
"Wendy S" <wend...@hotmail.com> wrote
> The nub is not offset, it's centered at the back of my heel. I still
don't
> know why one branch is longer than the other. Is it just for looks, or
> does it serve a purpose? I only have one other set of spurs, and they are
> shaped as you describe, an even 'U' shape with the spur centered.
Honestly
> when I took these out of the package, I initially thought I had been given
> one child's spur and one adult's.
The inside branch is shorter so it doesn't interfere with your inside ankle
bone. The outside one is longer to make them more stable.
I've put my spurs backwards once or twice, and it HURTS! But I have very
bony ankles...
Corey
J. Z. M.
> http://www.statelinetack.com/viewProduct.do?prodNum=EI3-650866
>
> The nub is not offset, it's centered at the back of my heel. I still don't
> know why one branch is longer than the other. Is it just for looks, or
> does it serve a purpose? I only have one other set of spurs, and they are
> shaped as you describe, an even 'U' shape with the spur centered. Honestly
> when I took these out of the package, I initially thought I had been given
> one child's spur and one adult's.
LOL don't worry, lack of reading skills are only one of my many fortes.
Sorry, you got little knub-knubs, good for you. It's still the same
principle, you have the longer side for the outside of your foot. They
*just* fit better with a longer outside branch. <?> Now IF I go back and
read your first post I still might be confused, it takes me a longer time
without my specs. MHO the little spurs that slip on your boot at the heel
are good ones to get started with. LOL if you use your foot too much they
will simply fall off. Light touches.
I once rode a horse for lessons many moons ago that had a permanent gray
scar on his sides from his former owner. His life got lucky when he became a
schoolie. He never took off, but that was ~his~ forte, he was great for a
beginner who wanted to learn to canter. Why he was spurred to the extent of
scarring is abuse, and I always wanted to meet the woman who owned him
before his school days: I'd have given her a bit of a speech. <!>
Good luck, I did not mean to jump to any conclusion, believe me. It was a
question and I tried to answer it. Oh, well.
Jody
Abby Fairchild
<<The inside branch is shorter so it doesn't interfere with your inside ankle
bone. The outside one is longer to make them more stable.>>
Bingo! Corey gets the prize.
The longer side helps keep the spur from rotating when you apply it..
Ab
Wendy S
> MHO the little spurs that slip on your boot at the heel
> are good ones to get started with. LOL if you use your foot too much they
> will simply fall off. Light touches.
These? It doesn't say how big they are, but the price is good!
http://www.tackoutlet.com/store/catalog/product_9_QuickOn_Spur_Blunt.html
Corey Kaye
"Abby Fairchild" <abb...@aol.comnospam> wrote
> Bingo! Corey gets the prize.
I get a PRIZE?! Woot! :-D
> The longer side helps keep the spur from rotating when you apply it..
And helps you remember which foot to buckle them onto, too. Buckles on the
inside of the ankle leave bruises. (But that goes back to my bony ankle
thing again ;)
Corey
Cricket
"Corey Kaye" <ck...@holly.colostate.edu> wrote in message
news:bp9hg4$1m6r7j$1...@ID-208815.news.uni-berlin.de...
Interesting, never saw any like that before - a newer thing, or I just never
ran across them?
>
>
Cricket
"J. Z. M." <zclayri...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:BBDDB50D.10282%zclayri...@comcast.net...
Geez oh Pete! I had a couple of knock-down drag out discussions with Jack
up north (on the subject of which group of horses we were going to acompany
down the trail) that resulted in me giving him more spur than I would ever
choose to do - one day with western and one with english - and there wasn't
even a mark in the *hair*. I don't want to think about how hard you'd have
to nail one to leave scars...and I'm a mean and evil woman, just ask him.
Quapaw V
>scar on his sides from his former owner.
I traded for a 5 year old one time that had scars from shoulder to hip on both
sides from being spurred. He was also dead sided, imagine that. :-( I spent
10 months re-training him and he went on to make a dandy kid's barrel horse.
:-)
V
Rondo Farms, Home of Rambo the Wonder Horse
J. Z. M.
> These? It doesn't say how big they are, but the price is good!
> http://www.tackoutlet.com/store/catalog/product_9_QuickOn_Spur_Blunt.html
Yep... That's the tickety. :)
Jody
Mary Healey
> Emily Brooks wrote:
>
>>AFAIK, the short branch goes to the inside and the spur must angle
>>downwards.
