Whip/crop/stick - Outdated or legitimate aid?

Skib said:
If one shares, one has little choice. We have to adapt to all sorts of tack and equipment according to the owner and the horse. My old share was hacked out with a schooling whip and she hated dogs. I was happy wirth that. But my current share must not be ridden with a schooling whip, It has to be a short crop.

When I was little, my brother was allowed to ride and I was not. He had a horn handled riding crop.
I was so envious.
But these days is the horn thought to be a good thing?
I have considered buying one but then thought it was silly.
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Buy a vintage one if the use of animal products upsets you as it's then already harvested etc and you are simply recycling them. Or buy a deer antler one as I believe they are naturally shed, although with a second hand crop you woudn't be able to verify method of harvest. There are plenty on Ebay, horn and bamboo
 
I carry one for gates and branches mostly. Recently broke my school whip (bit too bendy to open gates, but used to use the knob on the end to help close them) so I bought a short but stiff crop with a good sized, secure knob on the end (I am entirely aware of how that entire sentence sounds :oops:) and it does a good job.

I keep thinking a hunting cane with an antler on the end would be so handy for gates, but then it seems like a lot to carry and organize in my small hands!
 
I carry a long schooling whip for flatwork and ground work - if it is used it is a light tap only to back up the leg or tap the shoulder for lift. On road work I carry a hi viz schooling whip to encourage drivers to pass as wide as possible.
 
Thank you yes, I have gazed at horn handled sticks for years.
I am not worried about deer being killed. I ride in a deer park and the deer are culled every year. I have supermarket venison in the freezer even now, waiting to be turned into a pie.

The deer are important to the conservation of parkland. They crop the grass and create the hay meadows and grassland. They graze off the lower branches of trees and sapplings (unless they are fenced) giving oaks and other trees that iconic shape.
 
Skib said:
Thank you yes, I have gazed at horn handled sticks for years.
I am not worried about deer being killed. I ride in a deer park and the deer are culled every year. I have supermarket venison in the freezer even now, waiting to be turned into a pie.

The deer are important to the conservation of parkland. They crop the grass and create the hay meadows and grassland. They graze off the lower branches of trees and sapplings (unless they are fenced) giving oaks and other trees that iconic shape.
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No deer have to die in order for you to have an antler-handled hunting crop, the antlers either drop off annually or are sawn off, either way they regrow.
 
The whip, crop, stick etc are there to reinforce the aids you are applying & should never be used to 'punish' the horse you are riding. I also believe that young children should never carry a crop & certainly not spurs either.
 
bouncing_ball said:
I hack with a padded racing whip. It makes a noise and you can feel it, but it’s really hard to cause pain with it. I’ve tried on myself. You need to REALLY use it hard to be at all painful.
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I tried this too and sometimes hack with a padded whip. What I do find though is that they don't make as much os a 'swishing' sound as a regular riding whip. One particular horse I ride responds to the sound of a couple of swishes (I very rarely actually touch him with it) and finds it easy to ignore the padded whip. Strange!
 
I usually carry a schooling whip, it’s automatic the same as wearing a hat. I don’t expect to use it but useful for moving branches out of the way, trying to open gates etc or thanking drivers. I have noticed people tend to use / carry less than they used to. Perhaps it’s one of the ‘new’ ways of life. Not relevant but we also were expected to wear a hair net under our riding hats. You weren’t considered tidy without one.
 
I have a wayward leg (sometimes it doesn’t move when I think I’m using it) and on the rare occasions that I school, I carry a dressage whip to touch behind the saddle if my aid was unclear. Can’t think of another situation in which I would carry one.
 
Cortez said:
Like so many things, it's all about how you use it (or don't, as the case may be). It's a tool not a weapon, and should be a very delicate one at that. Used to refine and 'point' the aids, and yes as a reprimand if needed, but never to hurt the horse.
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My feelings exactly.Like spurs.Can be used,nothing wrong with that but NOT abused.Sadly too often you see both abused.
 
MagicMelon said:
I stopped carrying a whip years ago after questioning why I needed one. I do feel its punishment, as much as people say oh no its for encouragement / emphasising the aids or whatever I feel those are just excuses. Too many times I see people at events getting mad and using the stick in anger, how is that acceptable. I wish these days that you got extra marks in all disiplines if you DONT carry a whip or need spurs etc. Saying a whip doesnt cause pain, well of course it does. It must cause some discomfort or the horse wouldn't respond to it. Ive competed to CIC* and 1.20 BS without a whip and never regretted it. If my horse stops at a jump, I know its my fault either I rode badly or didnt train well enough but I see people who just start smacking their horses, and they clearly do it often as the horse starts going nuts as soon as they've refused just waiting for the smack. I definately dont think kids should see it as the norm to carry whips, they shouldnt be allowed at pony club etc. We need to stop this mentality of the automatic carrying of one, the basic should be that you DONT carry one.

