Spurs...

[hayray]

I would guess that the reason that the horse does not respond well for you is that it is more use of the aids type of thing. Maybe the other riders sit lighter and more balanced and keep the legs off the horses and maybe you are sitting heavy with your legs already on the the horse gripping and the horse is balky against your constant active aids. When you are using the spurs it is imitating the on and off action of the aids, however using the spurs as a substitute for over active leg aid will eventually make the horse dull to the spurs also. I have no idea if this is what you are doing but I have seen the exact same thing many times. Our well trained horses cannot be rode well by novice riders and seem dull and un-responsive compared to when a well trained rider gets on them. One way to double check if you are over riding with active aids is see if you are gripping with your lower leg all the time and if you are slouching in the saddle and sitting back on your butt, you should not be. You should be sitting more like you stand with a decent amount of weight in your stirrups and sitting straight up, and also see if you are riding accidentially with your hands and arms up in the air too much. All those things can make a horse back off and not go forth or otherwise called balky.

[warpaint]

I would guess that the reason that the horse does not respond well for you is that it is more use of the aids type of thing. Maybe the other riders sit lighter and more balanced and keep the legs off the horses and maybe you are sitting heavy with your legs already on the the horse gripping and the horse is balky against your constant active aids. When you are using the spurs it is imitating the on and off action of the aids, however using the spurs as a substitute for over active leg aid will eventually make the horse dull to the spurs also. I have no idea if this is what you are doing but I have seen the exact same thing many times. Our well trained horses cannot be rode well by novice riders and seem dull and un-responsive compared to when a well trained rider gets on them. One way to double check if you are over riding with active aids is see if you are gripping with your lower leg all the time and if you are slouching in the saddle and sitting back on your butt, you should not be. You should be sitting more like you stand with a decent amount of weight in your stirrups and sitting straight up, and also see if you are riding accidentially with your hands and arms up in the air too much. All those things can make a horse back off and not go forth or otherwise called balky.

Although your advice is appreciated, I was using this as an example of the use of spurs. This particular horse was trained with spurs and I forgot to mention that all the others that rode him were wearing them.

[cypressfarms]

I have a really nice paint gelding that I bought when he was young (3 years old). He had only been ridden in a small corral by very small kids. The gelding did not "know" how to run. He was and still is very well behaved but would only walk. A close relative of mine who trains horses took him in for me and said that the only way he could get the gelding to trot, canter or gallop was to spur him. That was 5 years ago. Since he has "learned" to run, I haven't had a need to spur since, and don't wear them when I ride him now. I did wear them at first, but he knew they were there and that was enough to keep his attention. I tend to think that spurs, like almost anything else, should be done with moderation.

[msscamp]

Come on Mss, you know several you would allow to ride your horses wearing spurs.
L.A.

Not in this lifetime!