That's how I wear mine, on those occasions I pull 'em on. I'm not
saying that that's definitive, of course.
> They are pointed down, that part's in the rule book. They spur part appears
> to be angled a bit inside/outside as well.
>
> Any rationale for the short/long branches?
Ensures you don't put 'em on the wrong foot?
--
Mary H. and the Ames National Zoo: Regis, Sam-I-Am, Noah (1992-2001),
Ranger, Duke,
felines, and finches
danh
[...]
You ought to get smaller little knub-knub
> spurs that are less than a half inch and are in the center of the U. The
> ones you have now are for a more experienced rider. <sorry>
The smaller rowels are _not_ gentler - a rider with limited experience will
grind a horse's hide into hamburger with those.
With these
> spurs you will have to watch where you put your leg so you do NOT
> inadvertently prick your horse with every stride. Either that, or learn to
> hold your leg very still.
Better not to wear spurs until the rider has control of its legs.
Mary McHugh
> "J. Z. M." <zclayri...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:BBDDAC0E.1027B%zclayri...@comcast.net...
>
> [...]
>
> You ought to get smaller little knub-knub
> > spurs that are less than a half inch and are in the center of the U. The
> > ones you have now are for a more experienced rider. <sorry>
>
> The smaller rowels are _not_ gentler - a rider with limited experience will
> grind a horse's hide into hamburger with those.
>
There are no rowels on the spurs in question.
>
> Better not to wear spurs until the rider has control of its legs.
The phrase is "winning your spurs". Traditionally, a rider was not allowed to
wear spurs until he or she attained some level of proficiency.
Mary
Terry von Gease
news:3FB92979...@yahoo.com...
> danh wrote:
>
> > "J. Z. M." <zclayri...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> > news:BBDDAC0E.1027B%zclayri...@comcast.net...
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > You ought to get smaller little knub-knub
> > > spurs that are less than a half inch and are in the center of the U.
The
> > > ones you have now are for a more experienced rider. <sorry>
> >
> > The smaller rowels are _not_ gentler - a rider with limited experience
will
> > grind a horse's hide into hamburger with those.
> >
>
> There are no rowels on the spurs in question.
Worse yet.
Those silly knobby things are far more vicious than most any civilized
rowels. Rowels roll over the surface. Knobby abominations push the meat in
front of them like a bow wave leaving a wake of bruised and torn flesh
beneath the surface of the skin.
The kindest spurs are those with the largest smoothest rowels. Fundamental
physics that's well illustrated as the difference between moving something
with wheels or moving it with skids.
>
> >
> > Better not to wear spurs until the rider has control of its legs.
>
> The phrase is "winning your spurs". Traditionally, a rider was not
allowed to
> wear spurs until he or she attained some level of proficiency.
Not quite. Spurs were a symbol of knighthood and winning one's spurs is
reference to attaining knighthood, not how well one rode a horse. Which may
or may not have anything to do with it.
--
Terry
"I said I never had much use for one,
I never said I didn't know how to use one."
M. Quigley
Joyce Reynolds-Ward
wrote:
>danh wrote:
>
>> "J. Z. M." <zclayri...@comcast.net> wrote in message
>> news:BBDDAC0E.1027B%zclayri...@comcast.net...
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> You ought to get smaller little knub-knub
>> > spurs that are less than a half inch and are in the center of the U. The
>> > ones you have now are for a more experienced rider. <sorry>
>>
>> The smaller rowels are _not_ gentler - a rider with limited experience will
>> grind a horse's hide into hamburger with those.
>>
>
>There are no rowels on the spurs in question.
Point's still valid. Note that those smaller spurs that Jody is
talking about has a larger surface area than the more severe spurs.
Same issue holds true with Western spurs with rowels. The more severe
spur is the smaller rowel which doesn't revolve freely. Larger the
surface area, and the greater possibility of revolving, the less
severe the spur is.
jrw
Mary McHugh
> "Mary McHugh" <emja...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> > The phrase is "winning your spurs". Traditionally, a rider was not
> allowed to
> > wear spurs until he or she attained some level of proficiency.
>
> Not quite. Spurs were a symbol of knighthood and winning one's spurs is
> reference to attaining knighthood, not how well one rode a horse. Which may
> or may not have anything to do with it.
