What are spurs supposed to accomplish?

I have a friend who has a business breaking and training horses; he wears spurs all the time. He says the spurs are a way of communicating with the horse, they aren’t to hurt the horse. The horse feels them but it’s not like a sharp stick.

They kick them in the flank. To me it seems rather like hitting our funny bone. Spurs would focus the jolt. But I can see how it would have it’s uses when initially breaking a horse.

As an aside….why is it OK to break horses, but it’s not OK to break children?! It’s all the same thing….training. Teaching them not to give in to every single wild primeval urge that they have. :D

@Dutchess_III Good Parenting means not -having to break a child.

Besides , “breaking” a horse is an old term that isn’t really a good descriptor. Horses react to a well to a gentle but firm guidance, just as children do.

I know what it is @zenvelo. It’s training the horse to behave in a specific way. Just like training kids.

There are times when getting a horse to do something and to do it now, you need to use the spurs! Likewise the use of a quirt.

To jingle, jangle, jingle.

Right? They are sexy. So are chaps. :D