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48-754: A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back up the natural aids (the leg, seat, hands, and voice). The spur is used in many equestrian disciplines. Most equestrian organizations have rules covering spur design and use, as well as penalties for using spurs in any manner that constitutes animal abuse . This very old word derives from Anglo-Saxon spura, spora , related to spornan, spurnan , to kick, spurn ; cf. Medieval High German Sporn , modern German Sporn , Dutch spoor . The generalized sense of "anything that urges on, stimulus"

96-582: A blowout . In English common law , a rout is a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a manner that suggests an intention to riot although they do not carry out the inferred act. As a common law offence , it was abolished in England and Wales by the Public Order Act 1986 . Rout is personified as the eponymous deity in Homer 's Iliad as the cowardly son of Ares . "Rout"

144-562: A medieval knight was said to have "earned his spurs", the awarding of spurs has continued in the modern era as an honour bestowed upon individuals in organizations with military heritages, and among motorcycle riders. Members of the Papal Orders of Knighthood receive gilt spurs direct from the hands of the pope ; members of the British Order of the Garter similarly receive gilt spurs from

192-448: A fast-moving, defeated enemy force and could often keep up the pursuit into the following day, causing the routed army heavy casualties or total dissolution. The slower-moving heavy forces could then either seize objectives or pursue at leisure. However, with the advent of armoured warfare and blitzkrieg style operations, an enemy army could be kept more or less in a routed or disorganized state for days or weeks on end. In modern times,

240-560: A feigned rout can quickly turn into a real one. It was a favourite tactic of the Vikings and it is thought that Norman cavalry successfully performed a feigned rout at the Battle of Hastings . In the Battle of Cowpens , Daniel Morgan 's planned retreat of the unreliable forward militia was interpreted by the British commander Banastre Tarleton as a rout, as intended. In over-aggressively pressing

288-508: A form of spur in certain orders of dress which is known as the box spur, having no spur strap, but a long metal prong opposite the neck, extending between the arms of the heel band, which is inserted into a specially fitted recess or "box" in the base of the boot heel. Due to the prong, such spurs can only be worn with appropriately equipped boots. This construction is shown in the photos of the swan neck and Waterford spurs below. Spurs seen in western riding may also have small curved-up hooks on

336-504: A full sweep with the spurs from shoulder to flank with each jump, requiring great concentration, and any error in balance puts the rider in a position to be quickly unseated. Bull riders are allowed a position that is the closest to that of classic riding, they are not required to spur the bull, but if they choose to spur, may do so with their legs down in a style that resembles a normal riding position. Spurs are divided into men's, women's, and children's, according to width (which must fit on

384-486: A higher heel was common, as it has always been critically important for riding boots to prevent the foot from slipping through the stirrup . Today, only some styles of cowboy boot retain a higher heel than other modern riding boots. For the riding disciplines that fall into the category of English riding , there are a number of different styles of riding boots, intended for different styles of riding, from horse shows , to pleasure riding . Tall boots, which end just below

432-623: A humbling defeat, the victors hung up bushels of knights' gilt spurs in the churches of Kortrijk as trophies of what is still remembered by the Flemings as the Guldensporenslag (the battle of the golden spurs). The English named the French rout from Thérouanne as the Battle of the Spurs , due to the rapidity of the French cavalry's flight. Prick spurs were the standard form until the 14th century, when

480-529: A routed formation will often cause a complete breakdown in the entire front, enabling the organized foe to attain a quick and decisive victory in the campaign. In the blitzkrieg warfare that characterized World War II , the French Army was decisively defeated in the Battle of Sedan (1940) opening a 20-kilometre (12 mi) gap in Allied lines into which Heinz Guderian poured his mechanized forces. German tanks kept

528-829: A type of gaiter also known as chapettes, for added protection or to give the visual impression of a tall boot. The lace-up style is primarily seen in hunt seat riding, whereas the elastic-sided Chelsea boot design is seen in both hunt seat and saddle seat disciplines. The elastic side boot is also commonly used in Australia as a riding boot and dress boot. They are part of the required attire in Australian Stock Horse turnout competitions and for Pony Club riding. Heavier versions, such as Blundstone boots, are made for general work and gardening but are not suitable for riding owing to their heavy, deep-grooved soles. Field boots (and many paddock boots) have an extra layer of leather on

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576-456: Is a refined tool, designed to allow the rider to transmit very subtle signals to the horse that are nearly invisible to any other observer. No matter the discipline, it is important that a rider has a correct position before using spurs, with a deep seat, legs lengthened to the extent allowed by the stirrups , heels down, with knees and thighs rolled in so that the rider has a solid base of support. A swinging or unstable leg may inadvertently jab

