Reward and Punishment in Training Horses 19 



The use of the whip. — While the whip is very use- 

 ful in training and in the subsequent management 

 of the horse, there is perhaps no one thing in con- 

 nection with horse training so often misapplied as 

 the whip. This is due, in part at least, to the ease 

 with which it can be applied and to the fact that it 

 is used for two very different purposes : First to in- 

 duce the animal to go forward, and second as a warn- 

 ing that he should not behave in an undesirable 

 manner. This is oftentimes confusing, and the mat- 

 ter is still further complicated when the horse is pun- 

 ished as a penalty for wrong-doing. To avoid this 

 confusion we should give the uses of the whip much 

 consideration. 



The whip should always be applied at the rear 

 end of the horse when used to encourage him to go 

 forward. The use of the whip should always be 

 preceded by a command, as ^^get up." Never strike 

 the horse before giving the command. To be most 

 efficient the lick should succeed the word so close 

 that the horse cannot help feeling that when the 

 command is given the whip is to follow at once. To 

 avoid the pain of the whip the horse soon learns to 

 start forward at the command alone, when the whip 

 should be put aside. 



The whip should always be applied along the side 

 of the horse, when used as a warning. One rather 

 sharp cut, depending on the individual, is usually 

 sufficient to bring a horse to his senses. Never whip 



