Early Susan spur rule, in effect at least 18 years before Fancy was born: Don’t use spurs until you can ride bareback with spurs.
Translation into English: Humans should not achieve balance while riding by holding on with the legs and feet. When becoming unbalanced on a horse, one should not clamp the horse’s body with a spur death grip. It might end in a condition called run-away-horse-dumped-rider.
Your favorite rider, me, adhered to that rule.
Fancy is much more advanced in her spur rule: “Do not touch me with your spurs.” She is teaching me how to NOT use my spurs. Fancy is teaching Horsemanship “Spur Finesse”.
- Do not bump my sides accidentally with the spurs when riding.
- Learn how to use your calves for lateral moves.
- Learn how to use the inside of your boot heels for lateral moves, if calves don’t work.
- Learn how to shift your body weight for lateral moves
- Where is your FOCUS! Use your belly button for direction. Don’t make me guess because I love going to a popular dismounting spot. GET OFF!
- Toes up in every gait means spurs (on the heels) are pointed down, not into my belly. When I do that stiff-legged bouncy protest canter, don’t try to hang on with your legs/feet. TOES UP! Spurs Down.
- Spurs are for lateral moves only. You do not want to ride a not-fancy 100% stiff braced hollowed-out horse with head up, ears pinned back and tail switching brutality. One spur at a time for moving laterally.
- Spurs are not instruments of torture. They are advanced communication tools.
Translation from Fancy language into English courtesy of Fancy’s #1 student, me.
This wouldn’t be so difficult if I was 5’8” with long legs. My feet would hang below Fancy’s body.
For Christmas I want spurs made with a silver dollar.