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Modern Whip Types

This page is designed to give a brief introduction to those whips generally used in whip cracking; so it concentrates on four main whip types: the bull, signal, snake and stock.

As a general comment, most of the whips used today by whip crackers and performers, weren't developed for hitting people or animals. They are noise makers, developed for controlling groups of animals by causing them to move away from the sound of the crack. 

Bull Whips

The bull whip developed independently in different parts of the world. Variants can be found in numerous parts of Europe, Africa and elsewhere. Lash whips, being perishable, rarely appear in archaeology, but Morgan (Morgan, Whips and Whipmaking 2nd Ed, 2004) argues that long-lashed tapered whips developed within the Celtic world; which spread across Europe and the middle East before the rise of Rome; and that these were distinct from whips of a more Asian origin, which tended to lack taper and were usually two-piece whips broadly similar to stock whips.

I tend towards the belief that the ancestors of the bullwhip originated in Africa: one-piece tapered whips are still to be seen cut from the very thick hides of large animals - some of these whips being very long indeed - and African civilisations reached very high levels of design and craft skill long before the rise of the Celts. It may well be that the Celts, and others, took those designs and used rope making skills to reproduce them from locally available materials; but this must be a matter of speculation. Either way, long whips with some degree of taper are clearly depicted being used by bestiarrii gladiators in this Roman mosaic. Note that the whips are straight for a section before becoming flexible: although stylised these whips are clearly similar, to the modern bullwhip.

The Roman Empire eventually spanned most of Europe, including the Iberian peninsula, and the predecessor of the modern American bullwhip may have originally hailed from Spain and Portugal, whence it traveled to the Americas as the New World was explored. Then again, the British postillion whip (which is still in use), in it's most refined form, is a one-piece lash whip with a short solid handle and differs, in this regards, from European postillion whips. These tended to be two-piece whips. Although it must be a matter of speculation, it is hard to imagine that awareness of the design of these never reached America during the mass migrations of the 19th Century (let alone actual examples of the whips) and give rise to the ancestors of the cheap short-handled bullwhips which were made in vast numbers during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.

 

At one time, quite large numbers of bullwhips were also produced by the British whip making industry. In times past, all kinds of whips were so commonplace that their design and type attracted little comment but, since bullwhips don't seem to appear in artwork, historical records or have an associated British folklore; it seems likely that the commercial production of the bullwhip in Britain was mainly for export. This had more or less died out by the late 1960's, although a small revival in the production of high quality whips has occurred in recent years.

 

I recently learned that a handful of bull and stock whips are still used, in Wales and Scotland, by shepherds; who use the sound of the whip in training sheep dogs: signaling with the crack when the dog makes a mistake or gets over enthusiastic. It may be that they are a remnant of the British strand of a European whip-using tradition dating back to the Iron Age.

 

However that my be, the bullwhip is also still used in the cattle industry in some parts of the world, and a well made work whip has provided many people with an economical introduction to the sport of whip cracking.

Thanks to Hollywood, the bullwhip is the only one, used by sport whip crackers, to have maintained a place in the British public's imagination - as the whip used by countless cowboys (and girls), as well as characters such as Indiana Jones, Cat Woman, Zorro and many more. 

Modern bull whips can come in any size, from tiny hat band whips up to monstrous forty footers. The rodeo star, Frank Dean, used cut a piece of paper from his own hand using an 80 footer (Dean, Cowboy Fun, 1980). The whip is measured from the butt of the handle to the end of the thong; although some American whip makers measure the fall as well.

A bull whip has a solid, or nearly solid, handle, or 'cane'. The handle may be bare or braided over. The thong is permanently attached to the handle. A great many low quality whips are made with a 'swivel handle'. This is a relic of a particular style of whip use from horseback, where the swivel helped to make the action easier. This style shortened the range of the whip, so swivel handled whips tended to be long; and this is still reflected today. There are one or two people still making very high quality swivel handled whips, but they are the exception to the rule: this style of whip has largely fallen out of favour with both SM and sport whip crackers.

The strands of a bull whip can be made of anything from nylon webbing to butyl pond liner, but are usually some kind of hide. I make them from cow hide or kangaroo hide.

