School horse spooking when i change my whip over...what am i doing wrong

[sl114]

Hi All, so this is my first proper post on here...apart from my hello post...and i keep having trouble with my school horse while changing my whip over.

I am using a short whip, which looks like this...

and every time i am in trot, change direction so have to swap the whip over, the horse bolts, bucks and a number of other things due to being spooked by me changing the whip from one hand to another.

He does not do this while walking, just in trot. Ive not dared do it in canter just yet as i want to make sure that he is ok in trot first, plus as i am only new to riding (6 months) i dont want him to do something that throws me off or hurts him or me.

When changing hands, i just pull it out of one with the other as you would a short whip, so the only thing i can imagine is that he sees the small bit of leather at the end and it freaks him out, but then why does he not do this while walking?

This morning i spent a good 15 minutes walking and changing the whip from one hand to the other as well as while in trot, but he just couldnt get use to it in trot and every time spooked. I kept reassuring him after wards and showing him what i did, but that didnt seem to help.

If anyone has had this experience before and know why, it would be good to hear from you.

Louis

 

[AFlapjack]

He sounds very similar to my boy.

Whenever I had my whip in my left hand he would scuttle forward/spook etc., he has slowly got used to it so just assumed he was never previously ridden with whip in left hand.

He is also terrified of the lunge whip if I'm holding it whilst leading him to the arena etc. but once he's lunging I can crack the whip all I like and he doesn't care!

Interesting to hear more about it, I never really understood why he's like it so other people may have a better idea.

 

[sl114]

Thats interesting, so your was just in the left hand?

Mine is when i change hands and i have tried all the different ways but has the same result...spooky Solomon. All i can think is that he sees the leather end and thinks it something coming towards him, so i am going to try a thinner dressage whip and see if it makes a difference.

Its only with me though it seems, all the other instructors do not have the same problem, but no one uses a short whip.

I will keep you posted.

 

[AFlapjack]

Thats interesting, so your was just in the left hand?

Mine is when i change hands and i have tried all the different ways but has the same result...spooky Solomon. All i can think is that he sees the leather end and thinks it something coming towards him, so i am going to try a thinner dressage whip and see if it makes a difference.

Its only with me though it seems, all the other instructors do not have the same problem, but no one uses a short whip.

I will keep you posted.

It probably didn't help that I first held it in my right hand when warming up and when I changed hands to the left he spooked but I couldn't warm up holding it in my left hand to being with because he would be soooo tense, really odd.

Have you tried changing hands like you do with a longer whip, like moving it up in an arch over his withers? Instead of pulling it forwards towards his head. As you say it might be the 'forward' motion which he doesn't like and if others don't have a problem with it because they use longer whips it may well be the way you're changing hands?

 

[sl114]

It probably didn't help that I first held it in my right hand when warming up and when I changed hands to the left he spooked but I couldn't warm up holding it in my left hand to being with because he would be soooo tense, really odd.

Have you tried changing hands like you do with a longer whip, like moving it up in an arch over his withers? Instead of pulling it forwards towards his head. As you say it might be the 'forward' motion which he doesn't like and if others don't have a problem with it because they use longer whips it may well be the way you're changing hands?

I tried that today as i thought it may work but alas, he spooked still. He is a very spooky horse. I hung his rug up in the corner by the mounting block today and for the first time round that corner he wouldnt go near it. So i had to take him all the way up to it and show him what it was.

 

[AFlapjack]

I tried that today as i thought it may work but alas, he spooked still. He is a very spooky horse. I hung his rug up in the corner by the mounting block today and for the first time round that corner he wouldnt go near it. So i had to take him all the way up to it and show him what it was.

Oh bless him! Let me know how you get on with him.

 

[JustKickOn]

The leather loop is only so you can hang it up, I always cut those bits off my whips as they irritate me when riding. Saying that, I don't often bother to change my whip over (big long schooling one) unless I am on a serious schooling mission.
When you are changing your whip over, you're not catching him in the mouth at all are you?

 

[Chico Mio]

One of mine does this when OH rides him...I think he lifts his hand too high when transferring. With a short crop I tend to grasp the stock with the 'new' hand; slide the whip forward along the side of the neck until the end clears the original hand and then slot it back down the other side of my body, trying not to lift my hands to high. The whip is always pointing backwards and he never seems to notice it. OH tends to lift the whip almost vertically over the withers, from one side to the other (reins in one hand) and that is when the horse jumps.

The long schooling whip I have to 'cartwheel' over the withers, which he doesn't seem to notice, again because I think hands are always kept low.

