Stockwhip
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For general information on all whips see the Whip article. A long tapered flexible length of single-strand or plaited (braided) material (usually leather) with a stiff handle
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[edit] Origin of the Australian Stockwhip
The Australian Stockwhip is said to have originated from the English Hunting Whip, but has evolved into an entirely new type of whip. It was designed to move large mobs of cattle (not usually used for sheep) by making it crack, which would scare the mob and get them to move.
[edit] Parts of an Australian Stockwhip
There are 5 parts to the Australian Stockwhip, the stock (the handle), the keeper, the thong, the fall and the cracker.
The Stock-
The stock is usually made of cane and usually have a leather grip. The stock of an Australian Stockwhip is usually longer than the bullwhip. The most noticeable difference between a bullwhip and an Australian Stockwhip is that the handle of a stockwhip is not integrated into the thong, instead it is attached to the thong by a keeper, to stop the thong from slipping off. The advantage of this design is that the stock can be easily replaced if it falls off.
The Keeper-
The keeper is the part of the whip that connects the stock to the thong. The keeper is made of 2 strands of wide leather. It loops through end of the thong and is then joined to the stock.
The Thong-
The thong is the long, plaited section of whip. The thong is usually a four-plait but can sometimes be up to a 12-plait. The thong is the part a stockwhip is measured by.
The Fall-
The fall is a single piece of tapered leather which is attached to the end of the thong. The fall suffers the most wear and tear of the whip because the movement of a whip is faster towards the end because of the whip's tapered design. Because the fall is only a single strand (Not plaited) it also weaker. It is essential for a whip owner to have a decent, high quality fall attached to their whip.
The Cracker-
The cracker (in the US called a popper), is a twisted piece of short rope (approx 7cm) with a frayed end. The cracker is essential and keeps the whip in good condition, and also aids in producing the crack. Crackers where not originally designed to be made of hay band (also known as bailing twine) but as many people who own stock whips also own stock who eat hay, hay band is easy to find and then make into a cracker, and also a cheap alternative to buying a pre-made cracker.
[edit] Composition of an Australian stockwhip
Unlike the American equivalent (Florida Cow Whip which is made of inexpensive nylon) an Australian Stockwhip is usually made of red hide leather but can also be made of kangaroo hide. Because a kangaroo is a native animal, and cattle are a lot cheaper and abundant, Kangaroo hide Stockwhips are more expensive. Only the most expensive whips are made from kangaroo hide.
[edit] Sizes of Australian Stockwhips
The size of Australian stockwhips are measured by the length of the thong (length doesn't include stock, keeper, fall or cracker). Australian stockwhips can be as small as 3' (child's whip) or as long as 7'. The standard Australian stockwhip is 6'. Stronger people generally prefer a larger and heavier whip to be used on horseback. Small and light whips that are designed for crowded environments such as cattle yards are called yard whips. Yard whips are swift and easy to use.
[edit] Cracking Techniques
The main techniques used when whipcracking are the cattleman's crack and round yard.
Cattleman's Crack-
The whip cracker slowly swings the stock back so it is vertical. When the whip flows behind the whip cracker (on a slight facing-down angle), the whip cracker throws the whip forwards so a loop travels along the whip until it reaches the cracker.
Round yard-
The whip cracker spins anti-clockwise (if right-handed) the whip over his/her head. When the whip is approximately 90 degrees to the right of the whip cracker. Then the whip cracker swings the whip towards the ground in the opposite direction. It takes a while to get the hang of this technique, but it is one if the loudest techniques used when whip cracking.
[edit] Further reading
The Aussie stock whip Text and words by a retailer demonstrating how R. M. Williams stock whips are made.
