I share a horse.. and he is really lazy at times.Do you think spurs would help and which type blunt or rowel??

Question

I dont know if spurs would be cruel.. but he just needs omething to wake him up?? please tell me what you think ??

i wouldnt want to be cruel.. but he is lazy practically all the time.. and his manners arent the best ... would spurs help to get some more impulsion and better manners??

Answer 1

No. It Sounds like you are involved in sharing a horse that is inappropriate to your level of riding. Spurs are just an aide,and like any aide can be cruel or useful depending on the experience of its use.
Try getting together with its other owner/s that share it, and have it evaluated by an expert rider. You can also watch good riders at lessons correctly use aids like whips and spurs and see that correctly used they are valuable tools.
If you do not know how to wake up a shared horse short of using spurs or whips, Its the wrong horse for you. Leave spurs to the experts. Very good question! As far as cruelty is concerned, a bit ,saddle,your sitting on a horse, inporper use of reins and so on would be cruel. Prince of Wales(those small english spurs) are lightweight english spurs for skilled! riders. Luck!

Answer 2

As someone already said, try using a riding stick first, he may just be chancing his arm with you. a couple of good cracks (this is NOT cruel) behind your leg should give him a bit of a wake up call. Failing that, start with small "bobble" spurs, these should have a round ball like end, and only be about a centimeter long. these can be used safely, as they won't hurt the horse or "deaden" him to your leg. Look at his feeding program too. make sure that his feed intake, and the protien content is equitable to the kind of work you're asking the horse to do! try putting him on a higher energy feed. Also, it may be a long shot, but i think it would be a good idea to have a vet take a look at your horse, if he is consistently lazy, he may have a low haemoglobin (red blood cell) count. there could be something worrying, like if he has stomach ulcers he wont want to go forward as he is sore. Is he finishing his feed? this will tell you also if there is something wrong or not. actually, now that i think about it, DO get a vet to take a look at your horse, and maybe take blood samples, i realise this is expensive, but since you're sharing the horse, costs can be split. that way, if there's nothing wrong then you KNOW it's the horse just being lazy and stubborn, rather than using spurs, sticks etc, and the horse is in pain. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

i would suggest some hard schooling is put in , try some lunging too this helps as you wont get so tired doing it. jumping, huntting also they are good to liven a horse up. i would not attenpt the use of spurs until you are confident that he is just lazy and not that he is unsure of what you are asking him. i would never use rowel spurs as these can cause some serious damage in the wrong hands. could try feeding him higher energy foods to like oats, barley etc. firstly speak to your sharer to see if he/she has the same problem with him.

Answer 4

I have a rather lazy Fjord. I ahve schooled him to a certain degree and just last month bought some spurs but only to be used as a delicate and much more precise aid etc. Spurs will not make him any more active really perhaps a a flappy riding whip that makes a smack will liven him up ...but i don't think anything will really change him . I always say to my children if they are cold 'canter Jonhnie round the field 10 times and after all that pushing you will be baking '
Seriously schooloing will help a little as he will learn to obay your aids , also he will be fitter and feel less lazy as a result . 15 mins a day schooling in a circle will build him up a lot and just like us he will feel more like taking faster exercise

Answer 5

if you do want to get spurs, get the smallest blunt type. you arn't being cruel untill you use the unnessecaraly sharp and harmful ones. try using a wip first, its cheaper to buy, (it doesnt hurt them) and it might work a little bit better.

Answer 6

Try the dull spurs and if you can go with another horse and rider and let them take the lead.
Be sure to emphasize using the spurs when you go so your horse associates the poke of the spurs and going-moving.

Emphasize meaning gentle pokes not bullriding stabs! Use common sense

Answer 7

I wouldn't suggest spurs. I know there are people who swear by them, but think about it - you're kicking pieces of metal into your horse's ribs. Some horses just aren't that active, and as long as he's well fed and taken care of, there's nothing you can do about that. How would you like it if someone poked you in the ribs with a piece of metal every time you were feeling lazy?

Answer 8

if you are going to use spurs use blunt and you have to be careful not kick to hard you can also try a whip and just tap behind the saddle when he gets lazy. hope it helps.

Answer 9

Well if you don't bring treats to your horse, start. Before you put on its bridle(so it does not choke) give it a treat. What I do is I start out my horse with 2 treats and whenever she is bad, I take away a carrot. If she does something good, she earns a carrot. eventually she learned what I was doing and started to behave a bit better. but spurs are not a good idea. just be stern. Like most professionalls say, let them know who is boss.

Answer 10

u should show him u r in charge or he's going to take over u try slapping sides with reins