Newbie question on the whip

[earthchild]

How and where is the whip used? How do you use it without interfering with the reins?

 

[Jules]

I am SO the worst person to answer this as I am so new.

I found it goofy at first to hold my whip 'up' as I kept wanting to have it running down,cross and away from me like I do with a dressage whip when riding. After the first half dozen ground drives though, it felt better.

I carry it at maybe 45 degrees? I don't tend to need it much. I use it to compliment my voice/rein commands if my horse needs more prompting. So say I am asking for a turn to the left and he is not responding as well as he needs to, I use the lash of the whip to give him a little tickle on the off-side, which he knows to move away from.

When halter training him (he was completely unhandled when I got him in Jan,- we had to 'run' him up into the trailer

) I did it all while using the voice commands I would be using later for driving. I find he responds really well now that we are ground driving, so the whip is really not necessary. Also at that early handling point I also carried the whip and used as an extension of my arm to move him around for grooming to get him used to moving away from it.

I have only ever given him one decent 'whack' as he threw a tantrum in one of our early sessions as he wanted to stay and attempt to eat grass and I did not share that goal of his He did some pretty impressive plunging about/jumping up and down on the spot/rearing/bucking, so I gave him a singular quick whack with the whip and he moved promptly on out of his 'tantie', never had him do anything like that since, so I think my response and use of the whip must have been judicious.

So that is a rather newbie perspective, hopefully someone else comes along as I might be so wrong

 

[earthchild]

It just seems to me, if you are holding a rein in each hand and the whip in your right, when you go to use the whip, you will be applying some type of action on the rein, thus the bit. So lets say I'm at a standstill and want to walk. I use the verbal cue, "walk." If nothing happens, do I put both reins in the left hand, repeat "walk" and touch the horse behind the saddle or do I keep the reins in both hands? What if you are working on a turn and use the whip for reinforcement, like a leg cue? Any movement of the right hand to apply the whip would interact with the rein cue, would it not? I know all of this sounds crazy, but I have no one around here to ask. They just shake the reins and cluck to them to walk or go faster.

 

[Sandee]

I'm no expert at this as the use of the whip, to me, is the hardsest part of driving to learn. You are correct about using it to reinforce your turn or bends as you would your leg and to reinforce the verbal cues if the horse ignores you. However, I have not mastered that skill. I have been told that you need to learn to keep the rein in the same position and somehow flex or bend your wrist to use the whip. It's in my head but NOT my hands, yet!

I also know that in the breed shows we have been told by "driving trainers" to hold our whips at a 90 degree (straight up) position. It's more difficult to use at this position. In ADS I believe they carry their whips across their body at an angle or tipped slightly forward so the wrist doesn't have so far to turn.

Good luck and maybe someone else can descibe this better.

 

[Jules]

Hmm good question about the rein movement in the whip hand. I hadn't thought about or noticed it at all, as I would always carry a dressage whip when riding so am accustomed to having it in my hand and using it to give an aid, so it seems like second nature...except for holding it up rather than down part

I just looked at pics of me long reining and the whip does seem to be somewhere in the 45-80 ish degree range, but that is total newbie use, so I have just gone with what is comfy. Think I may look at images today online and see what is the 'done' thing, beats writing an essay

 

[disneyhorse]

I don't really use the whip in the show ring, but I do carry one, so I usually will carry it "straight up" to deter its use as well as make an overall attentive "look".

When driving a green horse or around the trails where I might need to apply it, I'll carry it more 45 degree angle so it's ready when I need it. You can kind of rotate your wrist without snatching your horse in the mouth with practice, and this is where a rein board comes in mighty handy.

 

[MiLo Minis]

The correct position to hold a carriage whip is at 10 oclock when seen from the side and 11 oclock when seen from the drivers point of view. It should be held in your right hand. A well balanced whip will be pretty much weightless when held just below the top of the ferrule or handle. You don't actually "hold" the whip but rather carry it between your thumb and first finger where it balances nicely. Your hands should be held in a relaxed position which will tip your fists in towards each other. If you tip your hand up straight the whip will fall/slip through. If your hand gets sore from holding the whip it is likely not a good, nicely balnced whip or you are holding it too firmly.

 

[Sue_C.]

MiLo Minis I need that "like" button...LOL!