NinjaPony
Well-Known Member
A good place to start would be a ban on whips in warm up rings or any level of competition; dressage, showjumping and eventing.
Should we ban whips??
- Thread starter SEL
- Start date
Hallo2012
Well-Known Member
banned in competition (with exceptions eg para riders, driving etc) yes
all out ban-no.
there are so many useful reason to have them,flies, dogs, sometimes i will use on the shoulder of a young horse to help guide it round (as a gentle pressure not a smack) and as someone who does a lot with young horses and stallions you do occasionally need a little tap to say hey listen, so it can be a safety item also.
for lunging it helps keep the horse put and also tracking forward in t the contact, and for teaching piaffe and passage little touches are really helpful.
as someone else said....ban the behavior
all out ban-no.
there are so many useful reason to have them,flies, dogs, sometimes i will use on the shoulder of a young horse to help guide it round (as a gentle pressure not a smack) and as someone who does a lot with young horses and stallions you do occasionally need a little tap to say hey listen, so it can be a safety item also.
for lunging it helps keep the horse put and also tracking forward in t the contact, and for teaching piaffe and passage little touches are really helpful.
as someone else said....ban the behavior
MagicMelon
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I think it'd be a big step forward. Or perhaps start it off so that you get extra points if you DON'T carry a whip or have spurs, something that makes it a big benefit to not do so. I personally havent worked spurs for years and never will. Wore them as a teenager at pony club because instructors encouraged me to. Theres too many "exceptions" people would make up otherwise, "oh I need it for safety" or whatever. I still remember the day a total stranger came up to me at a BE event after my XC round saying she was so impressed I was wearing such minimal tack (horse didnt need any extra to be fair, I wasnt trying to make any point) with a mild bit, no martingale, no spurs etc. I was proud even though it wasn't even particularly intentional. Should be rewarded though IMO.
Id love to see more encouragement and relaxing of rules to encourage bitless bridles too. Yes bitless bridles can still be bad, but surely they're at least a step in the right direction?
Id love to see more encouragement and relaxing of rules to encourage bitless bridles too. Yes bitless bridles can still be bad, but surely they're at least a step in the right direction?
Cortez
Tough but Fair
It is already not allowed to carry a whip in dressage competition, unless you are competing sidesaddle.
NinjaPony
Well-Known Member
Unless things have changed since I last competed BD, the only time you couldn’t carry a whip at the lower levels eg Novice was if it was a championship and even then you could still warm up with it. It’s been a while for me so the rule could have changed.
I’d like to see a blanket ban on whips in the warm up and ring across the board, not just dressage.
Kat
Well-Known Member
Noooo!
How else will I open/close the yard gate on my hack?
I always carry a whip, mainly to help with the gate, but also in case of out of control dogs or motorists or dropped gloves.
I never hit my horse. My whip only normally touches her to brush off a fly I can't reach with my hand, or to lay down her shoulder to ask her to step over with her forelegs only when we need to get into a small passing place.
Other less ethical uses include tapping the husband on the shoulder and denying it or tickling his ear and pretending it is a fly.
How else will I open/close the yard gate on my hack?
I always carry a whip, mainly to help with the gate, but also in case of out of control dogs or motorists or dropped gloves.
I never hit my horse. My whip only normally touches her to brush off a fly I can't reach with my hand, or to lay down her shoulder to ask her to step over with her forelegs only when we need to get into a small passing place.
Other less ethical uses include tapping the husband on the shoulder and denying it or tickling his ear and pretending it is a fly.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Blue loves the whip it’s a cleg remover .
Toby_Zaphod
Well-Known Member
Normally people report any misuse of a whip, spurs etc immediately because the whole idea is to save the horse from excess pain etc. This I can understand but this report I believe to be something more sinister. The incident that everyone seems to be incredibly over the top angry with happened 4 years ago. The person reporting this must have really been concerned with the welfare of the horse because it took 4 years to report. Then we also find out that it's reported about a week before the Olympics, now isn't that a coincidence? I think a little more investigation into this incident needs doing, don't you ? 
Cortez
Tough but Fair
Well, that's exactly what is happening, no? There is some dispute about when the incident occurred, 2.5 years or 4 years. And the timing of the complaint is irrelevant IMO.Normally people report any misuse of a whip, spurs etc immediately because the whole idea is to save the horse from excess pain etc. This I can understand but this report I believe to be something more sinister. The incident that everyone seems to be incredibly over the top angry with happened 4 years ago. The person reporting this must have really been concerned with the welfare of the horse because it took 4 years to report. The we also find out that it's reported about a week before the Olympics, now isn't that a coincidence? I think a little more investigation into this incident needs doing, don't you ?
scats
Well-Known Member
My whip out hacking is a horse fly swatter!
skinnydipper
Well-Known Member
Over the top angry?