Most modern bullwhips have narrow replaceable falls. 'Texas style' whips feature a wide fall that sometimes cannot be replaced and will ultimately wear out. This style of whip is still made in large numbers for the American tourist industry, and occasionally to a reasonable standard at a fairly low price, but is increasingly rare amongst sport whip crackers.

Whips lacking either the fall or the cracker, are likely to be poor quality 'novelty' whips, and will fall apart if you try to use them. The vast majority of 'genuine leather bullwhips' available in online auctions, and from adult and joke shops, are of this type.

Today, very few bull whips are made in the UK. Almost every whip available for sale in the UK has been imported from Asia, Mexico, Spain or Portugal. I have never seen a really good whip from any of these countries. They often look pretty good, but don't believe it! 

If you're in the market for a good quality bullwhip, check out my bull whips page.

Snake Whips

The snake whip, blacksnake or shot whip, is a forgotten whip of the cattleman. Historically used primarily on foot while working teams, or in the cattle yard, the snakewhip lacks the rigid handle of the bull whip, but is otherwise similar. This allows it to be coiled (hence the name) and put into a saddle bag, or even a large pocket. 

 

You may think that whips are weapons, but they're not; the snake whip is the exception that proves the rule. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, cattlemen in Australia and the USA, living and working in areas where violence was common, sometimes owned snake whips for protection: not for whipping, but for cracking skulls!  I'm told that this became so common that, in some parts of the United States, carrying one was at one time illegal. This use is still occasionally reflected in the design of some modern snake whips, which occasionally have a Turk's head knot part way down the thong. This appears to be a throwback to the days when they were made for use as a cosh as well as for working animals: the knot provided a grip for swinging the heavy end of the whip.

Early American snake whips were generally fairly long, and were often made with a sewn leather cover over most of the belly, with only the lower part of the thong being actually braided. Although this tip could be replaced, these whips were mass produced and considered almost a 'throw away' item, and very few of this design survive today. Australian ones were generally shorter and often unloaded, with a very fast action: being lighter, they were harder to crack and considered poor quality items in comparison to stock whips.

Many bull and stock whip owners find that the lack of handle makes the snake whip harder to use; while signal whip owners will find the action of a snake whip to be quite familiar.

Modern snake whips range from about 3 foot long to around 12. Most are under 6 feet long. Short ones are excellent for use where space is limited; longer ones are used like a bullwhip, but require more sensitive handling for technical work.

Most good snake whips are made from kangaroo hide, with 8 to 16 strands in the overlay, although decent 4 plaits can occasionally be found; and there's no reason why cow hide ones can't be good. Higher plait whips are very rare. All good snake whips have replaceable Australian-style  falls and crackers. They are almost always shot loaded - hence 'shot whip' - although longer cowhide ones don't need to be, if made well. 

As with all whips used by whip crackers, true snake whips are noise making machines. Any 'snake whip' lacking either a cracker or fall will perform disappointingly for whip cracking; and is best avoided except possibly as a novelty. I have recently seen a number of long snake whips in internet auctions, with mid-to low- plait counts and wide American-style falls. Sold as good quality budget-price whips, for prices of £70 or more, they are the exact opposite. I have seen and used them, and my advice would be to steer well clear!

Signal Whips

Signal Whips are snake whip variants that were originally designed for use with dog sled teams, and are still used by some mushers. They are a surprisingly modern design, having been developed in the 1970's; although the use of permanently attached crackers, which is the defining characteristic of the signal whip, has been around since Victorian times. As the name suggests, they are meant to signal to the dogs to help steer them, and the length is strictly controlled to prevent the musher from accidentally striking the team.

Signal whips used by whip enthusiasts are sometimes up to six feet long. At that length, you have a very elegant, accurate and efficient whip, which is not very suitable for sport whip cracking. Commonest are whips around four feet, including cracker.

Most signal whips are made from kangaroo hide. Suede or other leather ones from India are increasingly common in the UK. These ones seem to lack durability; and I've been approached once or twice by people asking me to repair them after the strands have snapped near the tip of the whip: it's frankly not worth it. The prices on these latter whips varies from about £20 to about £60 for the same product. At £20, they're probably value for money if you've never owned a whip, because they do crack fairly easily. At £60, you're better off saving your pennies a bit longer and buying something better.

A good signal whip has a dense, slim, thong that tapers for almost it's entire length. Without knots to cause drag or dissipate the energy of the throw, it will offer exceptional control. Consequently, such whips are usually bought for adult play; and are particularly suited to the 'Bob Deegan' style.

