***No longer accepting custom orders for these whips.***
These are the whips I have been making since early 1991; at the ripe old age of 13 years. I learned to plait cow whips from a seasoned cow whip maker named Richard Clark of Lake County, Florida. I begin the belly of a whip with a hollow nylon cord in which I fill with BB’s. This gives the whip weight and it helps it to crack better. I plait a 10 or 12 plait belly around the BB filled cord. The final overlay is a 12 plait that I taper down and finish in a traditional tapering twist.
The Florida Cow Whip features a long, detachable wood handle that connects to the the thong in a way that is unique to Florida cow whips. I make my own handles on a lathe, so when you buy a whip from me, it is 100% my work from end to end. My standard handles are 14 inches long and are made from Ash wood as pictured below, though the shape will vary:
Cow whip with standard Ash Handle
Handles from exotic wood and stratabond for an additional fee. Some exotics are fairly cheap and others can be very expensive, so please contact me for details and a quote. My Florida cow whips are used by Robert Arrington of Deer Meat For Dinner, by rodeo clown extraordinaire Mike “Scooter” Smith, at the Fort Worth Stockyards, at Arabian Nights Dinner Show, and by working cowboys all over the U.S.A.
Older cow whips were made from buckskin, normally plaited from the tanned hides of the whitetail deer that the cattlemen hunted for food. Since the 1970s, the material of choice for ”Florida Crackers” and whipmakers alike has been nylon. Nylon was resistant to the, bugs, humid climate, and swampy conditions that a cowboy often contended with while working the herds. That being the case, this material grew in popularity and has made the buckskin cow whip a rare item indeed. How durable is nylon? In early 2009, put a new tail in a whip that has been in use since nylon first came on the scene in the 1970s! That whip is still in service for around 40 years!
Though the Florida Cow Whip was not well known outside of Florida for many decades, the internet has now made it possible for whipmakers such as myself to export the Florida cow whip to nearly every continent. From Australia to the Arctic Circle, the powerful crack of the Florida cow whip has now been heard!
As you use your whip, always watch for knots in the cracker and fall. Once a fall or cracker has a knot that been cracked into place, it is almost impossible to get the knot out. Do not leave your whip in the sun for long periods of time. Over exposure to the Sun destroys nylon fibers and will lead to an early retirement for your whip.
Light colored whips often get dirty with use. I have heard various ideas on whip cleaning such as spot cleaning using laundry detergent and water. I know one whip cracker who puts his nylon whips in a pillow case and throws them in the washing machine. I would suggest extreme caution if using that method!
If your whip is ever in need of repair please contact me.
NOTE: Whips are normally constructed on a first come, first serve basis. When ordering, you will be placed on a waiting list.
To order, email me or fill out the online order form below. Once you submit your online order, you will be transferred to Paypal where you may check-out securely.
Can you tell me what the sturdiest, most durable wood would be for the handle?
Lignum vitae is very tough, most of the others are too.
Can you by chance make an aluminum cow whip handle?
No, I don’t. 🙂
I need a 6 foot cow whip
Email me at Rhettswhips@yahoo.com