Cracking the Whip

[Alstep]

I've always wanted to learn how to handle a bull whip. Know nothing about that skill. Would like to buy a whip and try my hand at it. Need advise. Any of you cowboy shooters or old traditional muzzle loader guys, or anybody else, steer me in the right direction??? Have no idea about what kind of whip to start out with; leather or nylon, length, etc.??? Thought it might be kinda of fun to try.

[NyFirefighter357]

I have one like this, I've had it since I was a kid. I think mine is 8ft. It's not hard to learn. I'll look for a few YouTube vids for you. BTW, those tips are replaceable. What a few of the vids before you decide on a whip.

https://www.coloradosaddlery.com/products/6-supreme-leather-bull-whip

[NyFirefighter357]

https://youtu.be/zTIIZYE7XwE

[NyFirefighter357]

https://youtu.be/r-rRLuIpgtk

[NyFirefighter357]

https://youtu.be/xE8C_WtJzXQ

[NyFirefighter357]

https://youtu.be/_BFo8y-mDXM

[NyFirefighter357]

https://youtu.be/1ct1-vabTX0

[gunarea]

Thank you Alstep
I am a 69 year old real Florida "Cracker". It is not the derogatory reference generally associated with white trash but is indeed a title afforded to true Florida cowboys. All of the videos were entertaining to me and watched with interest. Never knew the names given to common moves made in performance of the work. Somehow there is a romantic rendering of being a cowboy. Having sat around a campfire, sweating profusely, diligently cleaning manure from my working bullwhip, never seemed such a sweet ending to a day of hard work. That coupled with being in a saddle for 12 to 14 hours. In my possession is an original Braddock, hand split and platted 16' leather whip. A beast! It worked for a living! Ole man Braddock refused to make a 16' bullwhip for me as he did not think me capable of working it. A dozen oranges were picked from his tree as he judged me able to work the size. On horseback, length was critical to not being ejected from a seated position. Horses do not appreciated a lash and respond instantly to one. The last repair on that big whip was made by the grandson of the original maker. Shelby Braddock, rest his soul, did not manage to pass his skill to another generation. He did however bring me into modern times with parachute cord platted into a bullwhip. All the Braddock whips have their signature in the hand made handles. No belly in a Braddock whip. My skill was dictated by the cattle owners for whom the work was being traded for a paltry amount of money. Still have a 12' and 16' which I am unable to part with. To show off I pick 12ga hulls from orange tree branches. So glad the choice is now mine to rest as desired. Cowboy, cool, romantic, interesting? Not words I would put together. Blood, manure, sweat, snot, manure, blue lotion, flour and manure=COWBOY! Glad to see such a skill pursued, it would be sad to lose it. Thanks again for reminding me.
Roy

[bedbugbilly]

Our neighbors had one when I was a kid. They taught me how to get a good crack! If I remember correctly, it took a little practice on the swing and then the hand movement to make the whip di its work but I was able to pick up on it pretty quick. It was a lot or fun and I have often thought about getting a whip through the years - just never got around to it. On the whip that I learned on, we tied a short length of binder twine to the end - it's been close to 60 years since I learned but IIRC, it was maybe a length of twine about 8" to 10". It would have to be replaced every so often. I do remember it was a whole lot of fun and my Dad even came out and did it a few times when us and the neighbor kids were "cracking". As a kid, my Dad and one of his friends would drive a few head of cattle on foot down down country roads. They would start at the fellow's farm that they worked for early on a Saturday morning, start off with the cattle and drive them from the farm on foot for a distance of about 10 miles to a small rail yard where they would be shipped. This was in the late "teens" so there wasn't much travel on the roads and the fields along the way were fenced so ti was pretty much like taking them down a very wide lane all the way. He said that they both carried a whip and while they never laid it on any of the cattle, the crack would keep them moving. The farm owner would pick them up at the small rail yard, tae them back to the farm where his wife would feed them - they made 75 cents each for driving the cattle and out of that, the farmer's wife charged them each 25 cents for a hearty "farm dinner".

