Oh bother, I must obtain a Whip....

[Major_Mark]

After many years slumming along in the field without carrying a whip with Bull Run and various Irish/British hunts, my new hunt home, North Country Hounds, keeps saying I need a whip, for roading hounds, hunting, etc…

So, off I go to the Horse Country website. Whip handles come in different sizes, small, medium, large, plus the thongs come in different lengths, 1 1/2, 1 3/4 and 2 yard lengths.

Wat do? Do you base your choices on your height (6’1"), horse size, mounted or afoot? Shoe size? Blood type? Dash it all, I’m confounded…

[gothedistance]

I based mine on if it was vintage age, had a sterling silver furrell, and if I could get it off eBay at a steal.

I have three hanging on the wall that are gorgeous - one from England, one from Canada, and one from the US. And all three worked beautifully. Think I bought the thongs off eBay as well - from a place in England. Two thongs long enough to touch the ground from horseback, and one short for walking out hounds.

Never can have enough thongs or poppers.

[Kodiak]

I started with a small whip because my hands are small, but discovered that a bigger/longer/stiffer whip is easier to crack and really no more difficult to carry.

Thong length depends on your manual dexterity and personal preference. I’ve seen people let a long one trail by accident and then the horse steps on it and/or gets tangled. But a short thong is damned near useless on a horse–you can’t reach any distance and it’s not really long enough to lead a hound while mounted.

I bought my first without trying it, which was a mistake. Some fit me so well I can use them effortlessly, while others are just a little ‘off’. Well worth the effort to get one you’ll enjoy carrying.

[GrayMare]

While I love Horse Country, there are too many fabulous hunt whips on Ebay to pass up, and the prices are much better.

If you buy a vintage crop off of Ebay, look to see if the crop is labelled “Mens” or “Womens.” “Mens” crops are often more unisex, because people used to be a bit more petite than they are now. Usually diameter and length are listed.

My recommendations if you want new are to look up Peter Loxley in England (he’s on Ebay) for the crop part. I think he also has a website. His work is excellent and his prices are very competitive. There are a few other makers of hunt crops on the internet as well.

Then, for the thong, order from Ad Beekman (on Ebay), he makes gorgeous kangaroo leather thongs. He is in the Netherlands, but the shipping is reasonably quick. Be forewarned–your thong will arrive in a small plain package with a customs label stating, “LEATHER THONG.”

I believe that Ad Beekman also makes hunt crops, so potentially you could contact him through Ebay and order both from him.

[ecileh]

Plug for a nylon thong:

I did a lot of reading on thongs and whips before I bought mine and decided that I’d rather have nylon than leather. Slightly cheaper, easier to clean (they say to just throw it in the washer–I have not done that, but I have swished it in a bucket of soapy water), and most importantly, one less piece of leather to have to care for and worry about.

Everything I have read says nylon is correct in the field (so long as you are not carrying a white thong unless you are staff), but you might want to double-check with your masters.

I got mine here: http://www.nylonhuntingwhipthongs.com/products.html

I, too, bought my whip on ebay. Actually…on ebay UK–as there are more of them listed there for more reasonable prices. I carried a few that were loaned to me on hunts, so I had a general sense of what I wanted for length and thickness of the shaft (OH MY!) and then I did a lot of double checking with rulers and things while looking. I also wanted something vintage because I liked the idea of carrying a whip that has already been through many seasons of hunting–good juju and all that.

[Willesdon]

I think that whips are really personal things. I always try a whip before I buy one, for what ever use, as the balance varies so much, even in the same style and size. However, I have really small hands so I find a fine shaft and a thin thong that is not too long allows me to carry the whip with the thong looped up. My favorite is an antique child’s rattan cane with a comparatively short thong but I can still crack it easily.

My first purchase was a beautiful antique one of polished, grained wood with monogrammed and chased silver mounts - and being a man’s whip is far to big for me to use.

My suggestion would be to borrow a few whips whips to try out before you buy one to use. But any mistakes can always become wall ornaments.

[JenEM]

@GrayMare;8691694

My recommendations if you want new are to look up Peter Loxley in England (he’s on Ebay) for the crop part. I think he also has a website. His work is excellent and his prices are very competitive. There are a few other makers of hunt crops on the internet as well.

http://www.riding-crops.com/index.html

I ordered mine for sidesaddle from him. It is exquisite, and I highly recommend him. Very nice to work with, got the little silver bit monogrammed and everything, and while it did take a bit of time to ship from England, it showed up very well packaged and ready to go. Since mine is just ornamental, I got the “petite” model, which was brand new with thong for less than some of the falling apart ones I saw on eBay.