Using the Whip to Move the Horse (part 3)

This is Part 3 of 3 videos. Please see them all to understand the training and compare horses.

Part 3: This video shows how to set boundaries using a whip (as covered in Part 1) with a horse, showing the more insensitive horses' reaction to requests to move forward and back (compare to Video 2 of Dolce); and how comfortable Z feels with the whip moving about due to questions about the use of the whip in Z's training.

Z is a 4 year old Appaloosa X Arabian who has been with me about two years. She is highly dominant and moderately aggressive; extremely confident and bold; rather insensitive to pressure; and doesn't like to move out (which the last two IMO can be typical in some Quarter Horses).

Tips:

Once the horse responds STOP THE CUE OF THE WHIP! People overuse the whip and then need more whip. You want to move towards lightness with LESS whip.

Always try less whip energy, before using more. Often we start out "yelling" when we could be talking in a level voice to our horses.

Try to use the whip WITHOUT touching the horse! Only touch the horse with the whip after the horse has ignored a reasonable request.

Don't use the whip as part of your ego and to show off. This will damage your relationship with your horse.

Don't use the whip when angry or frustrated.

If your horse reacts strongly to the whip request but is NOT afraid of the whip (see video 2 for more details of fear and whips), then ASK FIRST, did my horse understand me?

Remember, most horse issues are really PEOPLE issues :)

NOTE: be careful if you don't know the horse - when picking up the whip, walking behind the horse with the whip, waving the whip about the horse's head and back, and touching the horses' legs. Always check out the horse's comfort zone with a whip FIRST as they can react quickly and violently if unhappy or surprised.

Be aware that a mare in heat may also respond differently to a whip. I have also had a horse, fine with a whip on the ground, but excited when I rode her with a whip (so I didn't). And some horses react more violently to men carrying whips, then women.

See the website blog
http://www.commonsensehorsemanship.wordpress for more information about this video series.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• horse