03/08/2026
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I received a message from someone requesting this topic. So letâs get into it.
First thing to understand: spurs are an extension of your heel. Theyâre a tool.
And not everybody has the right to use every tool until their horsemanship is solid.
Personally, I donât like letting kids wear spurs. A lot of times kids and even beginner adult riders move around too much in the saddle. Their legs flop, swing, bump, and they donât always have full control of where their heel is.
When you add a spur to that kind of leg, youâre not helping the horse⊠youâre just creating confusion and miscommunication.
Sometimes I hear people say their horse is dull and wonât move when they kick. But kicking harder or kicking with spurs, usually doesnât fix that problem. In fact, it often makes it worse. Horses get duller, they get irritated, and pretty soon youâve created a bigger training issue than you started with.
Thatâs why I never recommend spurs for kids or beginner riders. Most of the time itâs just a problem waiting to happen.
Now, if youâre an older kid or someone whoâs been riding for several years, has good horsemanship, rides balanced, and has good control of your legs, then spurs can be a useful tool, especially if the horse youâre riding understands them.
But hereâs the part that makes me cringe:
Watching someone whop on a horse and just spur the crap out of them to try to make them run faster.
Thatâs not what spurs are for.
Spurs are not there to make a horse run faster.
Theyâre there to refine communication.
They help you ask a horse to move their rib cage, move a shoulder, engage their body, or respond more precisely to your leg. A spur should be a light touch or a quick reinforcement of your calf, not something thatâs constantly digging into the horse.
Think of it this way:
Your calf asks.
The spur reinforces.
And the second the horse responds, your leg should release. The release is the most important part.
If youâre having to constantly kick or spur a horse every stride, the problem isnât that you need bigger spurs. The problem is that something in the training and/or communication needs to be addressed.
Spurs donât make someone a better rider. They donât make someone look cooler.
But in the hands (and legs) of a rider with good timing and good horsemanship, they can make communication with a horse much clearer.
Iâve been riding for 23 years, professionally for the last 7, and I donât always wear spurs. Thereâs nothing wrong with just riding in a good pair of boots đ