>
I didn't realize you were *that* old. :-)
I described modern usage, not origins.
Mary
RPM1
> Those silly knobby things are far more vicious than most any civilized
> rowels. Rowels roll over the surface. Knobby abominations push the meat in
> front of them like a bow wave leaving a wake of bruised and torn flesh
> beneath the surface of the skin.
Yes. Thank you.
Like with harsh bits, if you need spurs then you have no business
using them and if you are good enough to use spurs then you
shouldn't need them.
Ruth CM
Stewie: I was under the impression that the name of the show was
"Kids Say The Darndest Things," not "Old Black Comedians Never
Shut the Hell Up!"
lizzard woman
"RPM1" <rpm1de...@direcway.com> wrote in message
news:bpbdei$1nc8sd$1...@ID-203708.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Like with harsh bits, if you need spurs then you have no business
> using them and if you are good enough to use spurs then you
> shouldn't need them.
Ruth,
Can I ask you about this?
Don't all the top-shelf dressage riders in the world routinely wear spurs?
I know most of the other students at my barn, in addition to my instructor
when I saw her ride in the Dvorak clinic, all wore spurs although I never
saw anyone use them 9I watched about 7 people ride in the clinic). In the
case of my instructor, its very obvious she is a gifted talent when it comes
to riding and training dressage horses.
sharon
Bill Kambic
> "Terry von Gease"
> > Those silly knobby things are far more vicious than most any civilized
> > rowels. Rowels roll over the surface. Knobby abominations push the meat
in
> > front of them like a bow wave leaving a wake of bruised and torn flesh
> > beneath the surface of the skin.
>
> Yes. Thank you.
Indeed.
> Like with harsh bits, if you need spurs then you have no business
> using them and if you are good enough to use spurs then you
> shouldn't need them.
I will disagree in part, here.
A horse that is over-bitted (either by the sheer size of the rig OR by the
inablity of the rider to use the rig correctly) is going to suffer negative
side effects that can be very difficult to correct later on.
And, just so it's said here first, the very large mouthpiece bits (generally
seen as "mild" are anything but in a small mouthed horse).
A properly used spur, on the other hand, is ane excellent aid for achieving
precision. It is the difference between pointing with a an arrow or a tree
limb.
The spur can also have a positive function in increasing the authority of
the leg. Some horses need this, some don't. Some need it for a while until
they get the idea that the rider is serious.
Every good rider should know how to use them and no well broke horse should
fear them.
Bill Kambic
If, by any act, error, or omission, I have, intentionally or
unintentionally, displayed any breedist, disciplinist, sexist, racist,
culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, localist, ageist, lookist, ableist,
sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist,
phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other violation of the rules of
political correctness, known or unknown, I am not sorry and I encourage you
to get over it.
Petra Ruettiger
>
>The smaller rowels are _not_ gentler -
noone said a word about spurs with any rowels.
>
>Better not to wear spurs until the rider has control of its legs.
and of course you know that the original poster hasn't.....
Petra
Petra Ruettiger
>
>Don't all the top-shelf dressage riders in the world routinely wear spurs?
yup, you actually have to. And they are not meant for giving blunt aids, but
for giving refined aids.
Petra
RPM1
> Don't all the top-shelf dressage riders in the world routinely wear spurs?
Competitive dressage riders? Yes.
> I know most of the other students at my barn, in addition to my instructor
> when I saw her ride in the Dvorak clinic, all wore spurs although I never
> saw anyone use them 9I watched about 7 people ride in the clinic).
That's good. You shouldn't SEE a rider use the spur which makes
some of the most upper level displays nearly impossible for me to
watch anymore as the use of spur is so totally over the top to the
point of blatant abuse right there in front of everyone! Jab, jab, jab...
and no one says boo. Well I do - BOO!
What can I say? We don't use spurs here and we still manage to
get what we need to from our horses so it is entirely possible and
completely preferable for us. YMMV.
"If I speak to you in Greek and you do not understand me because
you do not speak Greek, will you understand better if I SHOUT?
Either the horse speaks legs or he doesn't. If he does it is useless
to shout and if he does not, it is stupid." --Racinet
Ruth CM
Stewie on the Iraq war: "For God's sake, Mr. Bush, if you're going to
lie to the entire country, at least make it sound plausible. I mean, Iraq
with weapons of mass destruction? It's practically a third world country,
you imbecile! They're lucky if they can make Shrinky Dinks!"
