nich4
Member
I’ve started loaning a horse who is on working livery at a riding school (owned by them) and he can be quite lazy when I'm schooling him on my own (bit more forward in a group lesson) particularly on the 'bad' rein. I get a grunt when I have to use a sharp leg aid and not much of a positive forward reaction. I've started to hold a schooling whip when riding and generally just having it there he is much more forward and it feels like he's using his back end much better and he is starting to come round and into the contact nicely at times - i'm also learning so this isn't consistent yet. In a session I may need to tap him once or twice but he generally is much better for me just having the whip in my hand. I think being used in the school albeit for the more experienced riders has made him a little dead to the leg and i'm probably asking for more circles etc than he is used to to try and supple him. I feel it's kinder to give a tap and have him going forward and into the contact as he generally has gone around with his head in the air and has quite a lot of muscle on the underside of his neck so i'm trying to get him to use himself properly and hopefully become more balanced and supple, HOWEVER I was told by an instructor there that I need to learn to push him on from my leg rather than having the whip and feel that I may be being viewed negatively for using a schooling whip. I literally come out of the school sweating without the whip and the session will have been him mainly dragging himself around the school and I don't feel like it has been beneficial for him or me. I agree that the leg aid should be given first (then backed up with the whip if the response isn't forward) but I would hope that over time he would learn to listen to my leg aid? Long post but am I doing the wrong thing? Should I ditch the whip?