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Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
Europe seems to have a handle on judging mis- or overuse of the whip.
This is a really interesting thread, but what I keep thinking is, horses aren't machines. It's well and good (and justified) to say a rider needs to learn how to ride his horse properly, without depending on the whip to do everything, but you can give every correct signal with your hands and voice (jockeys, I imagine, can't do much with their seat and leg, due to how they sit the horse), and the horse may choose not to respond. In that case, the whip might do what hands and voice won't. I'm all for less use; I still am not convinced that banning them won't also compromise rider safety. They have to make split-second decisions in a race, and I'd hate to think even one rider would get injured when it might not have been necessary due to not having a cheap, lightweight piece of equipment.
I'm hopeful some of the DTers who are riders will chime in, though, 'cause I don't mind being wrong.
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First of all, what jockeys carry is not technically a whip, in that it doesn't have a flexible lash, like Indy's bullwhip. It is a stick with a wide leather 'tag' on the end and much less able to damage the hide of horse than a true whip.
Ever see a cowboy movie, where the riders are using their whole legs to urge their horses on? Dressage riders use their entire legs as well, more subtly, to communicate their instructions. Hunt seat riders use their knees and lower legs. Jockeys have absolutely no similar means of communication. When used properly, a jockey's bat can be used to tell his horse where to go and when to make his move, to encourage him to keep on trying. Some horses learn to recognize the bat as a signal well enough that the jock only needs to wave it where he can see it.
I haven't race-ridden, but I have done some riding. I was working on jumping around a low course and my big grey school horse was not cooperating; in fact, he was being a pig, wouldn't even pick up a canter. My instructor told me to, so I reached back with my arm and gave him one whack as hard as I could (which isn't that much-I have a bad shoulder) on his behind. His head went up, his ears went up, "Oh, you actually mean you want me to canter." Much better cooperation thereafter, no need for further reminders.