624-461: Is recorded in English from circa 1390. The parts of a spur include: Spurs are usually held on by a leather or leather-like spur strap that goes over the arch of the foot and under the sole in front of the boot heel. Some western designs have a leather strap that goes only over the top, with a heel chain or a rubber "tiedown" instead of a strap under the boot. Also, some styles have no straps, where

672-416: Is the "roper" style that stops just a bit above the ankle, about an inch or so higher than the English paddock boot. The most classic length is the mid-calf height that keeps the fenders of a western saddle from chafing the ankle and calf of the rider. The tallest cowboy boots are seldom seen outside of fashion venues, but have an upper that reaches nearly to the knee, are usually extensively decorated, but in

720-480: Is those used on motorcycles . They are characterized by rowels worn as foot jewelry, hung off of boots. They can be similar in appearance to spurs worn by equestrians. Their bright material attracts motor vehicle drivers to the presence of motorcyclists, especially to their feet where riders are most vulnerable when stopped in traffic. Their owners may further customize them by adding miniature strobing LED lights. They are also awarded by motorcycle clubs. The spur

768-513: The Roman Empire . The spur also existed in the medieval Arab world . Early spurs had a neck that ended in a point, called a prick, riveted to the heel band. Prick spurs had straight necks in the 11th century and bent ones in the 12th. The earliest form of the spur armed the heel with a single prick. In England, the rowel spur is shown upon the first seal of Henry III and on monuments of the 13th century, but it did not come into general use until

816-669: The vamp , which allows for some give so the rider is more comfortable riding with the highly flexed ankle that develops from the shorter stirrup length required for work over fences. Therefore, field boots are preferred in all jumping disciplines, including Hunt seat equitation , show jumping , fox hunting , and both jumping phases in eventing . They are also worn by police officers riding motorcycles or on mounted patrols, and by some police agencies as part of their "Class A" uniform or with ceremonial mounted units. The majority of field boots are black, although brown-colored boots may also be purchased. Dress boots : do not have lacing at

864-468: The 14th century. The spurs of medieval knights were gilt and those of squires were silvered. To "win his spurs" meant to gain knighthood, as gilded spurs were reckoned the badge of knighthood. In the rare cases of ceremonious degradation , the spurs were hacked from the disgraced knight's heels with the cook's chopper. After the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302, where the French cavalry suffered

912-407: The ankle, and are generally stiffer. They are worn by dressage riders, eventers in the dressage phase, and at formal fox hunts . They are also worn by riders of show jumpers . Dress boots are traditionally black in color. A recent fad is dress boots for dressage that are cut to go extra high on the outside of the knee. Hunt boots , or Top boots : like the dress boot, except it has a "cuff" at

960-553: The athletic shoe or hiking boot that have been created, using space age synthetics and breathable materials to create what essentially is a "tennis shoe with a heel." Rout A rout / r aʊ t / is a panicked , disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's command authority , unit cohesion and combat morale ( esprit de corps ). Historically, lightly equipped soldiers such as light cavalry , auxiliaries , partisans or militia were important when pursuing

1008-535: The attack, the British lost cohesion and were overwhelmingly defeated in the resulting double envelopment by the Americans. This feigned rout tactic had several benefits: it was a ruse de guerre that played off British expectations that an undisciplined militia would rout on contact, creating British overconfidence; the militia screened the main American force from the British view; and by asking for only two volleys before

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1056-526: The classic look. However, synthetic leather, vinyl and other materials are becoming more common. Quality of leather varies, with softer, finer-quality increasing the value of the boot. For formal wear, patent leather is occasionally seen, particularly in jodhpur boots designed for saddle seat horse show classes held after 6:00 pm, when formal attire may be worn in certain types of competition. For casual riding, riders often wear well-worn show boots, but also may take advantage of new boot designs modeled after

1104-579: The design changes were used because of barding , the use of barding had fallen out of fashion by the time the most elaborate spur designs were created. More likely, the elaborate designs reflected the increased abundance of precious metals, particularly silver , that followed the European exploration of the Americas that began in 1492. Spur designs in Spain and colonial Mexico were particularly elaborate. For example,

1152-543: The engagement that the French army was on the brink of collapse, even abandoning the dominant Pratzen Heights near Austerlitz. A "rout", or rout-party , was in Georgian England a relatively informal party given by the well off to which large numbers of people were invited. The term covered a variety of styles of event, but they tended to be basic, and a guest could not count on any music, food, drink, cards, or dancing being available, though any of them might be. "Rout-cake"

