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How to Hold and Use a Whip While Riding

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If you have ever ridden with a whip or riding crop and found it frustratingly difficult to just hold both the reins and the whip, let alone use either effectively to communicate with your horse, today’s video will be invaluable for you.

I will share how and where to hold the whip that you may even forget it’s there. Hint… the best place is not always right on the handle…

Next, I will show you how to use a whip or crop to communicate clearly to your horse, without worrying about hitting them accidentally, wondering if you should take your hand off the reins, leave it on, etc.

If you are wondering – “why would I ever even use a whip?” check out the resource below where I explain how to use a whip as a kind communication aid, not a tool for punishment.

Watch the video below to learn how to correctly hold and use a whip or crop while riding.

For more resources, check out these two videos:

How to Switch Your Whip While Riding

How to Correctly Use a Whip as a communication tool

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Comments

19 Responses

  2. I wish I had been given this instruction using a whip and riding crop way back when and up to now! I have always been befuddled on how to properly use these artificial aids, but now I know how to hold and use, and can practice. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hi Norma, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this video 🙂

      -Julia Burdy, CRK Training Community Manager

      Reply

  4. Thank you for explaining as I seem to have been holding it wrong for many years … cant wait to try this tomorrow.

    Reply

  5. Yessss! I’ve always held the whip in the right hand because I had no idea how to switch sides. Can’t wait to try this out!

    Reply

    1. Glad this video was helpful Kitty! Have fun trying it out during your next ride 🙂

      -Julia Burdy, CRK Training Community Manager

      Reply

    1. I hope this video helps you manage the whip better during your next ride!

      -Julia Burdy, CRK Training Community Manager

      Reply

    1. We don’t typically recommend using the hip on the shoulder, since the push comes from the hind end we want to focus on the motor 🙂

      -Julia Burdy, CRK Training Community Manager

      Reply

  8. Thank you. Very informative and a confirmation that I was doing it correctly. So often riders are given crops without a lesson on their proper usage

    Reply

  9. This is fabulous timing for me too, as I’ve just started using a whip more in my lessons and you have far better explained how to hold, switch sides and why/when to use. Thank you so much!

    Reply

  10. I love your videos. They are always so helpful and have made me understand horses and riding so much more. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
    Question: Is there a rule of thumb for length of dressage whip based on horse or rider size?

    Reply

    1. Hi! I think it depends on your comfort as well, what you are comfortable holding and what is going to be the most effective depending on the size of your horse. Hope that helps!

      -Julia Burdy, CRK Training Community Manager

      Reply

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I signed up for the Balanced Riding course after watching Callie on YouTube. I’ve learned so much from this course. As you start riding when you’re young, you learn the fundamentals, but then you drift so far away from them in different skills that you’re learning that you sometimes kind of forget or don’t appropriately utilize those fundamentals anymore. And she’s really brought me back to that level of understanding specifically how to ride with the seat. And I think that’s kind of the most powerful thing you can learn to do as a rider, is to sit your horse appropriately, not have to rely so much on your reins. So that’s been huge, just completely changed the way I ride.
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As a new horse owner and rider I wanted a training series that would walk me through each step of equitation for a beginner. That is exactly what I got with the CRK Balanced Rider Series. Callie King is a talented horse trainer and accomplished rider and it shows through each of her videos. She is clear and concise when discussing her insider knowledge of horse care, training, and riding.
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As with all of the work Callie does, this program is informative, thoughtful, evidence based. The course provides good resources on horsemanship, managing fear, developing confidence. The videos of “how to” help your horse manage his fear were particularly good (in that) helping my horse manage moments of fear, helps me to manage mine.
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