blue pipe

[dottylottie]

Thankyou for all the replies, I realise the mistake I thought would help, and have acknowledged this. I will get support and pro help. I had never mentioned hitting, and feel ashamed.

you don’t know until you know! i was more astonished it’s still happening, for you to be aware of it in order to ask!

you can get natural horsemanship type flags - steve young does a lot of work with them, much kinder alternative flapping that at them than using blue pipe.

unless your horse is giant and you’re 5”, i’d honestly just get off and lead past the “sticky” part in your scenario and see if it improves - assuming you can get back on again!

 

[dottylottie]

Last time I used blue pipe was for a herd of cows running at me! It's a great visual for them. Makes some noise and can be hit on the ground to help with noise. For all these reasons it was popular with horses who wouldn't go forwards. They can see it with their 180 vision when you waved it and if you whacked them with it, it wouldn't leave welts...

But we know better now and we know horses are not just 'trying it on', 'being naughty', or 'doing it on purpose'. Horses just react to what's going on and their feelings and napping is a lack of confidence or something going on as mentioned above. In the past I would have bullied them about napping but now just do the one step praise or get off and lead them, then get back on. Have much happier horses who then pick up bravery in other situations.

a herd of cows storming at you i completely understand

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Blue pipe is for hitting them with. It makes a big noise. Or making them more scared of being hit with the pipe than what's scaring them. That is the distraction, really. It has a pretty strong reputation with cowboy dealers and uh, breeders of many coloured cobs. Farmers use it for cattle too.

Not necessarily. I have seen blue pipe used very effectively without ever touching the horse. We needed to load 4 horses onto a 7-horse box. A very easy loader went on first then another amenable one. The 3rd was known to be a tricky loader, she was led to the ramp followed at a fair distance by a very gently swinging piece of blue pipe, she walked straight on, without rushing, so not obviously worried. Then the herd boss who was a easy loader followed her.
It might have been that the tricky loader was happier with the big wagon, or that she was happy to folllow the first 2 or that she didn't want to keep the herd boss waiting or it might have been the blue pipe. Who knows? It had been set up to be the least stressful experience possible for her and it worked. 3 months later, we repeated the whole thing, again without a problem.
The problem with blue pipe if there is one, as with anything else, lies with the human involved. I would have trusted the farmer involved on that day to always do the best for the animal, whatever the circumstances. He was a true horseman.

I wouldn't recommend it for a napping horse unless there were particular extreme one-off circumstances.

 

[Exasperated]

Not necessarily. I have seen blue pipe used very effectively without ever touching the horse. We needed to load 4 horses onto a 7-horse box. A very easy loader went on first then another amenable one. The 3rd was known to be a tricky loader, she was led to the ramp followed at a fair distance by a very gently swinging piece of blue pipe, she walked straight on, without rushing, so not obviously worried. Then the herd boss who was a easy loader followed her.
It might have been that the tricky loader was happier with the big wagon, or that she was happy to folllow the first 2 or that she didn't want to keep the herd boss waiting or it might have been the blue pipe. Who knows? It had been set up to be the least stressful experience possible for her and it worked. 3 months later, we repeated the whole thing, again without a problem.
The problem with blue pipe if there is one, as with anything else, lies with the human involved. I would have trusted the farmer involved on that day to always do the best for the animal, whatever the circumstances. He was a true horseman.

I wouldn't recommend it for a napping horse unless there were particular extreme one-off circumstances.

Yep, there’s a useful bit of whistley noise, hollow, swishing it about, which helps!
As for routine riding, if you want to channel your inner, plumbers mate, vibe? But at least you’ll be unlikely to ever mislay your bright blue alkathene piping, unlike many more expensive whips…..

 

[supertramp]

I've just re read my post, at no point does it say I was going to hit him, but use it as a distraction. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear.

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

I've just re read my post, at no point does it say I was going to hit him, but use it as a distraction. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear.

You have had replies that should have reassured you that nobody has accused you of either hitting him or even wanting to hit him. Not sure what else can be said to reassure you to be honest.