1200-542: The foot moved. Rowels can vary in size and number of points. In the history of veterinary science , the word "rowel" described a small disk of leather or other material that was used as a seton stitch . The spur was used by the Celts during the La Tène period, which began in the 5th century BC , and is also mentioned by Xenophon ( c.  430  – 354 BC). Iron or bronze spurs were also used throughout

1248-461: The heel band is simply very tight and slips on wedged between the sole and heel of the boot. Some spur designs have a slot for running the spur strap through, others have "buttons", sometimes on the heel band itself and sometimes attached to the heel band by hinges that allow a strap with buttonholes to be attached. When used in military ranks, senior officers, and officers of all ranks in cavalry and other formerly mounted units of some armies, wear

1296-434: The heel of the rider's boot). Spurs are further divided according to the length of the neck, with 0.5 cm ( 1 ⁄ 4  in) being relatively small (and a common size in children's spurs), with some being 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) long. Many competition rules limit the length of the neck. Riding boot The modern riding boot is relatively low- heeled , with a heel of less than one inch, though historically

1344-441: The horse or bull at every stride. This requirement is designed to resemble the behavior of old-time horse-breakers, who would deliberately provoke a horse to buck. In modern times, riders are required to use spurs in a manner that is merely encouraging a horse that is already predisposed to buck; they are not to produce pain. Spur design and use is strictly defined by rodeo rules, spurs are dull, and rowels must turn freely. In fact,

1392-399: The horse with the spur as the rider sits, thus irritating, harming, and frightening the horse, and chronic misuse may deaden it to the leg aids. Improper use may also provoke dangerous or undesirable behaviors such as bucking or bolting. Spurs are rarely used in sports such as horse racing , where the rider's leg is not significantly in contact with the horse. Most spurs are activated by

1440-403: The hostess. She was famous for hosting gambling parties. Behind the card-tables is a tight crush of people. The events sometimes became rather disorderly, and the name presumably originates as a metaphorical extension of the military term. "Rout" is often used to mean "an overwhelming defeat" as well as "to put to disorderly retreat" or "to defeat utterly". It is often used in sports to describe

1488-495: The knee of the rider, include field, dress, and hunt boots. These are standard show apparel, worn by all competitors in the hunter/jumper and dressage disciplines. A lower paddock boot that stops just above the ankle, is worn by children, by some show competitors in the UK, Australia, and by those that show Saddle seat . Field boots : so called because they were traditionally worn by officers ranked " field grade " or higher, have lacing at

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1536-650: The modern day are seldom used for actual horse riding. For pleasure riding, lace-up or zip-up boots similar to English paddock boots, have become popular in recent years, though the classic pull-on boot still is common. Cowboy boots are traditionally made of smooth cowhide, though occasionally a boot style may be of a suede or "roughout" look. However, the uppers of more expensive designs may be made of leather obtained from somewhat exotic creatures, including alligator, ostrich and snakeskin. Traditionally, English riding boots are made of smooth leather, usually cowhide, or occasionally pigskin, and most show boots remain thus due to

1584-511: The monarch. Inductees into the American Order of the Spur receive gold-coloured (usually brass) spurs if they have earned their membership through combat, or silver-coloured (usually nickel) spurs if they have not seen combat, but complete a rite of passage . Spurs are worn with the tip of the neck pointed downward, sitting on the spur rest of the riding boot , if there is one, with the buckle of

1632-475: The practice by the late 1930s. For a time, some show sanctioning organizations did not allow brown boots, considering them to be casual attire, although the rule has been relaxed somewhat. For western riding and showing , western riders wear cowboy boots , with either the high "cowboy" or "riding" heel; the intermediate, somewhat lower "walking" heel; or the low, "roper" style heel that is similar to that of English boots. The uppers may vary in height. The lowest

1680-448: The retreat Morgan set an achievable goal for shaky and poorly trained militia facing British regulars, as well as allowing the militia units to remain intact for later parts of the battle. Leading up to the French decisive victory at the Battle of Austerlitz , Napoleon ordered his forces to retreat. Desperate to lure the Allies into battle, Napoleon gave every indication in the days preceding

1728-435: The rider flexing the heel slightly up and in. A roweled spur permits an additional type of action: a rider can roll the spur lightly against the side of the horse rather than being limited simply to pressing inward. The exception to the use of spurs in a subtle fashion is in the rodeo events of bull riding and saddle bronc and bareback riding , where the rider is required to spur in an elaborate, stylized fashion, touching

