Your working with a 2 year old horse in a round pen(with grass in it) and your choice of tool is a lunge whip with no string and a lunge line that you can flick at the horse to keep moving. Which one would you choose to use to work with the horse? The whip or the line?


I ask this because ive been training angel in the round pen with a lunge whip with no string on it. Angel just trots around on her own. I don't touch her with the whip at all. When i want to her to change directions,i step in front of her and she she turns around and goes the other way. I just smack the ground with the whip to keep her trotting. So she is not scared of it.

So last week i was working with her again and my trainer comes down and tells me to use the lunge line instead of the whip. I was kinda mad because there was no way that i could keep flicking a lunge line at angel to keep her moving. I would rather use the whip. Sometimes i wish that angel were mine. 

 Update....I was watching DownUnder Horsemanship last night and as you know,he uses his stick and string. He does not flick a lead on the horses. He pushes the horses with the stick and string. This is what im tryn to do with angel.

~Laura~

Why don't you TALK to your trainer (who I presume is the owner of the horse) and ask what her reasoning is behind asking you to use a line. You call her your TRAINER for a reason (presumably she has more knowledge and experience than you and you are there to learn stuff from her). Then explain to her that you are not as comfortable using the line and why (that it's harder to keep the horse going because you have to throw and recoil the rope) and ask her to help you learn to use it effectively if that is how she would like you to school the horse.

Either can be used very effectively and you can also effectively lunge in a round pen with neither if you are particularly skilled and in tune with the horse.

I suspect there is a reason the trainer doesn't want you using the whip. If it has no line I presume it is broken which could pose a significant accident problem (the ends of those things are horrible once they are exposed). In which case the whip should be discarded, but I digress.

Point is there is a reason she asked you to use a particular tool, and that person is also being gracious enough to allow you to work with one of their young horses to gain experience. TALK to them instead of getting angry about that.

I don't see why the mane is such a big deal. She is NOT your horse, so it doesn't matter what YOU would do IF she were yours. Cutting a mane is not harmful to the horse; it's purely cosmetic. There are many reasons why someone would do it; cheif among them is that show horses are expected to have short manes (at least most pleasure classes of stock breeds). Even if she's not showing yet it's important she get used to the processes that will come up in her life (scissors or pulling being one of them). Another is because long manes can be hot and can also be difficult to maintain (they tangle more easily and can be a real mess depending on the horse). Also long manes can interfer with rein cues, etc, and many people like short manes for that reason. If she's beginning her riding training as well it's quite possible that they didn't want her mane in the way and didn't want to deal with braiding it every time they worked her (I did it with my private horse because I perfered his long mane; I would not expect a trainer to do it as it does become a time consuming pain at times.)

Well, one thing, she's not yours, so to get angry over changes made to her is rather immature. She is not your horse, so you don't have say in how she is kept up...and don't take this the wrong way, but you just gotta deal with it.

As far as the round penning and tools I use; I use both, actually. But for the most part I usually just use a coiled up lead...doesn't have to be a longe line, ust something you can flick toward her hip to get her to move away from you. And that is whether you are asking her to move out, or to turn...you want to teach her to turn in toward you with her front end, with her hip away from you, otherwise she is giving you her defensive end. With a whip, I have found it's not as 'surprising' to the horse, as the lead is when it comes coiling out at their hip...you likely won't touch her, but she will get the idea "turn in" "face you".

I don't really care for grass round pens either, so be very careful how you work her in there...it can be so much more unstable than a dirt pen which you can rake down if necessary. That's just my personal preference though...Lol!

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I don't really care for grass round pens either,

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Ditto! But probably for a completely different reason. Round pens are for training. And a good training session requires the horse's attention to be focused on the trainer. Attention spans among horses can be about the same as a sugar-fed 2 year old child and you might only get 15-20 minutes from a young horse. When you stop them down and want them to think about what they just did, it all goes out the window when they drop their head and start grazing on the round pen grass. ~FH

I didn't mention that reason, cause it is kind of obvious...Lol...but yeah...

Well, because she isn't yours, you don't have a huge say in the matter, sorry to tell you. But you can use the lunge line as a line and a whip. Attach the line to her like normal, and use the extra length (there must be some if you are working with a full length line in a round pen)  of rope as a whip. It works almost the same way. Just hold it about 5 feet from the end and use it in the same way as you did your whip.

And I am assuming your trainer wants you to use the line for a reason.Afeter all she is your "trainer". The ends of whips are really pointy exposed. 

I'm confused, Did you edit your post? I'm lost on the mane thing.. Oh well, You came looking for advice and a bit of a vent, I assume. ;)

IMO, using the stick as you are is fine. Everybody has a preferred method so I would suggest asking your trainer why she prefers the line over the way you are doing it now. Have her show you how she uses the line as it's not comfortable for you. Perhaps with discussion you both will see the other persons reasoning. She may feel without the "lash" the whip is useless. Maybe you can add a string to it and make you both happy. :)

If it works for you then I would say go for it.  Do what works.  But if you trainer is the owner of the horse you do need to talk to her about it.