Bull Whips – Bull whips
are single tailed whips usually made of braided leather, which is understood to
have been originally used as a tool by people working with livestock. However,
many modern sport “whip crackers” claim that the bullwhips was rarely, if ever,
used to strike cattle, but again this is a matter of debate.
A Bull Whips length, flexibility and tapered design
allows it to be thrown in such a way that, toward the end of the throw, part of
the whip exceeds the speed of the sound – thus creating a small sonic boom.
The origin of bullwhips are also a matter of debate.
There are claims that it was developed in South America where used during the
slave trade as weapons but Roman mosaics and earthenware dating to around
second and third century A.D. show what appear to be tapered drop-lash whips
which appear to be associated with the Romans and other ancient cultures.
A Bull Whip consists of a handle section, a thong, a
fall, and a cracker with the wrist loop.
The main portion of bullwhips length is made up of braided body or
thong. Its made of many stripes of leather, the number of braids or plaits is
an important factor in the construction of the whip. Often the thong is multi-layered, having one
or more bellies in the centre. Quality
whips have at least two bellies made of braided leather like the surface of the
whip, though with fewer plaits
Cat' O Nine - Whips have changed in usage and shapes over the
period. Cat’ o Nine Tail whips
are multi-tailed whips that originated as an implement for severe physical
punishment, notably in Royal Navy and Army of the United Kingdom, and also as a
judicial punishment in Britain and some other countries.
Stock Whips – A stockwhip
is a type of whip made of long, tapered length of flexible, plaited leather
with a stiff handle that was supposedly used while mustering cattle. A stockwhip also called as Australian
Stockwhip has its roots in Australia which supposedly is an inspired version of
English hunting whip, but evolved into an entirely new type of whip.
The length of the stockwhips are measured by the
length of the thong (length doesn’t include stock or handle, keeper, fall or
cracker). Australian stockwhips can be
as short as 3 feet (child’s whip) or as long as 10 feet (3 meters). The standard Australian stockwhip is 6 feet
long.
Riding Whips – Its also called as horse whips are
used for both riding and ground work.
The shorter version of riding whips are called as “crop” or riding
crops. Riding crops are shorter compared
to whips and its designed to allow leverage for it to be accelerated rapidly
with a controlled flick of the wrist without causing the rider balancing
problems.
Dressage whips are true whips longer than a crop (up
to 43 inches, including lash or proper) for horse training, allowing a rider to
touch the mount side while keeping both hands on the reins.
Whips
have a large variety and it keeps evolving with the time depending upon the
comfort and application. Other whips
that are normally available are Lungeing Whips, Jumping Whips, Polo Whips, Thong Whips,
Snake Whips etc.
Image: Leather Thong Whip (Courtsey: B.R. CORPORATION)
