Are Spurs Cruel?

Question

I have bought a pair of spurs for when I ride because my horse needs a bit of obedience. I have to say that they work really well, When she gets out of line i give her a little jab then she listens to what I say. But a walker by on the beach one day told me to take them off at once and she raved on about how cruel they are. I tried to explain to her but she just would not listen. I nearly felt like spurring her with them. So are they cruel or are they good for teaching the horse?

Answer 1

I wear spurs when riding, and I really don't listen or care what anyone thinks. If you are using them properly don't worry. If that lady told me that, I would have responded with a few choice words that I cannot say here.

Answer 2

Used correctly spurs can be a very efficient aid to perk up a disobedient or lazy horse. Blunt rounded end spurs are humane - but if you go for the spikey wheeled ones then the walker on the beach is correct - they are intolerably cruel!
A spur is basically and extension of the heel - you should never kick or dawk your horse in the sides with them - they only require a gentle squeeze!
Amateur or riders that dont have a good leg position shouldnt use spurs as not only can they hurt the horse but also the horse can become reliant on the use of spur and become lazy when a rider tries to ride him without wearing spurs!

Answer 3

It really depends on what you are using the spurs for, and how you are using them.

Not all spurs are sharp. While Western-style spurs have rowells that are sometimes sharp, English spurs are blunted and short. Even then, spurs mustonly be worn by experienced horsemen who know what they are doing so that the horse is not accidently injured.

Spurs are what we riders call "artificial aids". A natural aid is your seat, hand, leg and foot that are all used in signally to the horse what you need for it to do. Sometimes though, you do need to use an artifical aid to make sure that your communication is clear. These aids are designed not to hurt the horse and just provide a slightly firmer signal (the difference between a whisper and a more loudly spoken command). Never to punish or to deliberately hurt the horse.

I've been riding for most of my life and there are times when using artifical aids is definately necessary, but I was taught how to use them properly. When my trainer put a crop in my hand for the first time, she had me tap it against my own leg so I could see exactly how light a touch I needed with it. When I wore spurs for the first time, most of my lesson involved having my trainer yelling at me to keep my toes turned in so that I wasn't accidently digging the spurs into the horse's side.

I'm a little disturbed by how you are phasing your posting. About giving the mare "a little jab" when "she gets out of line" and that she needs "a bit of obedience". It comes across as if you are using the spurs for discipline or punishment, but that could just be your wording. A horse needs discipline (both in itself and its rider) and training. You want an animal that will respond to you, but not one that is beaten into submission. I would just be careful with how you word things, because they do give me some cause for concern.

Many people who don't ride and are unfamiliar with horsemanship automatically think that spurs, crops and other artificial aids are automatically cruel (you would not believe the response I had when I went out with a dressage whip on a horse that liked to veer sharply sideways). Used correctly with the horse's well-being in mind, they are extremely useful tools. But they must never be used by an inexperienced rider.

Answer 4

Spurs are not more cruel than the bit that you have in our horses mouth. It has the potential to be very cruel in the wrong hands, the hand of someone who is inexperienced or in the hands of someone who is cruel and emotional when riding.
Chances are that the person walking on the beach had no idea about anything about horses. Spurs are an aid to the leg and used to accent the leg when the horse is not listening (provided that the leg was used correctly). People who do not know anything about horses do not realize how they treat each other in the field (kicking and biting). You probably should have run that walker over.

Answer 5

Some are, some aren't. And much of it is technique. Used properly, spurs are an aid. Used stupidly they are vicious and inappropriate and can get you unseated.

They should not leave marks on the horse. Some have teeth that can be very painful to the horse if used inappropriately. Some are very smooth and are a great tool in directing a horse, much better than the way I've seen some lousy riders flog their animals with their heels because they don't know how to direct them. Spurs are best used sparingly. Some are nothing more than small blunt knobs or round short blunt toothed or untoothed wheels and these work better than the super spikey ones that I've seen people use which generally overcue the horse and make it ultimately skittish.

Answer 6

Spurs are like a car or a gun. It all depends on how you use them on how painful or deadly something can be. I have ridden for over 35 years and have used spurs for most of that time. Some horses are extremely light sided and do not need them. Some horses need to something extra to make them behave. Kinda like kids. Some behave well with a word or two and some need a swat now and then. I would be my guess that this person has never been on top of a 1000 pound animal that does not what to listen or behave. If your horse works well with a spur and you are not using them as punishmment, then I say go right ahead with what you are doing and ignore the uneducated.

Answer 7

Depends on how they are used on the horse.
Some horse need the extra nudge to remind tham of who is in charge. I do not ride with them becasue I have no experience with them and I am afraid I would jab the horse and cause more problems than it would fix. I also ride thoroughbreds most of whom are race trained and to get one to move faster you do not need a spur. I do sometimes carry a crop. Most times all you do is show it to them and they straighten right out. Once and awhile you tap them along the flank but only when you are really pushing for speed. Most will speed up just from a cluck to them.
Do not pay to much attention to a walker who may not have any horse experience. If you are used to riding with spurs go on doing so.
People have become way to "animal rights" crazy with out having any real knowledge about what they are voicing an opinion about.

Answer 8

Depends on the spurs and depends on the usage. Boot heels can be cruel, hands can be cruel. I was looking to buy a horse once and the lady that was selling it, because it was acting up, walked up to the mare and kicked her as hard as she could in her stomach multiple times. Spurs that are sharp or have long narrow rowels are cruel in my opinion. But many spurs are fine is used correctly. I had one horse that oddly enough, because she loved to RUn and hated to walk.. in an arena, would go slow (stubborn). Was really funny. I learned to wear spurs with her, granted they were the bluntest you could imagine.. and really she was smart enough that I didn't even have to use the spurs. But if I had them on, and we went into the arena, she'd work great. No spurs-she was very slow. Some people will not understand some training tools,though.

Answer 9

It sounds as though the walker on the beach has never ridden or doesn't have much experience with riding horses. If your rowels have blunt tips, and you use them properly, you are not going to hurt your animal. I used to show a mare that knew from the first cue if I had them on or not, and her performance reflected that - not that she was ever hurt by them, she just knew to immediately obey the correction or cue I gave her if I had spurs on. Many show animals today are "spur-trained" which eliminate a lot of mouth contact.

The walker seems to be the type of person that condems a horse owner for things like correcting a "cute little colt" for biting...when they don't think about what those bites will be like when the horse is bigger & stronger. Horses outweigh humans and are physically stronger so they need to respect what we ask of them.

Answer 10

Spurs are not cruel when used correctly. When on the boots of a jerk, spurs will become a form of torture, but then again, a feather in the hands of a jerk can become a life-threatening weapon.
Pat Parelli, a world famous "horse whisperer" uses spurs because they increase the level of awareness between the horse and rider.

The lady you met on the beach is only one of a million ignorants who like to pretend they are "elite" because they are "anti-sharp things".

So don't let the ignorants get to you! As long as you are using the spurs correctly (not on the dumb beach lady) then you are just fine!

Answer 11

I think most of the other folk have answered your question, the only thing I'd like to add is that a horse can feel a fly land on it's flank so remember it's not so much how hard you spur as to when you spur and being consistent with your commands.