 

[sl114]

Alice - I will let you know

Chico mio - it may be the way I am doing it and while in rising trot I extend my hands too much. I will look at that one. The leather loop is cut off, I am referring to the leather loop at the end of the whip.

Lizzie - I don't believe I am catching him in the mouth and the whip doesn't touch him at all.

 

[Tammytoo]

Do you need a whip? My little mare was like this, no matter how I tried to change the whip from one hand to the other she shot forward. I had got into the habit of carrying a whip, so I abandoned it and never had a problem. I n fact I haven't carried a whip for 20 years now with 3 different horses.

 

[sl114]

That's a good point. He is very lazy and as a school horse for a beginner he is only 7 and not very forward. The whip helps a lot as he is not responsive at all until I have it in my hand.
Maybe I need to start to ride without one and keep practicing without a whip and just rely on my leg.

 

[Tammytoo]

You say he is a school horse, but are you having a lesson on him or are you schooling him yourself? There is a little trick that might help making him more responsive to you, but if he is not yours and is used for lots of other riders it might not be acceptable.

You have to have a secure seat for this! As you are walking along give him a squeeze to trot if he ignores you, lift your legs right off the saddle and bring them down hard. In theory this will give him a shock and he will leap forward, so be ready and hang onto the neck strap! You should find that next time you will only have to lift your legs a little and he will respond and then work back down to a squeeze.

 

[9tails]

Gosh, Tammytoo, that's a bit agricultural. Sure, I've given a reminder dig if a horse is unresponsive to two asks, but only with heels. Not a full on double leg body slam.

 

[Happy Hunter]

ditto others - I would try to ride without the whip.

If hes a 'beginners' horse why is he so spooky?!?!

Get your instructor to help. they will be able to help with your leg position and leg aids so they are clear and get response ffrom the horse.

 

[sl114]

You say he is a school horse, but are you having a lesson on him or are you schooling him yourself? There is a little trick that might help making him more responsive to you, but if he is not yours and is used for lots of other riders it might not be acceptable.

You have to have a secure seat for this! As you are walking along give him a squeeze to trot if he ignores you, lift your legs right off the saddle and bring them down hard. In theory this will give him a shock and he will leap forward, so be ready and hang onto the neck strap! You should find that next time you will only have to lift your legs a little and he will respond and then work back down to a squeeze.

Hi, i am having lessons on him. I do something similar at the start of the lesson as he is always unresponsive to start, however if i start the lesson with the yes yes attitude he is always forward and does what i need him to.

 

[sl114]

ditto others - I would try to ride without the whip.

If hes a 'beginners' horse why is he so spooky?!?!

Get your instructor to help. they will be able to help with your leg position and leg aids so they are clear and get response ffrom the horse.

I am going to give this a go next week when i have my next lesson and see how i get on.

I have no idea why he is a beginners horse due to the fact that he is young and spooky, however it may explain why others dont like riding him...annoyingly i have grown a soft spot for him and we connect really well. I do however mix up my horses every other week so that i learn on a different horse thus getting to grips with different traits.

 

[AprilBlossom]

I'd ask your instructor as they will know the horse and, in theory, should be remedying your prol with instruction during your lesson. Request the same horse and make a point of mentioning this issue at beginning of lesson so your instructor can observe and advise

 

[sl114]

So a bit of an update on this...

I spoke to my riding school owner today and she said that it is probably the way i raise the whip and the horse senses it and gets spooked that i am going to hit him on the neck or face. She said i should use a longer schooling whip and keep it a lot closer to my body so that the horse does not notice it at all.

So I tried this today while in walk and everything was fine, then tried again in trot and not a flutter. Solomon (the horse) was un-phased by it and kept on going.

Problem seems to be solved, but i will still keep an eye on it just in case.

Thanks for all your comments.

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

Gosh, Tammytoo, that's a bit agricultural. Sure, I've given a reminder dig if a horse is unresponsive to two asks, but only with heels. Not a full on double leg body slam.

I've used this 'pony club' method for a very slow to respond horse before. The idea is you don't nag with your leg- that's when it hurts and bruises them through RSI and constant moving- you ask once and the horse keeps going.

OP in your case I would keep the whip in one hand- his weaker side, or your weaker side- which ever one you need the most support with.

 

[rotters13]

My horse did this. He was very spooky chap as always thought we were going to attack him with it or something. Meant out hacking I just wondered and changed it randomly, now I can change it cross country and only have a v v minor spook out of excitement. I'll always be careful with it though!