When you were younger, you may have seen a horse being whipped by its rider. Most people are unaware that riders use different horse whips for different purposes. In actuality, there are six different types of horse whips that have varying sizes, materials, and purposes.
This article will discuss some famous types of whips, including lunge, riding, and training whips.
Horse Whip Overview
Many of us are familiar with whips. They are thin, long cords or leather extensions connected to one end of a handle. They are famous for transferring a stimulus to alert a horse to act a certain way.
However, many advanced whips are designed to prevent a painful stimulus while sending a message to the horse. These horse crops are used in horse racing and various animal training sports.
Purpose of Using Horse Whips
The only purpose of using whips in racing or riding is to coordinate communication signals. During a competition or race, it’s difficult to communicate with a horse through feet and hands. Because of this, riders often use horse whips to guide the horse throughout the race.
With proper training, horses will associate certain whipping actions with a specific message that helps them coordinate with the rider. As a result, horses are more likely to perform well during racing competitions.
Types of Horse Whips
There are different types of whips and crops that riders use to communicate with their horse. The following are some of the most common types of whips used worldwide:
Crop
One of the most common types of whips is a crop. A crop is a smaller version of the whip. It has a length of 25 to 30 inches and is used to communicate with horses in races and riding.
A standard crop is composed of a thin fiberglass shaft covered in soft fabric or braided leather. There’s a sturdy handle at one end, while on the other, there’s a pommel wrapped with cloth or leather. The crop is highly bendy and flexible.
These whips are used for backhand whip actions behind the rider’s leg to signal the horse to move forward in horseback riding.
Lunge Whips
Another popular training whip is the lunge whip. This 45-inch long whip consists of a fiberglass handle connected to a nylon cord or woven leather.
One unique feature of this whip is that it produces a big popping sound without harming the horses. This sound helps to grab the horse’s attention.
Lunge whips are generally used for training, liberty working, or lunging. It helps in the supervision of horse speed and hindquarter movement.
Lunge whips don’t require the rider to hit the horse. Instead, once the lunge whip is thrust, it will make a loud sound that alerts the horse of movement coordination.
Dressage Whips
There is a close resemblance between dressage whips and crop whips. However, the main difference lies in its length.
Dressage whips are short in structure, and the overall height is 45 inches. These whips are only used to signal the horse by patting its leg area.
The dressage whip is used in competitive races where the rider doesn’t have time for foot movement to signal the horse. Instead, they hold the dressage through their preferred hand and use backhand whippings to move the horse’s limbs independently through hurdles. Dressage whips are a great choice for movement coordination in jump races or other riding styles.
Jog Whip
Another cousin of dressage whips is jog whips. However, jog whips are longer than dressage whips and have a different structure. The entire shaft is composed of fiberglass material with a sound-producing popper at the top.
This whip is around 52 inches long and has a slightly angled curve from the top side.
Jog whips are mainly used in body harness horse racing. More specifically, its prime purpose is to remind the horse to retain the same pace throughout the race using whip popping. The whip’s size easily assists in horse communication without hitting them.
Carriage Whips
Carriage whips are the types of whips typically seen in movies, especially those with horse carriages. These whips are traditionally composed of an abrasion-resistant material like fiberglass and a long, thin lash in the form of a whip.
The average length of a long carriage driving whip is around 60 to 70 inches. However, if you want a shorter one, you can purchase a whip that is 20 to 21 inches in length.
Carriage whips are almost always used for guiding a carriage horse in movements and turns.
Riding Whip
Also known as a real riding crop, the riding whip is often used in horse racing games. Its structure resembles other crops, as it has a shaft with a flexible and thin whip connected to it.
Riding whips are typically made out of fiberglass or similar materials.
This whip contains a wrist loop that riders put over their hands while racing the horse. This loop is usually made from leather. However, if you don’t want this wrist strap on your crop, you can get one without it.
Riding whips remind the horse to keep pace and alert them about upcoming hurdles through mild backhand whipping.
Do Horse Whips Hurt the Animal?
There are various ways to use horse whips, and when used correctly, it doesn’t hurt the animal. Instead, horse whips act as a messenger. However, if you use these whips in a harmful or inhumane way, it is undoubtedly unethical and hurtful.
Because of these disputes, there is a usual ban on whipping horses. Until recently, there was a robust implementation of rules. For example, the Australian whip rules for horses clearly state that you cannot whip horses more than five times in a two hundred meter race.
These rules are a great way to force riders to establish a delicate communication pattern with horses through whips.
Final Words
There are various types of horse whips to choose from, so it’s vital to understand the difference between popular horse crops. All of the horse whips mentioned above serve different purposes and have different designs.
Most of these horse crops are mainly composed of a leather whip structure with a firm shaft. However, many of them range in length and design, altering their function. We hope this article was informative and helps you choose the best horse whip for you.