1776-472: The rider's leg a bit farther from the horse. Spurs in English riding tend to be very sleek, slim, and conservative in design, with a shorter neck, as the saddle and leg position are closer to the horse. They usually have a rounded or blunt end. Rowels are not as popular as the plain blunt end, although some types include a rowel or smooth disk on the end. When used in sports requiring finesse, such as dressage ,

1824-469: The rout going, and the Allies were unable to stabilize the situation before the Wehrmacht occupied Paris and forced the capitulation of the French government. Feigned routs may be used as a military deception to entice an enemy into pursuing the "retreating" force, with the intent of causing the enemy to abandon a strong defensive position or leading the enemy into an ambush. This carries some risk because

1872-449: The rowel began to become more common. The prick design never died out entirely, but instead became a thicker, shorter neck with a dulled end, such as the modern "Prince of Wales" design commonly seen in English riding . Though often decorated throughout history, in the 15th century, spurs became an art form in both decoration and design, with elaborate engraving, very long shanks, and large rowels. Though sometimes it has been claimed that

1920-400: The shank in front of the rowel, called "chap guards", that were originally used to prevent the rider's chaps from interfering with the rowels of the spur. The shank angle from the yoke can vary from "full" to "one half" to "one quarter" to "straight". Some cowboys also added small metal pajados, also known as jingo bobs or jingle bobs, near the rowel, to create a jingling sound whenever

1968-428: The spur strap worn on the outside of the foot. Spur styles differ between disciplines. Spurs for western riding tend to be heavier, often decorated, and have rowels that rotate. The neck of western spurs is usually longer and the rowel wide in diameter, to accommodate the leg position of the western-style rider, where the stirrup is adjusted long, and the heavy leather used for the saddle 's fenders and stirrups places

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2016-559: The spur's purpose is not to speed up the horse but to give accurate and precise aids in lateral and complex movements such as pirouettes, travers , and renvers , and the airs above the ground . Dressage riders tend to ride in Waterford-style spurs with a rounded knob at the end. Conversely, show hunter and jumper riders may use a flatter end to encourage forward movement, such as the Prince of Wales design. Another type of modern spur

2064-641: The spurs of the Spanish conquistadores were sometimes called espuela grande, the "grand spur", and could have rowels as large as 15 cm (6 in) around. In northern Europe, the spur became less elaborate after the 16th century, particularly following the Stuart Restoration , but elaborate spur designs persisted, particularly in the Americas, descendants of which are still seen today, particularly in Mexico and

2112-602: The toe, called a toe cap. All styles have somewhat tapered, round toes. Current styles include zip-on boots, with a zipper running down the back of the calf of a tall boot or the front of a paddock boot, making them easier to put on and remove without aid of boot hooks or a boot jack . Brown tall boots (field or dress) were somewhat more common before World War II , when the English riding habit lost popularity outside of formal and/or horse show events. The U.S. Army , whose officers had worn high brown boots in World War I , abandoned

2160-532: The top. The boot is usually black, with a tan cuff (traditional for male riders). It is appropriate for fox hunting . Paddock boots , also known as Jodhpur boots , are short boots that come just above the ankle, used most often for pleasure riding and everyday use. They are also required for Saddle seat style riding and are frequently worn by children when showing in hunt seat disciplines because they are less costly for rapidly growing children than are tall boots. They are sometimes combined with half chaps ,

2208-415: The way spurs are to be used in bucking events generally makes it harder for the rider to stay on; in bareback bronc competition, the spurs must be above the point of the horse's shoulder at the first jump and remain forward at all times, deliberately creating a very awkward position for the rider that requires both strength and coordination to stay on the horse. In saddle-bronc competition, the rider must make

2256-498: The western United States , where the spur has become an integral part of the vaquero and cowboy traditions. The spur as an art form, as well as a tool, is still seen in western riding , where spurs with engraving and other artistic elements, often handmade and using silver or other precious metals, are still worn. Collecting of particularly beautiful antique spurs is a popular pastime for some individuals, particularly aficionados of western history and cowboy culture. Just as

2304-471: Was a particular type, mentioned by Jane Austen in Emma . Often, all there was to do was talk. James Gillray 's caricature of 1796 shows Lady Georgiana Gordon (1781–1853, presumably "Lady Godina"), not yet Duchess of Bedford and indeed only about 16 at most, gambling at a game called Pope Joan , with the winning " Curse of Scotland " in her hand. At left is Albinia Hobart , Countess of Buckinghamshire, perhaps

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