Petra Ruettiger
>
>"If I speak to you in Greek and you do not understand me because
>you do not speak Greek, will you understand better if I SHOUT?
>Either the horse speaks legs or he doesn't. If he does it is useless
>to shout and if he does not, it is stupid." --Racinet
but you do not (or should not) shout with spurs. You whisper. And if the horse
speaks spurs (as a language, a communication tool) then you can whisper very
finely and get a very precise response.
I'm not saying everyone should use spurs or use them every time, but to condemn
them so wholesale is a little OTT. I can't stand abusive use of spurs either,
but that's not the fault of the spur, and the rider would not be any more
subtle if they were banging away with their legs ad nauseum instead
Petra
J. Z. M.
> Stewie on the Iraq war: "For God's sake, Mr. Bush, if you're going to
> lie to the entire country, at least make it sound plausible. I mean, Iraq
> with weapons of mass destruction? It's practically a third world country,
> you imbecile! They're lucky if they can make Shrinky Dinks!"
Okay, I'm gonna ask now, so bear with the totally non-knowing here. Who the
f_ck is this Stewie and where are you all coming up with the quotes?
It is not in my vernacular. Seems like this one ought to be sent to Abby
though. <BGSEG>
Jody
For content now: Spurs are as spurs does. Some need them, some don't. The
world is not a infinitely better place because you do or do not ascribe to
them. <done> I feel better now.
RPM1
> Okay, I'm gonna ask now, so bear with the totally non-knowing here. Who
the
> f_ck is this Stewie and where are you all coming up with the quotes?
http://www.foxhome.com/stewie/
To heck with Governor, Stewie for President!
law
LisaW
RPM1
> but you do not (or should not) shout with spurs. You whisper. And if the
horse
> speaks spurs (as a language, a communication tool) then you can whisper
very
> finely and get a very precise response.
Why "whisper" with them when I can just as easily
"whisper" without them to the same end?
> I'm not saying everyone should use spurs or use them every time, but to
condemn
> them so wholesale is a little OTT. I can't stand abusive use of spurs
either,
> but that's not the fault of the spur, and the rider would not be any more
> subtle if they were banging away with their legs ad nauseum instead
Lesson of the leg. Done. No need for spurs. EMV
depending on how and what you ride. Altho I've seen
Patrick ride plow horses and not need spurs so I'd put
much less weight on the type of horse and more on the
method used.
Ruth CM
Joyce Reynolds-Ward
wrote:
>"lizzard woman"
>> Don't all the top-shelf dressage riders in the world routinely wear spurs?
>
>Competitive dressage riders? Yes.
>
>> I know most of the other students at my barn, in addition to my instructor
>> when I saw her ride in the Dvorak clinic, all wore spurs although I never
>> saw anyone use them 9I watched about 7 people ride in the clinic).
>
>That's good. You shouldn't SEE a rider use the spur which makes
>some of the most upper level displays nearly impossible for me to
>watch anymore as the use of spur is so totally over the top to the
>point of blatant abuse right there in front of everyone! Jab, jab, jab...
>and no one says boo. Well I do - BOO!
The last dressage I went to, I saw several riders at 2nd and 3rd level
turning out their toe and JABBING on the side away from the judge.
Gack. That's a *desperation* technique, not a *show* technique.
Haven't seen anything that blatant at a Western show, though I'm sure
it happens in the warmup area.
jrw
Joyce Reynolds-Ward
wrote:
>"Terry von Gease"
>> Those silly knobby things are far more vicious than most any civilized
>> rowels. Rowels roll over the surface. Knobby abominations push the meat in
>> front of them like a bow wave leaving a wake of bruised and torn flesh
>> beneath the surface of the skin.
>
>Yes. Thank you.
>
>Like with harsh bits, if you need spurs then you have no business
>using them and if you are good enough to use spurs then you
>shouldn't need them.
Much of the time, I wear spurs as a bluff and a reminder to Certain
Geldings that I *do* have the spurs on (I jingle 'em and put 'em on in
front of the critters).
But I'm riding schoolies and sometimes have to tune 'em up.
jrw
Tom Stovall
>The phrase is "winning your spurs". Traditionally, a rider was not >allowed to wear spurs until he or she attained some level of
>proficiency...
Which tradition might that be? In rodeo, one uses one's spurs to win
one's spurs. Boughten as opposed to won.
