A VERY good American friend suggested that I address the value of a properly used whip in this day and age, when some feel we can’t even carry one round the edge of an arena as it’s considered ugly for the public.
Firstly, a whip is not for keeping the horse going – it’s an auxiliary aid. It has been very evident at regionals and other championships that there are riders who are so reliant on carrying a whip that when the horse enters the arena it goes flump, after which the rider scrambles to ring the vet thinking the horse has a virus.
The first rule is to make sure you don’t use a whip all the time so you don’t come to rely on it. Used correctly, however, the whip is a very useful tool indeed.
Over the years I’ve had help from and ridden with trainers from the Spanish Riding School, which has taken my understanding of whip use in a totally new direction. In hand and while onboard, the priorities for whip use are a point of contact and timing. It’s a touch, with accuracy. Timing is everything and can take years to perfect. If the horse is not in rhythm, the use of the whip can cause tension, even irregularity.
This story is from the July 30, 2020 edition of Horse & Hound.
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This story is from the July 30, 2020 edition of Horse & Hound.
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