Desensitising a whip-shy horse?

The moment she notices it, she's always got her eye on it - fidgets and snorts a lot. When closer she fidgets more, but when I moved it (further away from her) she shot back and almost went up.

Had been wondering about leaning an old one up against a fence or something so that she could just check it out in her own time?
 
One of the few things I gained from Parelli is that if you move it rythmically it seems to make more sense to them than if you just have it there. So I would stand a little way away, swinging it back and forth in a regular rythm, and then approach gradually to the edge of where she no longer feels happy about it. Over a surprisingly short time she will be happy to have it quite close and even touching, at which point you can stroke her with it, again in a regular rythm. I did it with ropes around a really nervous unhandled youngster and he was fine with it - in fact that was the way to have him happy to be caught.
 
Our old mare was whip shy so we just rode her without one. You could just about ride with one but she always had her eye on it. After owning her for a couple of years my OH and I decided to swap horses halfway round a hack. I got on his mare with my whip in my hand without thinking. His horse didn't seem to notice, so I guess she had learnt to trust us and didn't have a problem with it. Mainly we just rode without one as she didn't need it.
 
I would carry the whip in every interaction with the horse when you go into the stable, when you lead it to the field etc etc until the horse is ignoring its presence ,then I would lay it on him during grooming until he is cool about that
After all that I would go on to carrying it riding but never useing it when the horse is completly at ease with its presence then you can carefully start using it I would use a dressage whip .
My present horse was whip shy he's now completly normal about whips, it did take time though.
 
Agree with golden star. Opine of ours was very whip shy when he came to us.. Used to spin in circles if his rider was carrying one, was afraid of lunge whips etc.. But I began to carry it when grooming him, walking into his stable to rug etc. then moved on to touching him with it when grooming, then after being ridden would stand him in ménage and little by little touch him all over with it.
 
If you are using a schooling whip, maybe switch to a jump whip for a bit and then work with the schooling whip on the ground and doing some desensitising that way.

I had to do that with both mine. One was OT and would get scared of the flicky end of the schooling whip, the other wouldn't have a bar of any whip at all. Knowing what I now know about his old owners, I suspect he was flogged a bit.

I took it slow and gradually built their trust in me and that the whip was't a bad thing. now they are both fine with any length whip. :)

Good luck with yours OP :)
 
moodymare123 said:
dont use the P word lol!!!
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Yes, I know, and am fully in agreement on what most people think, but there were a few things I took from it - that, some of his sayings ("Never seen it take longer than two days" "Green on green = black and blue" for example) and but for them I would have never heard of Mark Rashid et al and from Mark learned to look at things form the horses point of view.
Very few things in life are all good or all bad IME - sorry, off topic
 
JillA - go off topic as much as you like! It's really interesting to see what people pick and choose from various methods :)

Thanks very much guys, really appreciate all the responses - will keep you updated :) x
 
I hang bits of rope from the roof of the field shelter. They soon get used to things swinging in the wind and they do look like sticks!

Then I get in trouble from the girl who helps me when they won't respond to the lunge whip!:D

There is a chinese saying (I have a friend who is a chinese vet) that "A wise man will even learn from a fool". Would that include P??
 
Do join up with her, with a stick with string attached (So it looks like a lunge whip) and im guessing you know how to do Join Up so I'll skip to the chase once she's done that, if your comfortable to and know how to then lie her down in the arena or something though i do it standing upget the whip and let her smell it, then start stroking it all over her body, though this may take a few days ;)
 
Just one more thought remember with horses like this it's not really the whip the horse is scared of its the human attached to the whip .
So this has inplication for everything you do with the horse.
 
Goldenstar said:
Just one more thought remember with horses like this it's not really the whip the horse is scared of its the human attached to the whip .
So this has inplication for everything you do with the horse.
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Not always, have seen some somersault backwards after rearing because of whip on the floor, they thing its a snake-eh about bite 'em.
 
CobbyHoofs said:
Not always, have seen some somersault backwards after rearing because of whip on the floor, they thing its a snake-eh about bite 'em.
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That's not the type of behaviour OP I'd describing .
Flipping over backwards because of something they have seen on the the floor is extreme and dangerous behaviour and my advice to OP would have been very different.
 
Start off with a very short whip, when the horse settles with that start moving it around a little. Gradually progress to longer whip with the same method. Having said that I ride without a whip with no problems, when doing flatwork I wear spurs but even then use only lightly. Ask yourself does the horse need a whip or is it that you are used to holding one..
 
is there actually any need to carry one? my horse is an ex racer and although i have seen her races and she was never hit she is terrified of them when you first pick it up or another horse gets a smack and when you touch her with it she bucks like hell.. all ive done is spent ages with a small jumping whip rubbing it all along her body whilst shes on a lunge line very gently but not missing a spot although i still do not carry one and probably never will because i dont find the need she isnt scared anymore! she sees it as abit of a massage/grooming tool.
 
Is it just when you carry a whip when riding, or a general thing?

My mare was absolutely terrified of whips when I first got her. I've always kept my whips on the shelf in the stable, and forgot about them when she arrived. I was tying up her haynet and knocked them flying, and it nearly gave her a heart attack. Poor mare was trembling and sweating and rolling her eyes, so I had to do something, fast.

I took her into the school (so she could get away if she felt she needed to) every day and just walked round with her, holding the whip at the side of me, gradually building up to a slight swing of my arm. As soon as she was comfortable with that I let her have a really good look, then started gently stroking her with it, around her shoulders to begin with, slowly working up till I could stroke her all over with it. Next I made a few sudden moves with it.

It took a couple of weeks but she eventually accepted that I wasn't going to hurt her with it.

These days I can use a whip normally when I lunge her with no reaction at all, and I use a schooling whip to help direct her when she's learning something new. As yet I haven't carried one when I ride her, but that's more to do with my confidence issues than her, as if she had a bad reaction I'd more than likely panic and undo all the good work I've done!

Oh yes, and the whips still live on the same shelf in the stable! And they often fall or get knocked on to the floor but she doesn't care any more.
 
Just to clarify, I'm only doing groundwork at the moment - had been intending to lunge, but obviously that didn't happen... (she won't respond to voice commands unless you're on her or at her head :rolleyes: ) and also I look after her and her field mate for someone else - out 24/7, both are ex polo.

Did as was suggested, armed with had sturdy gloves and steel toe caps ( :p ) and took a short whip out into the field when I went to catch them, neither had any problem with that. Checked them all over, gave them a quick groom, proceeded to take the whip up to the horse - no reaction. Spoke softly and slowly whilst running the whip over her body, was able to touch her all over with no reaction... Same with her field mate.... So much for being whip shy :o

When I spoke to the owner after and told her about it, she was stunned. Horse has always gone bonkers with a whip of any size in the vicinity, turns out her previous owner was very whip-happy; he got penalized in numerous matches for over-use, and also used to smack her around the head and neck.. :mad:

We think that part of the reason she was so chilled about it was that I've been working with her for a few months now, so we've built up a bit of a relationship, plus last time I took a whip out to her (when she freaked out), I didn't belt her with it..

Thrilled to bits with the progress, wasn't expecting her to relax so quickly!! :D

Thanks everyone! x

P.S. Sorry for the essay... :o
 
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