DRESS 257 



The uses of the spur are discussed elsewhere, suffice 

 it to say that, considered simply as an article of dress, 

 the proper spur for a woman is a blunt polo spur with 

 a short or long shank, according to taste and require- 

 ments. A heavy man's spur should be selected and 

 not the delicate little affair that is usually offered a 

 woman and looks as if it would bend in the breeze. 

 The regulation woman's spur, which has a rowel and 

 a guard to prevent its catching in the riding-habit, 

 should never be used, not only because a rowelled 

 spur is in any case quite unnecessary, but also because 

 the patented guard nearly always gets out of order 

 and the whole thing looks far from smart. 



There is nothing that so dresses up a boot as a well- 

 polished spur, providing that it is properly put on and 

 not allowed to "drip," or sag, at the heel. To prevent 

 this the spur should be fitted to the boot, and the straps 

 made at that length which will permit of the spur being 

 held at right angles, and as high up on the heel as the 

 seam which joins the leg of the boot to the foot. Spurs 

 worn lower than this are not smart, and although a 

 small spur block, attached to the boot to prevent the 

 spur sagging, is preferable to a dripping spur, never- 

 theless it is not nearly so smart as a spur so well fitted 

 that it remains in place by itself. 