 

[Lilly-Mayspookatbags]

you don’t know until you know! i was more astonished it’s still happening, for you to be aware of it in order to ask!

you can get natural horsemanship type flags - steve young does a lot of work with them, much kinder alternative flapping that at them than using blue pipe.

unless your horse is giant and you’re 5”, i’d honestly just get off and lead past the “sticky” part in your scenario and see if it improves - assuming you can get back on again!

A flag is the same as blue pipe.

Used for the exact same purpose and method.

I’m shocked you don’t know that.

 

[dottylottie]

A flag is the same as blue pipe.

Used for the exact same purpose and method.

I’m shocked you don’t know that.

i’ve known multiple people use blue pipe, and i’ve never seen a single person wave them around behind them - i’ve seen multiple people batter their horses with them however.

i don’t think im in the minority for my mind going straight to that option as it seems others got the impression that’s what had been suggested too, i’ve not once said anything against using it for the noise?

 

[Lilly-Mayspookatbags]

i’ve known multiple people use blue pipe, and i’ve never seen a single person wave them around behind them - i’ve seen multiple people batter their horses with them however.

i don’t think im in the minority for my mind going straight to that option as it seems others got the impression that’s what had been suggested too, i’ve not once said anything against using it for the noise?

Those same people would probably use a flag to batter them with as well. The blue pipe is not the problem.

sorry but i can’t believe in 2025 there’s threads asking about hitting their horses with blue pipe - i thought i must’ve been getting the wrong end of the “pipe” when i first read it.

You’ve come onto this thread and not even clarified what she is using the blue pipe for and immediately judged her and shamed.

That’s exceptionally poor.

 

[supertramp]

Thankyou, I had no intention of battering the poor chap

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

"Blue pipe". Would this be the blue plastic piping used by plumbers (and anyone else who wants to do it!) to pipe mains water? Our water-troughs here have it.

Sadly, I have heard of an instance where someone has used this to actually carry as a riding "crop" and give a horse a belting with it for "misbehaving". I wasn't there, and didn't know the rider or the context; it was just something that I heard about happening..........

So if a horse (any horse) has had this happen to them, and then they see some blue pipe on a hack, then they are probably going to react.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Its something that adorable Alice has mentioned

She certainly did, and after 50 years of keeping horses she still has the trusty blue pipe, which is rarely required for behaviour corrections anymore but if manners slip it does come out, occasionally in partnership with a chifney when 700kg plus of opinionated horseflesh want to head to the paddocks too quickly or without all 4 feet on the ground.

Yesterday, trusty pipe did come out for a huge horse that had decided to test the patience of an apprentice farrier and his tripod. After one prod in the ribs with the end of the pipe and then leant against the wall in full sight of the rude horse, who certainly does know better but chose to take the Pxxs, all 3 parties, tripod, farrier and horse got on just fine. I do not tolerate rude horses, I don't expect any professional to have to handle rude horses and rude horses can be a danger to themselves and all around them. It is our duty to raise and educate our horses to be polite and safe. If they step out of line they need putting back in line. The problem that seems to be prevalent now are owners that don't know what a polite horse is and are happy to accept poor manners as a given.

The subject of the thread, the napping Welsh Cob who is dictating where it will and won't allow the OP to ride it needs a competent rider on it to drive it forward out of the yard. Assuming this is a mature, educated and healthy horse taking the mick out of its owner and probably putting them in danger at the same time, could it be appropriate to use a stick to reinforce the leg ? very likely yes in my view. There is no place for the use of schooling whips or thin flexible type whips, They cut, mark and hurt. Even used carefully they pack a nasty sting. A Pro Cush or horror or horrors to many of you it would seem, a blue pipe is far kinder and effective. Both make a noise, neither will mark or cut.

No doubt, most of you have thrown your arms up in despair at this point and decided I am a serial horse beater. However, the use of a whip is a skill all riders and handlers of horses need to understand. The reason for use (proportionality) timing of use (critical) and the reward to reaction of use of the whip (critical) must be fully understood and used without fail.

