THE SPURS AND THEIR EFFECTS 



of the flanks and of the panniculus carnosus. The 

 cure is to ride for a time without spurs and with 

 the legs against the flanks. This is followed by 

 spurs with the teeth filed dull and encased in 

 leather, until the horse becomes progressively 

 accustomed to the ordinary sort. The same treat- 

 ment can be used for horses that have been made 

 ticklish by improper spurring. A few cases, appar- 

 ently cured, afterwards relapse. Some animals are 

 quite incurable. 



In sum, then, the spurs, properly used, are our 

 most powerful means for obtaining, with the help 

 of the bridle, a position of the animal in which all 

 defense, restiveness, disobedience, or signs of fear 

 become impossible. We do not, indeed, alter the 

 horse's moral state; but we force it to assume a 

 position in which it cannot use its members for 

 the acts which correspond. 



On the other hand, the spurs are a dangerous tool 

 when used by a rider who employs them with- 

 out moderation, delicacy, propriety, and discretion, 

 like a monkey playing with a razor. Nothing is 

 more ridiculous than to see either a man or a 

 woman rider, wearing spurs as an ornament of 

 fashion, with the legs so extended as to bring the 

 heels close to the horse's shoulders. It is easy, in 

 such a case, to understand the sarcasm of a certain 

 master: "It would be better for such a rider to 

 buckle his spurs to his own elbows, and use them 

 against his own flanks. " 