Go for it! It won't take you long to learn how to get a good crack and you'll get some good exercise and at the same time, have a lot of fun and a big smile on your face!

[waksupi]

Cowboy, cool, romantic, interesting? Not words I would put together. Blood, manure, sweat, snot, manure, blue lotion, flour and manure=COWBOY!
Roy

Pretty much how I remember it, and those were the good parts of the job!

[John Wayne]

Gunarea is right. I remember the work, packing the mules in the rain or snow and long, long hours in the rain, snow and saddle. Hobble the stock, then find firewood, get the fire going, set up camp, eat, go to bed. Month at a time but I was in my 30's and it was pretty great. I never needed a whip, always ran from ornery range bulls but used a whip a lot when younger for show. Buy quality.
Ps. I sure miss my horse, all black with a white blaze and 2 white sox, she was a little ornery too and scared of most wild animals and her shadow the first time she'd see it most days. Terrified of porcupines in trees but I always knew if something was around.

[Win94ae]

Cool! I'll have to try those techniques!

[Texas by God]

I could pick thistles with ours. My cowboy brother may still have it. We got into whip fights when Dad wasn't watching.....

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Finster101]

I know a couple of ranchers here. They still use horses and are pretty good with whips. I've tried them, I aint good with one. Were I to spend any real time learning I would put my motorcycle helmet on to start. Don't ask why, but it hurt for a while and left a mark.

[Alstep]

Interesting stories & comments. Good videos too, thanks.
Can anybody clue me in on a good whip to get me started? Leather or nylon, how long? From what I'm reading, a nylon whip would be less prone to damage from water and somewhat more durable. Your thoughts please.

[gunarea]

Hey Alstep
For making noise, Mexican hand platted leather whips will serve. For costume and occasional cracking, Indian(not tommyhawk) leather whips are economical. My usage was not for show and needed to work every time. There are several whipmakers who can make a whip that does what you desire. A cheap whip will not compliment great skill. Some whips are made by platting over a belly. That is a single piece of desired length and taper, STUFF. High performance whips will have a quality belly with a long taper. Hands down the best material for outside platting is nylon parachute cord. When the skill and circumstances are beyond carnival and side show exhibitions, full length platting with no belly is the only option. The whip is started with base plats and lays are graduated in number to the end. Layer after layer of plat is then made to gain length. The multiple layers make the whip move as a highly flexible single strand. This style does not have a fall. The cracker is inserted through the tail platts. Not tied! A finger trap is the name of the tool used to attach the cracker. The finger trap is also used to make the attachment loop in the cracker. This style has no irregular bump of any attachments. The Braddock whip body fits into a recession cup at the business end of the handle. Two holes in the cup allow for a restraining thong to exit the handle and allow for replacement of handle or whip body. In the newer nylon style it makes it possible to separate the whip body from the handle and throw it into a bucket of water to clean. If married you will put it into the washing machine, once. For a Florida Cracker, 10' is about a minimum working length. For playing and pretend, go with shorter. Quality will make the price shock most persons. It was hard for me to come up with money to buy such premium quality. My big Braddock original is over fifty years old now. $3 a foot meant two weeks pay. That was the reason for sitting around the fire cleaning manure from the individual plats. Rubbed with snowshoe leather preservative. Couldn't afford to have it rot. The videos did give me some ideas for targets to play with. I'm almost seventy and still can pick individual leaves from an orange tree with a 12 footer. The 16 footer is a bit much nowadays and sometimes the tree might loose a foot of branch. If you intend to get good, eventually you will want a superior quality. The best will not go bad and what I see is a substantial value increase from my original purchase. Not sure what it will take to get the whips from my cold dead hands. I applaud your curiosity and interest. Keep searching for knowledge and guidance. Come to Florida and I'll show you what a Florida cracker is. This cowboy stuff makes for amazing horsemen as well. I am! Best of skill to you.
Roy