I will admit that I do have a lunge whip which I do keep in my trailer for my current horse who isnt great at loading. He's not hit with it by any means (dont think you can really hit with a lunge whip) but just tapping him on his hind legs seems to make him pick his legs up enough to move forward (and hopefully into the trailer), however I hate doing this and feel its a big failure on my training so I will be working on the issue with clicker training. The fact I dont want to be standing about still trying to load after an hour after a tiring event is really no excuse for it.

I dont have any issues with people carrying schooling whips for hacking though as of course they can be handy for fending off loose chasing dogs etc.
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I see your point and have seen whips used as weapons rather than as aids.At top level too.
 
Haven't read the other replies but here's my two cents.

I would much rather give a few sharper taps than kick a horse senseless.
BUT - growing up I have definitely overused a whip, partly because I was young and a little annoyed at how behind my leg/naughty pony was/was being. It's not something I'm proud of and something I think I learnt from a certain yard I was on where this was the culture. If I didn't have access to a stick, it wouldn't have happened.

I therefore think it should be like any aid/tool that has the potential to cause harm (spurs, draw reins, chifney, strong bits), something that should be used as an adult or under adult supervision.
 
I love a schooling whip. Ride with one pretty much all the time. A well timed flick works wonders backing up the leg aid.
I actually don’t really compete now with a baton as got to stage where if I was xc and horse stopped or ran out that if I couldn’t resolve it with riding it slightly differently or with my leg aids then I would pull up. I would see it as a training issue I need to resolve. I hate people slapping shoulders so never done that. I have definitely changed my views a lot and how I do things. Tbh don’t really tell horses off anymore and just improve my training. I tell them off on the ground far more about manners etc using a whip as an extension of my arm to move them about or I use the rope to shift them and move them backwards.
 
It is definitely a legitimate aid and a safety device … it is an extension of your arm I couldn’t imagine working a young horse in hand without a whip. Be clear this is not to hit them but as an extension of the arm so you can reach them to guide without having to get yourself too close or move away from the head end etc if you need to stay there.
 
MagicMelon said:
I wouldnt mind at all if they banned whips for all disiplines/competing. So many people 100% shouldnt be anywhere near one, they use it as a weapon.
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That's a reflection on poor teaching more than anything. A dressage whip, a lunge whip, a sidesaddle cane, a piaffe/inhand whip, all are invaluable training tools.
 
I don’t think you can train without a whip .
I always carry one to hack usually a dressage one .
Hot horses often rarely need a whip in the school and I do school without whips some of the time because if the horse is going to compete at dressage at a decent level you need to ride without one in the arena .
I have bought a few whip shy horses they have all got over it when training is clear and presented simply to the horse they understand the use of whip and don’t fear it.
 
I ride with a whip and usually use it to tap my boot to make a noise to get the horse attention if he's fixating on something, also to tap his neck if he grabs at grass or grass better than pulling his mouth.
 
A whip is a great tool for straightening the horse who likes to lose straightness through the shoulder and fall out
With a horse like this I will use a short jumping whip and tap the horses shoulder so much better to tap the shoulder which is a clear correction, this bit you fool .
When younger I used to swing my leg forward and tap the horses shoulder with the inside of my heel.
It’s a clear cue for horse and much better than than using rein.
 
I always carry one when riding a stallion. You never know. I'd consider it negligent to ride without.
On Saturday we rode through a gipsy encampment and their pretty little mare was tethered right next to the road. He was VERY interested.
Would he have gone past nicely without; probably. Was it safer to use a light tap and a little growl to keep his focus; absolutely.
 
Nasicus said:
I carry one for gates and branches mostly. Recently broke my school whip (bit too bendy to open gates, but used to use the knob on the end to help close them) so I bought a short but stiff crop with a good sized, secure knob on the end (I am entirely aware of how that entire sentence sounds :oops:) and it does a good job.

I keep thinking a hunting cane with an antler on the end would be so handy for gates, but then it seems like a lot to carry and organize in my small hands!
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I totally think there is a market for a hi viz schooling whip with an antler/handle on the end. It would be very useful.
 
I carry a neon schooling whip when hacking, it helps gets some distance between me and impatient drivers. I confess I‘ve smacked the roof of a car with it when they got too close on a single track lane, the horse I was riding was halfway up the verge but they couldn’t wait the five seconds to get his hindquarters out the way.

I carry a short padded racing whip if I’m jumping at the RS.
 
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