What to do with a whip shy horse

A horse you are riding spooks badly as you pass your whip from hand to hand. Do you:

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charmeroo said:
How about not passing it from hand to hand?

But if I had to chose - then I would say that I wouldn't carry one!
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OK I missed that one, but in terms of its effect on the horse then I count it as the same as putting the whip down if you want to vote.
 
Other - It depends on the horse.

ETA - If the horse needed a stick, it would start with one of those little jumping sticks that you can swap from side to side without the horse even seeing it happen.
 
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i used to have an incredibly whip shy horse (previously beaten) and you couldnt get within 20ft of him with a whip, if a horse doesnt like a whip then dont carry one whats the point your just gonna get a horse that is as scared of you as they were the person who used a whip in an innapropriate manner
 
Keep carrying a whip to desensitise it. Also look into why the horse is behaving like it is - is the rider carrying the whip badly so that it flaps in the view of the horse or as you often see with riders carrying a schooling whip it is too high on there leg and flicking the horse in the flanks with every step.
 
depends on the horse, how whip shy it is but have to say I'd prefer to have horse used to whips. To me its dangerous not to - anything can happen. Out at a show some thoughtless person could be waving a whip about or out hacking passing another horse, if a whip is flapping.
I prefer not to pussyfoot about my horses and would work on building their confidence up rather than avoiding everything they don't like. If I did that, I'd get no-where with my youngster as she was nervous and shaking at everything when I got her.
 
I voted hand to hand - I would work on this problem, but all my horses carry lances, polo mallets, polocrosse sticks and swords. So to get a well rounded, calm, happy horse you need to train them to accept all sorts!
 
Having been crushed against a stone barn when a horse reared up and over when I scratched my nose with a whip in my hand on a whip shy horse:o I wouldnt do so again!
Although it does help to know if the horse is whip shy- I found out afterwards he was a bit worried when his owner told me as I was been taken to hospital.....:rolleyes:
 
It depends on the horse. There is a horse I ride for an owner who you cannot get near if you have a whip, let alone get on board. The more you try, the more he panics. I got the ride on him as he bolts, and he is a very flighty horse (he broke my ankle the first time I rode him, when he bolted and jumped out the arena), 6 months on we have made so much progress I don't feel a need to start trying to get him used to the whip, he doesn't need one, and it has taken us a long time to build up the trust in each other. Once he has a upset he really hold's it against you for a long time.
 
Depends - if I needed a whip, then tough luck, horse would have to learn that the whip isnt a scary object, so I'd just carry it. If I didn't need one, I simply wouldn't bother! What's the point!?
 
My horse isn't whip shy as such bu is obviously very weary of it when I ride with one. When I change the whip over he usually puts his head up and speeds up for several strides and then calms down again when asked to slow down.

I think hitting the horse would make the situation worse.
 
Depends on the circumstances, but I might be inclined to back off a step or two and get the horse totally comfortable with a whip being carried around it (not in an enclosed space) and then on it before trying to swap it over, so having the whip swapped over becomes a smaller step.

Hitting the horse for something like this will only confirm to it that there is something to be scared of IMO.
 
I always tend to ride with one but would be less inclined to have one if the horse is whip shy. I would look at other avenues such as rubber topped spurs maybe (yes I know its a whole different argument)! ;)
 
i dont no what id do with any other horse but with mine if she has any problems with anything i desensitise her and never give up on anything so id do ground work to start with and then carry a whip and pass it slowly and safely
 
I always like to carry a whip when I ride, especially out hacking as a schooling whip keeps some distance between my horse and the traffic.

However my project mare is terrified of whips. I can wave a whip all over her on the ground but on board if I have a whip or even move my arm suddenly (flagging traffic to slow with my arm is out of the question) then she will panic. She has had a bad past and obviously had a bad hiding with a stick.

So with her I don't carry a whip, the arm waving is being sorted but I have tried carrying a 6 inch bit of twig as a stick and even that was too much for her.

As for hacking with others she is fine with my friends carrying sticks when on their horses.
 
I'd just carry a whip but I wouldn't drop it if the horse got worried and I wouldn't be swapping it from hand to hand either.

I have ridden a lot of horses where the owner says 'you can't carry a whip on him' but they have always been fine with me- I start with a short xc whip and work up to a longer whip if needed.
Also I only smack the whip against my leg/boot instead of the horse and you tend to get a much better reaction from the noise without needing to hit the horse.
 
My mare is a bit whipshy. I can carry a schooling whip with her to the arena to lunge her. Lunging whip is out of the question. I am currently desensitising her to the noise and feel (I.e tapping her and touching her with it all over so she realises it doesn't hurt!!)

No real reason for it bar shes probibily never had one carried on her before.
I wouldn't dare carry one on her either, I think I would be in the next village.. 6 miles away :o

If I need to do lateral work to make my aids clearer I use spurs. She seems to accept these fine so why upset her?

The only reason I use a schooling whip to lunge her is because on the lunge she is lazy! When ridden its a completely differant matter :D
 
Interesting how circumsatnces affect your opinion. I would always have said take time and care to desensitise the horse however I have been riding my friends mare who is incredibly whipshy and the only way to cope with her is no stick. So thats my vote she has panic attacks and there no real benefit in upsetting this little mare.
 
I had a horse that was previousually beaten (poor mite :( ) and I used to tie carrots on the dangley end of it and sit in his field for ages with a bag if treats and the whip just laying on the floor. I would throw a carrot closer and closer to me until he came up to the one on the whip when on floor. I would keep doing this and every time I would raise the whip off the ground slightly until he was able to touch it. Then when he was comfy with that I wound tie him up and rub it up and down his neck, each time, he gets a treat. Then I would sit on him (tacked up ready to ride) I got someone to do the rubbing on neck with whip and slowly pass the whip to me and then I would slowly pass it over his neck and rub the other side. Eventually he got used to it (after about 1 month) but still to this day I have to be careful in what I do with it and have to make sure there's no kids running around with whips. But he is very good with it now and even tries to eat it :rolleyes:

JTA; I wouldn't carry one if I didn't have to but it was a matter if getting him used to it or have a seriousually nappy horse that could get away with murder!
GTC
 
My horse was very whip shy and I started by carrying a twig!!! Looked very silly:D Then progressed to longer twigs and small branches, then a short jumping stick. Next a childs dressage stick and eventually a full lenght dressage stick. I can now wave it around without the any reaction in fact he now ignores it completely!!!:D
 
i wouldn't carry one until i'd done some work desensitizing on the ground first, but i don't ride with a whip anyway;), i wear spurs on my big girl and don't need a whip on the other:p
 
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