It ought to be simple, painless, and elegant, but much of the time getting your whip switched from one side of your horse to the other is none of those things. So to avoid you impersonating the fourth Musketeer or a high school baton twirler, I offer these suggestions. Number 1: Don’t switch it like this. Pulling the whip through from the opposite side with your hand waving through the air can be done discreetly with a short jumping bat but not with a dressage whip. There is a much better way to switch it. Number 2: If you have discovered that experienced riders keep their hands low and bring the lash-end of the whip slowly and quietly past their own foreheads, you’re on the right track. However, don’t make the mistake pictured here by twisting your wrist of the hand that’s holding the whip. That “donor hand’s” only job is to manage the rein contact with the horse, not to distract him in any way with a pull on his mouth. The right hand simply keeps riding the horse. In a few, easy steps, Here’s the RIGHT way.