What is the average length of whip for Driving?

[ruffian]

"Do officials at a breed show actually hold the lash out horizontally to measure it?" Yes, that is how it would be measured if there was a question or protest.

Cool photos - looks like you are having fun!

 

[Sue_C.]

Myrna, I really don't believe that the whip you're using would be allowed in an AMHA or R show. I've always been told that the length of the whip with the lash laid out flat should not extend beyond the shoulder of the horse.

Depending upon the cart used; it doesn't reach past her horse's shoulder in that blue cart...even were she to hold it straight out. You can also get a 12" "soft" lash as well, it needen't be 24".

I think another very important thing we have been discussing here is not only how long a whip should be, but what it is actually FOR, and how it is supposed to be used...not just carried because one has to, or to go "giddy-up".

 

[RhineStone]

Myrna, I really don't believe that the whip you're using would be allowed in an AMHA or R show. I've always been told that the length of the whip with the lash laid out flat should not extend beyond the shoulder of the horse.

Depending upon the cart used; it doesn't reach past her horse's shoulder in that blue cart...even were she to hold it straight out. You can also get a 12" "soft" lash as well, it needen't be 24".

I think another very important thing we have been discussing here is not only how long a whip should be, but what it is actually FOR, and how it is supposed to be used...not just carried because one has to, or to go "giddy-up".

Thank you, Sue. I was beginning to feel like I wasted my time altogether!

My husband already feels like I waste my time posting on this forum because we are carriage drivers and not breed show drivers.

Like I said before, I have a whip with a 52" shaft with an 8" "soft" lash. The problem is that it has very little "flick", which is why I let the kids use it at the shows. I don't like it, and it was an expensive "mistake" to purchase. It won't do what I need it to do.

IMO, it is for people that don't know how to use a whip.

My whole purpose in posting on this thread was to help people understand how and why we use a whip when driving. It might have a bearing on how you measure the whip. A lot of breed show rules and exhibitors tend to dictate against "properly" using a whip, and for reasons unbeknownst to me. I have yet to have somebody explain a good reason why most breed show whips are the way they are other than "that is how the Arabs (et al) do it". That is not a logical reason. I was hoping that by shedding some light on why we use a whip the way we do, that somewhere along the line, somebody "important" would get the notion to change the system. I know, it's a long shot, and the reason that my husband thinks my posting is a waste of time.

But in the mean time, if somebody got some good use out of it, I am happy. I don't spend a lot of time on threads that aren't driving-related, and usually don't post just to congratulate someone for something if someone already did. I don't like to "repeat" what has already been said. However, my "payoff" is when I can help especially new drivers, since I remember what it was like to be one myself years ago.

Myrna

 

[RhineStone]

Yes, my new whip that I will be using this coming season is one like Myrna's. I really like it, much better that my old ones. It is unfortunate that no one at ALL around here carries these whips, and I really hated to order one from far away, to find I didn't like the balance or "feel", but I think I will be very happy with it.

Sue, where did you get your new whip?

 

[Reble]

Yes, my new whip that I will be using this coming season is one like Myrna's. I really like it, much better that my old ones. It is unfortunate that no one at ALL around here carries these whips, and I really hated to order one from far away, to find I didn't like the balance or "feel", but I think I will be very happy with it.

Sue, where did you get your new whip?

Yes, I would also like to know? Thank you all for your help.

I am learning and seeing does also help.

 

[Relic]

Well l found all that interesting l read everything you write on driving you explain it so well so don't stop...

for AMHA driving we've always used a 36" with either a 4 or 8" lash depending on the size of the horse.

 

[RhineStone]

I just checked Paul's Harness Shop or phssaddlery.com and they stock a 45" mini whip with a 10" lash. There are other sizes available, too.

 

[RhineStone]

Yes, I would also like to know? Thank you all for your help. I am learning and seeing does also help.

Well l found all that interesting l read everything you write on driving you explain it so well so don't stop...

for AMHA driving we've always used a 36" with either a 4 or 8" lash depending on the size of the horse.

Aw, thanks guys!

That makes me feel much better! My husband and I literally had an argument the other night about my time here, so that really means a lot!

He didn't think that I made that big of a difference, and I have felt pretty bad about it today.

Myrna

 

[susanne]

Myrna, Don't even consider not posting -- I'll hunt you down and string you up if you do. There are at least a few of us here who love carriage/ADS driving, and I for one enjoy absorbing all that you have to say.

Breed show driving (with minis as well as other breeds) is not about driving as much as it is halter class in motion. It's not about correct or traditional driving techniques or turnouts; instead, it is simply another way of presenting the horse and showing its movement and conformation. It simply is what it is (prom dresses and all...).

That said, since we have no ADS pleasure shows anywhere close, I do wish the breed shows would include a few traditional driving classes...dressage, reinsmanship or whatever.

 

[RhineStone]

Myrna, Don't even consider not posting -- I'll hunt you down and string you up if you do. There are at least a few of us here who love carriage/ADS driving, and I for one enjoy absorbing all that you have to say.
Breed show driving (with minis as well as other breeds) is not about driving as much as it is halter class in motion. It's not about correct or traditional driving techniques or turnouts; instead, it is simply another way of presenting the horse and showing its movement and conformation. It simply is what it is (prom dresses and all...).

That said, since we have no ADS pleasure shows anywhere close, I do wish the breed shows would include a few traditional driving classes...dressage, reinsmanship or whatever.

Thanks Susanne. I'm sure you'll hunt me down someday in our gallivants around the nation, but I'd rather not be strung up! LOL

The Arabs (which on another thread it was "assumed" that the minis were being "patterned" after) have started carriage driving classes at their Sport Horse shows. That might be something for minis to consider. That would DEFINITELY have an impact on the number of exhibitors at mini breed shows, as where else to mini drivers have to exhibit? Especially in the NW!