I'm an animal lover but have little knowledge of horses so you'll have to excuse me if I get this wrong, it looked like inexcusable abuse to me.
TwyfordM
Well-Known Member
I don't think I've ever used a crop/short whip. I have ridden with a long/dressage whip, never hit a horse with it, and only ever used it as a back up for my leg, so a tap or a light brush with it if needed. I would rather that than a boot in the ribs for my horses.
I taught my horse to do the Spanish walk originally with a long whip, tickled her leg until she flicked it out (no more than she would with a stubborn fly to get it off) rewarded, and then eventually replaced whip with a hand signal.
I use a lunge whip when freeschooling/lunging. She goes off voice but it's a useful reminder for distance as she often cuts the corners without it. Again, no contact with the horse, it's a visual aid.
I taught my horse to do the Spanish walk originally with a long whip, tickled her leg until she flicked it out (no more than she would with a stubborn fly to get it off) rewarded, and then eventually replaced whip with a hand signal.
I use a lunge whip when freeschooling/lunging. She goes off voice but it's a useful reminder for distance as she often cuts the corners without it. Again, no contact with the horse, it's a visual aid.
Pedantic
Well-Known Member
Maybe if humans weren't such a******s in general, I always used a "crop" when riding my own (now retired) pony, it was used to re enforce my leg with a tap, not a smack or whipped, it was also safer when crossing busy roads, as when you needed to GO you needed to GO NOW, so a decent tap "if required" was safer if the "proper sqweeze" "NOT KICK" wasn't working, never ever needed to "whip" my lad, now I ride a friends mare, and have her on loan, she is frightened of men, so it's taken me a long time to get her trust, which I don't plan on losing, I hack her out without a crop, but I have used a crop in the menage with her for desensitizing work, such as hitting the side of the building panelling and fencing etc, and rubbing it over her body whilst riding, all for the purposes of trust building, anyone that doesn't know the difference between re enforcement and abuse maybe shouldn't be in the equestrian word at all.
Crops also useful when hacking for out of control dogs, mental car drivers, and sometimes humans.
Crops also useful when hacking for out of control dogs, mental car drivers, and sometimes humans.
ILuvCowparsely
Well-Known Member
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irishdraft
Well-Known Member
I always ride with a jumping crop, I have 3 gates to go thru for my hacking and always use the crop to hold the gate open. Also very useful for flies plus it makes me feel safer riding around on my own after I had an interesting incident many years ago but never forgotten. My mare will get the occasional tap on the shoulder usually to stop her constant browsing of hedgerows just because you carry a crop doesn't mean your beating up your horse.
scruffyponies
Well-Known Member
As a carriage driver - whip is an essential safety device to rebalance a horse which is bending away from something and keep the carriage moving straight. I once had a prang with a slow moving car which was could have been easily corrected if I had used the whip in the right place instead of trying to correct with the rein (you live and learn).
As a rider - I usually carry a whip, not least because my ride is entire. We don't need it. He's kind, responsive and well behaved in company. I carry it because it would be irresponsible not to. I give a light tap very occasionally if he is slow to respond to an aid, but mostly it gets used to indicate turns in traffic. He comes at the canter from the far corner of his 12 acre meadow; no food or treats required, so he must not consider me too much of a monster.
As a rider - I usually carry a whip, not least because my ride is entire. We don't need it. He's kind, responsive and well behaved in company. I carry it because it would be irresponsible not to. I give a light tap very occasionally if he is slow to respond to an aid, but mostly it gets used to indicate turns in traffic. He comes at the canter from the far corner of his 12 acre meadow; no food or treats required, so he must not consider me too much of a monster.
Charlotte.04
Member
If you find the lazy method let me know, its so guarded but I am incredibly curious!
Mrs G
Well-Known Member
I have always ridden my (naturally lazy) TB with a whip - I wouldn't get anywhere very quickly if I didn't - but only as a tap to back up my leg. I am teaching my niece to ride on him and I tell her too to use the whip if she needs to (again - with a light tap). For what its worth - she is actually very reluctant to use the whip - she has always had a gentle way with animals/other children (wherher this is a learnt behaviour or a natural response I don't know).
