Dressage Whips

Maci

Maci

Equestrianesse
Aug 3, 2000
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Canada
I want to try riding my horse with a dressage whip (those long whips, I don't know the name) as I think it will be a better ride for him and me both, not having to always turn around to use my short crop. Anyways, this might be a hard question to answer, but I'll give it a try:

Q: How do you hold your whip so it is horizontal reaching the horses butt? Okay, that was confusing, but I'm basically asking how do you hold your dressage whip, so it works properly?

Thanks For Anything!
Maci :)

PS- I know about dressage whips- the thinner the end is or something, the more it hurts when you tap, so I'll only give him little taps, not big thwacks! Don't worry, I'm NOT that stupid! :)
 
i hold mine just like i used to hold my crop: the thickest part of the whip is between your thumb and 2nd finder (if you count from your thumb)and the rest goes through the rest of your fingers (that are closed).it's sort of just...grabbing it! or holding it in a fist (did i spell that right?) i'm not the best at explaining stuff...
when i want to give my horse a tap i move the whip by moving my wrist only, so it is just your hand that's moving (i also use my wrist to keep it where it belongs). if your whip if flexible enough (which all dressage whips should be) that should be enough.
P.S.a couple of tips if you're buying a dressage whip:
1)make sure it's flexible enough (the more the better)
2)make sure it has a lash at the end (the ones without break easily)
3)i also found out that light-weight whips are much easier to use and that they're best when they are at least 130cm in lengh.
hope this helped! please enlighten me if this is not the way you hold a whip!:)

[Edited by aniukas on 12th Apr 2001 at 09:09 PM]
 
I hold mine like Aniukas does. It should lie flat along your thigh and not interfere with your handling of the horse. They do take some getting used to as you have to swing them over the horse's shoulder when you change direction (at least you do if you are in a formal lesson and don't want to look foolish!;)) When buying your whip, ask if you can sit in a saddle and make sure it's the right length for you. I've never heard the 130cm thing - I think the length of the whip depends on your height. If you get one that's too short it's pretty pointless, and if it's too long it will put you off balance.
 
yup hold it in your hand like you would any other crop..and you hand should remain upwards (thumb up and facing the sky)
and the crop itself shoudl lie accross your thigh....think of it as manners...if the crop doesnt go straight alone your thigh and someone rides close to you then you are going to poke them with it...so you make sure you not lettign it stick out that you going to poke someone....then you actually use it you use a flick of your wrist..very simple...the annoyig hting is changing a dressage whip to the other hand...you cant draw it like a sword liek you do with smaller crops...you have to rotate it upwards and accross..but you probably dont have aclue what im talking about so i let someone else explain it better :)
i think you will find most whips for dressage (aka schooling whips) come aroudn the 100cm - 110cm range...
 
Thanks guys! I will try that! I'm going to borrow a dressage whip for the first while from my trainer's collection, but if I like riding with one, I'll buy one myself! I'll take in mind your tips, aniukas, about buying! Three more questions:

Q1: Would you hold the whip with the outside hand or inside? Which is proper and the correct way?

Q2: So the way you hold it doesn't affect your rein position of that hand? I have this way of holding my crop down, so it rests on the horses shoulder, so I never really got into the groove of holding it the way you said.

Q3: Is the whip suppose to reach the horses flank area, or stretch all the way to their hindquarters? What is the proper length (where on the horses body is it to reach)?

Thanks Guys!
A Real Help!
Maci :)

[Edited by Maci on 13th Apr 2001 at 12:11 AM]
 
whips

I don't use a dressage whip, I use a jumping bat, but I know that you keep any whip on the outside, and when you change direction, you have to switch the hand you are holding the whip or crop or bat with! :) WHich can sometimes be complicated.

And you should always have it resting against you thigh so that it doesn't accidentally tap the horse when you don't want to. And if you hold it going back, then your hand position shoudn't be affected, although it might feel strange until you get used to it. It just fits inside my had, but I also am not using a whip, which i know you hold slightly differently since you don't let go of the reins to use it. I let go of the reins with my one hand to use the bat.

Hope I helped and didn't confuse more! :D
 
I was taught to hold the dressage whip in the inside hand. You should be able to touch the horse behind your leg without having to change the position of your hands.
 
you suppose to hold the whip on the inside...(makes somewhat logical sense for e.g. when you in a school and you ride close to the outside of the arena! if you had your whip on the outside it would hit the fencing/walls of the arena and spook your horse..and when you hack you should hold you whip on the side that is next to the traffic.)

it takes a little bit of getting use to when holiding a dressage whip and the reins properly..but you will find that if you keep you hand upright(like it should be)then the whip will lie horizontallyish/verticallyish across your leg (with a little bit of effort from you) but it shouldnt actually touch the horse..unless you make it touch for a purpose. You dont let go of the reins to use it...

ok and ehm when you change direction and need to change the whip over you have to rotate your wrist so that the end of the whip is up vertically in the air and then rotate it down to the other side and take it in your other hand!
hope you understood that..but when you try...you will see what i mean.

horselover...with a jumping bat and the next few sizes up its easy to change hands....you just draw it like a sword ..schooling whips are complicated!:)
 
You guys hold it on the inside? I was taught the outside is where to hold it. Is that another US-UK thing or just preference? Or maybe it's because dressage and huntseat are different in that aspect.