By the way, I hung out at the ingate at an "A" hunter/jumper show this
weekend. Lotsa knots and a little blood after the jumpoffs - not as bad
as dressage, but the blunt shanks certainly aren't benign.
--
Tom Stovall, CJF
Farrier & Blacksmith
sto...@wt.net
http://www.katyforge.com
"The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,
but that's the way to bet..." -Damon Runyon
Bill Kambic
>
> Much of the time, I wear spurs as a bluff and a reminder to Certain
> Geldings that I *do* have the spurs on (I jingle 'em and put 'em on in
> front of the critters).
Works for certain nine year old mares, too.
Bill Kambic
> >The phrase is "winning your spurs". Traditionally, a rider was not
>allowed to wear spurs until he or she attained some level of
> >proficiency...
>
> Which tradition might that be?
Goes back to part of the knighthood ceremony in the Middle Ages, IIRC. I
have also heard of it in certain calalry traditions.
In rodeo, one uses one's spurs to win
> one's spurs. Boughten as opposed to won.
Well, if your not a kight...<g>
> By the way, I hung out at the ingate at an "A" hunter/jumper show this
> weekend. Lotsa knots and a little blood after the jumpoffs - not as bad
> as dressage, but the blunt shanks certainly aren't benign.
Tools of trade. Some tradesmen are competant, some are not.
Mary McHugh
> Mary McHugh wrote:
>
> >The phrase is "winning your spurs". Traditionally, a rider was not >allowed to wear spurs until he or she attained some level of
> >proficiency...
>
> Which tradition might that be? In rodeo, one uses one's spurs to win
> one's spurs. Boughten as opposed to won.
It used to be part of the hunter/jumper tradition.
>
>
> By the way, I hung out at the ingate at an "A" hunter/jumper show this
> weekend. Lotsa knots and a little blood after the jumpoffs - not as bad
> as dressage, but the blunt shanks certainly aren't benign.
Never said anything about benign.
Mary
Abby Fairchild
<<kay, I'm gonna ask now, so bear with the totally non-knowing here. Who the
f_ck is this Stewie and where are you all coming up with the quotes?>>
>;-> I wonered the same thing, J. Glad I wasnt the only one who didnt know and
that you had the balls to ask.
<<It is not in my vernacular. Seems like this one ought to be sent to Abby
though. <BGSEG>>>
>;-P
Very cute >;->
Ok, Ok, I see how it is.
Ab
danh
news:20031117164612...@mb-m15.aol.com...
> Danh wrote
> >
> >The smaller rowels are _not_ gentler -
>
> noone said a word about spurs with any rowels.
And as was quickly pointed out, jabbing a non-rolling surface across a
horse's side is worse than a rowel of any size.
> >Better not to wear spurs until the rider has control of its legs.
>
> and of course you know that the original poster hasn't.....
Petra dearest, you seem to have a gross motor problem with snipping. I
didn't respond to the OP, but to Jody, who commented, "With these spurs you
will have to watch where you put your leg so you do NOT inadvertently prick
your horse with every stride. Either that, or learn to hold your leg very
still." I understand you're still smarting from looking the fool the last
time we interacted, but you might want to try cutting from a response marked
"X-no archive" instead so you aren't caught out again.
And, BTW, since the OP seems somewhat unfamiliar with the application of
spurs, if I had made the inference you suggest, it wouldn't have been
unreasonable.
Kris Carroll
> Why "whisper" with them when I can just as easily
> "whisper" without them to the same end?
get over yourself; some compete where they are required thus it is a
skill to acquire
> Lesson of the leg. Done. No need for spurs. EMV
> depending on how and what you ride. Altho I've seen
> Patrick ride plow horses and not need spurs so I'd put
> much less weight on the type of horse and more on the
> method used.
(rhetorical) why would anyone pester a plow horse with circus tricks
K
--
kcarroll at horse dash country dot com
agent provocateur and regular poster to rec.eq since early 90s
manure detector on; fads, gurus, cults, bullies are fair game
RPM1
> why would anyone pester a plow horse with circus tricks
If someone is pestering you call the police!
Ruth CM
Peter: Nooooooooooooo! [runs to rabbit]
Trix Rabbit: [about to eat Trix]
Peter: [takes Trix] Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids! [muttering to himself]
Damned long-ears trying to take Easter away from Jesus.