Stock Whips

This is the archetypal Australian whip. Accepted wisdom says that it developed from the English hunting whip, but I don't believe this to be true. Two piece whips of an almost identical design were used in England in agriculture, industry and the military: there's a wonderful photo in my local pub, of the local brewery around the turn of the 20th Century. Carts loaded with huge barrels are in the background, and in the foreground there's a driver with his cart horse. Along with his respectable suit and bowler hat, he's clearly holding a stock whip coiled in his hand; with the crop of very similar length and taper to modern Australian examples. This was not the long - handled 'dealer whip' that people tend to think of as the typical English cart whip, but a stock whip that would not look out of place in a modern enthusiast's collection.

 

I have also seen photographs of English stock whips with intricately carved crops; as well as photo's and film footage of early arctic explorers using something that looks like a short stock whip (or yard whip, see below), so there's no doubt that the stock whip (by other names) is very much a part of our English heritage. It was taken to Australia by English thong and whip makers during the 19th Century. It faded from widespread use in the UK because it was used primarily as a cart and wagon whip, and became obsolete with the advent of the motor car. English whip makers continued to export the handles to Australia, where Australian whip makers turned them into finished stock whips, until the Second World War. Although one or two can still be found on farms, the various forms of the stock whip had faded from British consciousness by the late 20th Century. An increase in whip cracking as a recreation in recent years, has seen a small revival of it's use and manufacture in the UK.

The long handle (in comparison to bullwhips) makes this whip particularly suitable for use from horseback. Because of this, stock whips are traditionally long - often over 7' in the thong. Shorter ones are now commonly available for enthusiasts and children - I'll make them from around 3 to 3.5 feet in the thong. For Australian target cutting competitions, six foot is the minimum length.

A traditional stock whip features a cane or wood crop, often with a steel insert to provide shock absorption and strength - the long ones are powerful whips, and a lot of strain is put on the wielder's wrist and forearm. The stock may be partially or fully braided over, or left bare. Fancy braiding on full plait stocks has almost become an art form.

Crop and thong are not permanently joined. Instead, each part has a loop, called a 'keeper', through which the other part is threaded. This is likely to be a throwback to the English whip making industry's heyday, where a whip maker would buy pre-made thongs from professional thong makers, and fit them to the stock. It has the advantage over other designs of whip that, if one part of the whip wears out or becomes damaged, it can be replaced or repaired more easily, without having paying for an entirely new whip.

Stock whips tend to be made using some kind of hide, with anything from 4 to (very rare indeed) 40 strands in the overlay. Nylon stock whips have started to appear over the last few years. Older stock whips are often shot loaded but fashions change and these are increasingly difficult to find. Most good stock whips are now 'naturally falling'.

Only the length of the thong is used in determining the length of the whip. Thus, a 5' stock whip is almost twice as long as a 5' signal whip.

Yard Whips

Short stock whips. As the name suggests, they were developed for used on foot in the cattle yard, rather than from horseback. Great for precision target work and energetic routines. A yard whip with a four foot thong has a reach of around 8.5 feet.

I recently had the pleasure of sending a yard whip (pictured) to Scotland, where it joined the very small number of traditional whips still used in British agriculture. The customer told us that he had used whips as a lad but, when his last one broke, he had been unable to find anyone to make him a replacement and, despite his best efforts, he had been unable to make one that was up to the job. He had been motivated to try again after finding that his son uses a bullwhip in his work in Wales. It's a satisfying feeling to think that these whips, the descendants of cattle whips that might once have been common place on British farms, are still finding a place in helping people to make a living from the land.

Cow Whips 

These whips hail from Florida in the United States. Although quite popular amongst enthusiasts in America, they're extremely rare in the UK.

 

Cow whips have long handles like stock whips, but the thong is attached by passing strands through the handle, then knotting them. Modern ones are usually made from nylon chord due to the climate, although hide - especially buckskin - used to be the norm. The handle is usually wooden, and left unbraided. 

 

Unlike some other types of whip, they are still made primarily as a work whip, which is why so many are made of nylon: if you're out in humid conditions every day, you really don't want the hassle of giving a leather whip the care it really needs if it's going to survive for long.

 

Photo courtesy of cow whip maker, Rhett Kelly. 

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