At least I am pretty sure I hold it on the outside.I think it's one of those things I do without thinking. I will need to chekc at my next lesson.
 
I was taught to hold it in the inside hand and use it to back up the inside leg. I use it just behind my leg or sometimes to tickle the horses hind leg in lateral work, turns on the forehand, etc to make it clearer to him what I'm asking. I sometimes hold it in my outside hand if a horse is falling out through his shoulder.
 
Thank you everyone! I now understand, and I'm going to ride tonight, so I'll try, and get a few extra tips from my trainer. Just one more question I asked before, but I don't think anyone got around to answering it, but that's okay!

Q: Where on the horses body should the whip reach? For example, is it suppose to reach the flankish area, or right to the hind end? (I know it shouldn't touch, as floppy said, but what is the correct length on the horses body?)

Thanks Again, And I'll Let You Know When I Ride!
Maci :)
 
ok this may sound stupid but what is the flanks??
im still learning my english riding terms and i know all the parts of the horse in 2 other languages..but not english!:eek:
some dressage whips i guess reach the flanks...others each back at the hind quarters...i'm guesisng the flanks is before the hind quarters.

horselover...you hold most whips on the inside...ooo i dont think you will find its an american/english thing
and whether you ride in a 'hunt' seat or a dressage saddle it makes no difference...
do you do rising trot do you rise on the inside leg or the outside leg?(hehe just to make sure )
 
floppy

Don't feel dumb! The flanks is a part of the external horse. It is the ticklish, "stretched" skin, on the sides of the horse, before the hindquarters starts. When currying/brushing it, you have to be careful, because it is very sensitive/ticklish, and some horses may bite or kick, if you're not careful.

Maci :)
 
maci

it's really hard to explain where exactly on the horse's body the whip should reach as english is my second language too!:) well, i think it should be long enough to reach the horse's bum (not flank) without you having to let go of the reins - you should be able to give a tap on his bum just by moving your wrist. of course, it depends on the size of your horse. the reason i prefer loooong whips is because i ride HUGE warmbloods and i end up tapping the saddle pad (not the horse) with my 100cm whip!:D just a personal preference!
 
I think mine’s getting a bit short for me now…when I first got it it reached the flanks, now it’s just behind my leg (I think it’s cause I’ve moved from a 14.2 to a 16hh). If the stick is too long, it will, as I said earlier, put you off balance. Horselover I agree with the rest of the people who’ve posted – you should hold your whip in the inside hand. If it’s on the outside and you use it (talking in a school situation here) then the horse is quite likely to shoot sideways into the middle of the school, whereas if it’s in your inside hand he can’t go sideways, only forwards.
 
if it helps...

i usually use a schooling whip that reaches the flanks (hehe funny word) on my haflinger..purely because she hates whips on her bum...but today i rode my friends haflinger and the schooling whip she uses reaches the bum...(the horse hates being touched on the side with a whip..hehe..what a pair of haflingers) i went to buy a new schooling whip for my cousin to us on her 16+ hh horse...and when she sat on her horse it touched the bum...but i would say the length of the shcoolign whips is to your preference....if you want to use it behind your leg on the flanks..buy a slightly shorter one..if you want to use it on the bum...buy a longer one...
BUT one piece of advice...when you go to buy one try them all out and hold them in your hand as you would on a horse ..becuae some schooling whips come with very light handles...and you can get ones with very heavy handles...i prefer the lighter ones persoannly as i find the heavy ones are a pain and i brok emy wrist a few years back so its a sort of strain on my wrist...Just so you know :)

i use my schooling whip on the inside always whetehr im doing walking trotting or cantering...just because thats me :) because alot of horse i ride in the arena jump out of their skins when you accidently touch the border of the arena with the whip..

ALSOOOO...english is my native tongue..its just horses in english isnt my native tongue :Di grew up in foreign countries riding horses so i never learnt the terms for horses in english.

[Edited by floppy on 13th Apr 2001 at 09:34 PM]
 
Rode With A Dressage Whip...

...and the ride was a bit better! It certainly was helpful not always having to turn, and tap on the butt, like I do with my crop! It was extremely hard to get used to, though. It's weird training yourself to hold it in both hands, a certain way, and flicking your wrist! For canter, like stella, I held it in my outside hand, which I found easier to pick up a canter that way! Inside hand, the rest of the time.

Thanks, Everyone Who Replied!
Maci :)
 
sandrider, are you in America right now? I know it's like 2:00 am in England, so none of them are on.
 
newrider.com
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