Youngster that is completely offended by a slight correction of the whip

[jonem004]

We had a big, sweet, super babysitter DELIGHT of a draft cross school horse, Kirby, that would buck every time you used the whip. Not super hard, but it was like a correction to the correction.
He was such a champ that it didn’t matter, but he just wasn’t having it. Wasn’t going to do a lengthen either. You could take your lengthen and your dressage whip and put them in the same place thankyouverymuch. But he would pack a tiny child around and never drop them, and he would jump around 3’6”, so it’s not a hill I was interested in dying on.

[kande04]

@Xanthoria

I can’t see ignoring aggressive behavior. Even a growl is better than nothing here - there has to be a consequence for threatening acts, and if you don’t do anything the horse will never learn that it’s not OK. I can’t make the leap here - no reaction to a serious threat but somehow eventually they learn not to buck?

I have a hard time ignoring unwanted behavior too, because I spent way too much time believing old wives’ tales that had me convinced that if I didn’t punish “bad” behavior I’d create a monster.

However, what I’ve found is that if I can ignore the unwanted behaviors and just continue to reward what I want, then the unwanted behaviors go away (or I never create them) because my horses know what they need to do to earn the rewards.

If a horse knows what he needs to do and isn’t somehow blocked from doing it, it takes very little pressure, of any kind, to motivate him to cooperate.

[eponacelt]

@DressageLin

I had this exact situation last year – extremely athletic and sensitive 5 year old WB who overreacted to the whip. He was so forward and lovely I could ride without whip or spurs and so he began training me.

I rode with a well-respected trainer who advised to nip that in the bid. She had me trot a 20M circle and touch him lightly with the whip every stride. He could kick out, buck, throw himself around, but I would just very lightly touch him each stride.

Admittedly, it was helpful to have the trainer cheerleading me through it. At home, it was harder to be as brave, but I made myself work on it, and he now is completely normal about allowing me to touch.tap him with the whip. He will also be one that needs a light hand, but he now accepts it for an aid and does not over-react.

This. You need to desensitize them to the whip. Then it can go back to meaning something. 10 taps in a row, or as many as it takes to get NO reaction. I have to do this with my mare all the time. Also, she is reactive to the leg, so we work on flopping the leg around or moving it into canter position (without cuing the canter) to build patience and tolerance. It works, but takes time. She’s become so much better, but we still sometimes have to have a remedial whip or leg day.