schooling whips, Carl Hester and BD

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doubledutch

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He says he never starts his horses off using one as you can't use them at a high level/finals. I looked it up and you can't use a whip in bd regional finals or championships, So why do people aiming for this use them? my mare has learnt quickly that she can drop me when there is no whip carried, this is exactly the reason behind carls thinking according to demo i saw on youtube.
 
I use one 'cos my legs aren't strong enough and I sometimes need a bit of help, so touch behind the leg (no more than that or I'd be eating dirt :o).

Obvisouly if I were a rider of Carl's calibre then I would have far better legs and not need the help.
 
I went to watch training at his yard and also found this interesting that they dont use whips, they tend to use a very sharp boot forward if they drop behind the leg and then let them fly away so they learn to move forward with minimal request I suppose.
Must be something to be said for it as every horse I saw ridden there was sharp, forward and waiting for the next aid which is more than I can say for mine!
 
Well if they are not allowed at finals and the upper levels then agree you would if at all possible not train with one - from my experience they know when you are carrying a whip even if you never use it.

I recall an article quoting much the same from Emile Faurie.
 
Phillipe Karl uses them, Carl Hester doesn't, I would die of happiness if I rode half as well as either of them, each to their own I suppose. Just different ways of having a higher phase to go to when the lightest aid doesn't achieve the desired response.
 
you aren't allowed them for eventing dressage either. i don't carry one partly for this reason- partly also because my horse doesn't really like them- he responds much better to spurs than a long whip.... it never seemed worth getting him used to a whip as couldn't use it in my tests
 
Carl likes sharp horses.

He wouldnt be competing a horse that isnt forward thinking and sharp of the leg, so the whip can be kept for teaching piaffe etc..
 
I only use a whip for hacking. Lilly still hasn't learnt that the pigeon/shadow/white gate won't eat her, and I'd rather have and use a whip than end up in front of a lorry. Don't use on to school, as it's safe to have a little argument there lol!
 
Aren't allowed for eventing....? Whoops, I used one the other day and stewards never said anything!?!! I never used to until we started some lateral work and he wasn't respecting my leg/ moving away from it enough. Only had to use it firmly two or three times and now he's got the idea!! FWIW my trainer has ridden at the highest classical levels in Spain and she advocates carrying one at all times when practising etc!
 
Hels_Bells said:
Aren't allowed for eventing....? Whoops, I used one the other day and stewards never said anything!?!! I never used to until we started some lateral work and he wasn't respecting my leg/ moving away from it enough. Only had to use it firmly two or three times and now he's got the idea!! FWIW my trainer has ridden at the highest classical levels in Spain and she advocates carrying one at all times when practising etc!
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You can use one to warm up, but if you rode the test with one, you should have been E! At national level you can ride round the arena with one as long as you drop it before you enter at A, at FEI level (I haven't heard this has changed but stand to be corrected) then if you enter the area round the arena with a whip then you lose 2 marks from each judge.
 
I also don't carry one on the flat due to not being able to use one for eventing. I have a fairly young horse and school over jumps with my schooling whip, not so I can batter him, more so that I can tap him without taking a hand off the rein into a fence. He's quite sensitive to the whip and schooling with one on the flat makes him rush and panic. I def couldn't take one into warm up because I'm a dozy mare and I would end up E for taking it into the arena.
 
He does use them if he needs to.

I have seen him use a schooling whip on a youngster before. Also he has whip racks in both his indoor and outdoor schools with schooling whips in and longer whips for teaching piaffe.
 
I dont use a schooling whip at all, mainly because you cant use them at Regionals. I do use them for Piaffe work & in hand work though, but seeing as my Avd horse wont be doing Piaffe or passage work for quite some time my whips are well retired.
 
I find them annoying and get in the way when schooling. If my horse is being slow off the leg (which is rare) I'll pick it up for a little bit but then put it down again once he's responsive. Same with SJ I'll only carry a whip in the ring never had to use it but it's always there just in case.
 
wispagold said:
He does use them if he needs to.

I have seen him use a schooling whip on a youngster before. Also he has whip racks in both his indoor and outdoor schools with schooling whips in and longer whips for teaching piaffe.
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Yes, and then puts them back in the rack when he doesnt.
 
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