That's another whole thread.....

 

[Sterling]

I have been reading this thread and other driving threads with much pleasure. Myrna, I have not mentioned this before, and altho it's been on the tip of my tongue, I thought now would be as good a time as any to tell you that I have enjoyed your posts and all that you have shared with this forum. Please let your hubby know that many of us don't consider your input a waste of time or it going by the wayside.

I for one am thrilled that you share your knowledge with us here.

 

[targetsmom]

I will also add my thanks to Myrna for great posts, but that wasn't all I had to say.

This will likely be a totally different perspective because I drive mostly at Pinto shows, but have also driven in one ADS event (looking forward to more!) and at one AMHA show. I use two whips that are each 48" long with about a 12" lash plus popper so the floppy end is nearly 18". One whip I got from a company called Ultralite Whips and it is that! I save that one for shows. The other one I got from a catalog of saddle seat horse supplies (sorry I can't find it) and it is simply an "in-hand" whip. If you know what size you want, they come in various sizes at reasonable costs (unlike the Ultralite).

I also have in my trailer various dressage whips which have come in handy when other people forget their driving whips. And I think I may have a real mini driving whip too (no lash, just a popper).

My local driving club had someone from the Westfield Whip Company (in the next town from me) give a talk recently, and it was great to feel the different whips. Unfortunately the presenter hadn't brought any really small sizes. I also learned a bit about choosing colors, but let's not even GO there!!! Mine are basic black.

 

[Reble]

I will also add my thanks to Myrna for great posts, but that wasn't all I had to say.I also learned a bit about choosing colors, but let's not even GO there!!! Mine are basic black.

That is another question, sorry?

I have seen, white and black and very few brown?

Our reins are usually brown at the end, and my husband does have one brown whip.

Can you just tell us what is best in showing, what you did learn?

 

[targetsmom]

Sorry - I should not have said anything about color. I don't think that should be an issue except in ADS driving where "turnout" is judged. White lashes (like Myrna has) seem to be favored there, but I can't remember much else that was said!! In the show ring I think basic black will serve you well and be easiest to find.

 

[Reble]

Sorry - I should not have said anything about color. I don't think that should be an issue except in ADS driving where "turnout" is judged. White lashes (like Myrna has) seem to be favored there, but I can't remember much else that was said!! In the show ring I think basic black will serve you well and be easiest to find.

Ok thanks so much for your reply,

just was wondering being our end of our reins are usually brown?

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Aw, thanks guys!

That makes me feel much better! My husband and I literally had an argument the other night about my time here, so that really means a lot!

He didn't think that I made that big of a difference, and I have felt pretty bad about it today.

Myrna

Are you kidding? Do you KNOW how much typing you save me?! *LOL* My carpal tunnel is quite grateful.

Don't ever question your contribution. The people who learn the most from it (from the letters I've received over the years) are the shy ones who lurk and are afraid or reluctant to post for various reasons. Besides- as you said earlier, the only way the rules and practices of the breed ring are ever going to change is if knowledgeable people speak up and ask for that change. I think it is very much a waste of time to say someone else's style of doing things is wrong (and who's to say it is?) but it's not out of line to ask for another style of driving to be recognized as well in order to broaden the appeal of the breed. As you and Susanne both noted not all of us have ADS Pleasure Driving shows in our area or own Pinto miniatures.

Who would it hurt to make sure properly fitted carriage driving whips were legal?

I've used mine in AMHR shows without the judges saying a word but I did have an officious steward try to throw a hissy. This same person told me it was illegal to braid a horse for jumper, at which point I got annoyed and quoted the rulebook at her in both cases. She backed off.

The other one I got from a catalog of saddle seat horse supplies (sorry I can't find it) and it is simply an "in-hand" whip. If you know what size you want, they come in various sizes at reasonable costs (unlike the Ultralite).

The Ultralites aren't particularly overpriced for a good carriage whip and I personally have been thrilled with the three I own. My wrists aren't up to much these days and a heavy, unbalanced whip makes me ache in a hurry. I love my Ultralites!

I have a short green one for use with my Hyperbike (it has a full-length black lash so I can still ask him to bend instead of having to use a crop), a regular-length green one with black lash for my Bellcrown and now a slightly shorter black one with black lash which I plan to take in the breed ring as well as using it with my Frontier and other smaller carts.

Leia

 

[hobbyhorse23]

just was wondering being our end of our reins are usually brown?

Rein ends are brown because black dye would come off on the driver's hands and clothing, ruining the garment.

That's why lap robes were invented and why brown gloves are traditional too. The whip was presumably made of different materials where dye wasn't an issue. Myrna? Traditional holly whips and such are more your area of expertise than mine!

Leia

 

[ClickMini]

I love my Ultralite Whips.

That is another Webinar to request from ADS, "proper whip and cueing techniques."

 

[susanne]

Just to add to my previous post:

I don't mean my comments about breed show driving to sound judgmental (although I couldn't resist the chance to poke fun at myself) -- it was merely recognizing that different styles of driving have their own particular purposes, goals and protocols. Just because we prefer one does NOT mean the others are wrong.

 

[Reble]

just was wondering being our end of our reins are usually brown?

Rein ends are brown because black dye would come off on the driver's hands and clothing, ruining the garment.

That's why lap robes were invented and why brown gloves are traditional too. The whip was presumably made of different materials where dye wasn't an issue. Myrna? Traditional holly whips and such are more your area of expertise than mine!

Leia

I had heard that brown gloves where so they made the hand extend to the brown reins, but did not know about the dye problem, see I do learn something new everyday.. thanks