She is also very aware of the stories in the news about famous riders whipping/hitting horses - her and her horsey-friends at the riding school talk about it and all have expressed their horror of any kind of violence/cruelty to horses/animals - so maybe there is hope for the future?
She is also very aware of the stories in the news about famous riders whipping/hitting horses - her and her horsey-friends at the riding school talk about it and all have expressed their horror of any kind of violence/cruelty to horses/animals - so maybe there is hope for the future?
Toby_Zaphod
Well-Known Member
I think you should mention that dressage riders in the paralympics are permitted 2 whips. When you're riding a horse & you have legs that don' work the whips do a similar job as legs would do.
showjumper112M
Member
Oh yes... the Pony Club 'kick and smack' mentality certainly lives on!
I carry a whip with mine but barely ever use it (it's just that one if mine can be a bit lazy at times).
I was at PC eventing a while back and was quite shocked at how whip-happy some of the teenagers were, but then again those whips are padded I guess. It's different on the yard, however, as the same girls seem to be very heavy-handed and I notice they change back to their old-school whips which really do hurt there. Just the other day one of them whacked her pant over the jump but giving it two hard whacks on the bum.
Janique
Well-Known Member
A year ago, Switzerland decided to ban whips in flat racing, to show a better picture to the general public.
That caused most of the trainers, owners and jockeys to be angry, they all thought that it would be the end of racing...
Nearly everyone in the industry thought that it was a bad decisions.
Well, a year on, and everyone is happy !
The jockeys are used to it now and everyone as accepted the new rule, it makes me wonder what it wasn't banned before !
Change is always scary at first but i am so glad that they did it !
That caused most of the trainers, owners and jockeys to be angry, they all thought that it would be the end of racing...
Nearly everyone in the industry thought that it was a bad decisions.
Well, a year on, and everyone is happy !
The jockeys are used to it now and everyone as accepted the new rule, it makes me wonder what it wasn't banned before !
Change is always scary at first but i am so glad that they did it !
Jenko109
Well-Known Member
I'm all for banning whips in racing.
The idea of laying a whip across a horse who has just ran his heart out and is in the final exhausting stages of a race, just doesnt sit well with me.
The idea of laying a whip across a horse who has just ran his heart out and is in the final exhausting stages of a race, just doesnt sit well with me.
poiuytrewq
Well-Known Member
So to go against the grain, I had lessons on Ziggy with a lovely lady who would I imagine have been very anti whip.
We used a schooling whip to tell Zig what we wanted. As In we wanted him to bring his off hind under so I’d touch, literally that hind every stride.
We wanted him to go into trot bum under so we taught him to trot with a very light whip at the top of his tail. It worked.
He is very whip happy. In fact I can chill him
Out if he gets antsy by stroking between his ears and round his head with my schooling whip. He definitely doesn’t see it as punishment
We used a schooling whip to tell Zig what we wanted. As In we wanted him to bring his off hind under so I’d touch, literally that hind every stride.
We wanted him to go into trot bum under so we taught him to trot with a very light whip at the top of his tail. It worked.
He is very whip happy. In fact I can chill him
Out if he gets antsy by stroking between his ears and round his head with my schooling whip. He definitely doesn’t see it as punishment
4Hoofed
Well-Known Member
I think perhaps in non para competition, racing etc yes, but personally quite like my schooling whip as it’s good for making a sound if a car gets too close… I’m far to high up on big man for my foot to get involved for most cars. 
They do have their place schooling but it’s self control for people to not escalate and get out of control with them, and those people will not be a blind bit bothered by a ban and will continue with abusive practices behind close doors. Realistically unless we insist everyone must have a camera on every part of their yard you won’t stop the evil practices out there. All we can do is advocate and educate and hope.
They do have their place schooling but it’s self control for people to not escalate and get out of control with them, and those people will not be a blind bit bothered by a ban and will continue with abusive practices behind close doors. Realistically unless we insist everyone must have a camera on every part of their yard you won’t stop the evil practices out there. All we can do is advocate and educate and hope.
WuzzBred
Well-Known Member
No, Nay, Never. Each item has its place in the correct hands. Sadly I have seen other far worse items used in place of a whip and its the person at fault not the the item
Mrs B
Well-Known Member
No.
People do harm, not whips.
What you call the tool with which people inflict harm is simply semantics.
People do harm, not whips.
What you call the tool with which people inflict harm is simply semantics.