Maybe the term blue pipe offends some people, a thick cane is the same thing as is a straight walking stick or thumb stick. The pipe is lighter to carry. Colts and stallions are handled with a cane of some type. Youngsters can be taught to stay in their own space by using a cane, poorly handled mature horses can also be retrained. Ground work can be made easier for a horse to understand with the use of a cane, I am doing one at the moment that needs thoracic sling strengthening, the pipe is used to touch each knee to aid the rein back, get clean backwards steps and lift the back without me needing to touch the mouth.

It is sad that so many owners/riders have no understanding of the use of a cane/pipe call it what you will and assume that horses are being beaten up. I guess it is generational together with not having any peers or opportunity to train with experienced horsemen. It is also so easy to simply buy a horse without the relevant help and experience to get through problems. None of us ever stop learning and horses are great teachers.

 

[Red-1]

I have been asked (by pro dealers and competitors) to carry a blue pipe in my fitter days, when riding a spoiled horse, but always refused as I felt it was not a piece of 'correct' equipment and gives off the wrong vibe. I think I would have lost my job, actually, if it was brought to light that I had done so, which didn't influence my decision to refuse to carry one, but it did give an 'excuse' when it was expected. It has nasty connotations with horse abusers and I would not want to carry one under saddle for that reason also. I find the idea distasteful. I guess it is hard to tickle a horse up with a blue pipe, whereas a schooling whip is easy to give a tickle to activate a hind leg.

I have no issue with re-educating a horse using a whip, especially a thug on the ground, when it is for handler safety. The almighty Rigsby was a hangry cob and I used a schooling whip to re-educate him when he was a thug. I had every sympathy for him as he was undergoing dieting under vets supervision and he was, in fact, hungry. I did try to remove him when handling food at the worst part of this, but once the diet was less extreme, he needed to have manners re-installed, for everyone's benefit, including his own. With the use of a halter and schooling whip, he learned to give me my space and be more co-operative at feeding time. I also used a mix of pressure release, clicker training and plain waiting it out in his training. The whip was when he was thuggish on the ground and was quite prepared to knock me out of the way physically: I never used a whip on him under saddle except to activate the hind leg with a tickle of a schooling whip.

For your nappy horse, I would concentrate on finding why he isn't enjoying his work.

For a thug on the ground, who is dangerously invading your space, I found a whip was better than battering him with a haynet/feed bucket/ jacket/ whatever was to hand to drive him back to keep me safe. It was more organised. It also meant that, when I stepped into his stable with a new net of hay, he'd calmly back away from my space and wait for the net to be secured and for me to stand back, before going forward to take a bite. This became his default way of being and he no longer needs any prompting to be polite.

The only time I have ever 'used' a blue pipe was a really long one for skipping, but that is a different thing as the pipe is then long enough to go round the whole horse, over their head and under the bum. It (supposedly) never touches them, except I am sometimes not good with my timing and have been known to catch it under the tail as I try to sail it over the top of us LOL. They have all (a few of my horses) been very patient with my ineptitude, knowing I am merely clumsy in our new quest, and have no ill will! In that instance, I am holding both ends so the ends cannot possibly hit them!

ETA - photos of Rigs skipping, although by then I had swapped out the blue pipe for 2 lunge lines tied together (lighter for my old shoulders), to lighten the mood of the thread!

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

I guess it is generational together with not having any peers or opportunity to train with experienced horsemen.

With respect, I have all the above credentials in bucket loads and more. I have never had to resort to whips or blue pipe to put and keep manners on any horse or pony. Perhaps I have just been incredibly lucky or the old horsemen and women that taught me back in the day had different methods to the ones you may have been taught. Horses for courses and all that, we are all different. I have only regularly carried a whip out riding in later years, after one of my horses was attacked and badly bitten by a rogue collie. I did however have to resort to using a whip with huge force when the same poor mare and I were attacked by a colt out riding. I did it to save both my life and my horse's life and would do so again. It did not end well for the poor colt either, and I am not proud of that it still haunts me to this day. The story is somewhere on here. So yes I would always carry some sort of whip out hacking, but for emergency protective reasons only.

None of us ever stop learning and horses are great teachers.

Absolutely, I am in total agreement with this statement.