Whip

A whip is a tapered flexible length of either a single cord or plaited (braided) leather or other material, commonly with a stiff handle. Whips are used to produce a loud sharp sound—a "crack"—to drive or direct livestock or harnessed animals.

When rapidly shaken at the base, whips "crack" and make a loud noise because their tails have broken the sound barrier.

Other devices made of straps and used to strike human beings or animals as a means of control or punishment or torture are sometimes also called whips—though they do not crack. These may include riding crops, horse whips, and various flogging instruments.

The whip is actually the first man-made object to break the sound barrier.

Stock whips (Stockwhips)

Stock whips or stockwhips are a type of single-tailed whip, used by Australian stockmen. Its form originated in the English hunting whip, but it has since become a distinct type of whip. Similar to an American bullwhip in body composition, its main difference is in handle construction. Unlike a bullwhip's imbedded handle, the stock whip handle is not fitted inside of the thong and is usually longer. A stock whip's handle is connected to the thong by a joint typically made of a few strands of thick leather. This allows the whip to hang across a stockman's arm when not being used. The handles are normally longer than those of a bullwhip, being between 15 and 21 inches in length. The length of the thong can range from 3 feet to 10 feet. Stock whips are also almost exclusively made from tanned kangaroo hide.

The stockwhip is only used to make a loud cracking sound to move the stock (cattle, sheep, horses, etc.), with the stock running away from the sound. Australia's John Brady is an internationally renowned exponent of the art of whipcracking (an expertise he demonstrated during the live musical production The Man From Snowy River: Arena Spectacular). The Australian stockwhip was shown internationally when lone rider Steve Jefferys reared his Australian Stock Horse and cracked the stockwhip to commence the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Florida stockwhip

The Florida stockwhip or Florida cowwhip used by Floridian cowboys is often known as a cracker. It is a two piece unit like the stockwhip and is connected to the handle by threading two strands of the thong through a hollow part of a wooden handle before being tied off. The cowwhip is heavier than the Australian stockwhip. Early cowwhips were made mostly of cowhide or buckskin .

Modern cowwhips are made of nylon, flat parachute cord. Most cowwhips have handles that average 16 inches, and thongs that average 12 feet. A good cowwhip can produce a loud crack by a simple push of the handle. This can make it more convenient to use than a bullwhip in a thick vegetated environment with less swinging room. The Tampa Bay Whip Enthusiasts give demonstrations of the Florida Cracker Cowboy in costume at the annual Heritage Village Civil War Days festival, located in Largo, Florida every year in May.

Signal whips

Signal whips or signalwhips are a type of single-tailed whip, originally designed to control dog teams. A signal whip usually measures between 3 and 4 feet in length. Signal whips and snake whips are similar. What distinguishes a signal whip from a snake whip is the absence of a "fall." A fall is a piece of leather attached to the end of the body of the whip. In a snake whip, the "cracker" attaches to the fall. In a signal whip, the cracker attaches directly to the body of the whip.

Snake whips

Snake whips or snakewhips are a type of single-tailed whip. The name snake whip is derived from the fact that this type of whip has no handle inside and so can be curled up into a small circle which resembles a coiled snake. They were once commonly carried in the saddlebag by cowboys of the old west. A full sized snake whip is usually at least 4 feet in length (excluding the fall and cracker at the tip of the whip) and around one inch in diameter at the butt of the whip.

A pocket snake whip can be curled up small enough to fit into a large pocket, and ranges in size from 4 feet to 6 feet in length. The pocket snake whip is primarily a whip for occasional use, such as in loading cattle. Both of these types of snake whips are made with a leather shot bag running approximately three quarters of the length of the whip.

Blacksnakes are the traditional whips used in Montana and Wyoming. The blacksnake has a heavy shot load extending from the butt well down the thong, and the whip is flexible right to the butt, ranges in size from 6 feet to 12 feet in length.

Crops and horse whips

Dressage whips are usually 3 feet long and are used to refine the aids of the rider, not to hurt the horse.
Lunge whips are usually 5 feet long and are used to direct the horse on a circle. They take place of the rider's leg aids. The positioning of the lunge whip in relation to the horse gives the horse signals.
Driving whips are shorter than lunge whips and are used specifically for driving purposes.

Popular culture

The whip is occasionally portrayed in popular culture in various contexts, but the most well known and memorables whip users are Indiana Jones, the (fictional) swashbuckling archaeologist adventurer, who uses the whip for a variety of things, not the least of which is to swing over long chasms, Zorro, the (fictional) outlaw-vigilante cowboy swashbuckler of California, Hatcher's (played by Christopher Walken) henchmen, and the Belmont clan, of Castlevania fame.

There also exist experts at the sport, called whipcracking. One such person is Australian John Brady.

Buggy Whip

This is a coach whip used for driving on horses harnessed to a buggy, or small open carriage. The buggy whip industry ceased to exist with the introduction of the automobile, and is cited in economics and marketing as a classic example of an industry ceasing to exist because its market niche, and the need for its product, disappears.

Buggy whips are not entirely gone. A resurgence of interest in carriage driving among aging baby-boomers now too old to ride horses has allowed a few die-hard buggy whip manufacturers to stay in business. Foremost among these is a company in Westfield, Massachusetts.

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