Horse riding Quirts by Texas Pete

              


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Quirts are a handle held whip without a crack that a rider would use to motivate his horse forward, or some discipline with a stubborn or young horse. It’s not to beat the horse but to give a corrective pop on the muscular hindquarters. English riders use a stiff version know as a crop. The quirt is flexible, they are most traditionally made of rawhide and can be quite fancy or plain.  They often have a solid handle made of wood, bone, possibly even a leg such as a deer leg or goat. They typically are around 12-18-inches and have a wrist loop or string to hang on your wrist or over the saddle horn. Some of them can even be as long as 2 ft. just depends on what you want.

            My oldest son Peter is showing  interest as well as skill in plaiting so I have taught him to make these quirts.  His nickname from me is “Texas Pete.”

 Using about 22 inches of an old lariat for the whole body we start with a flat 12 plait and make a loop that will be about 8 inches. Then transition to a 12-plait round around the rope about 10-12-inches. The ends are then wrapped with a bit of sinew and trimmed off. Then will be a 12 plait overlay starting where the belly stopped and ending at the wrist loop transition. A simple turks head is tied on for both decoration and handle base. A the top, to keep the lariat from completely unraveling we wrap a couple wraps of sinew. It then get a grapevine twist of paracord, 1 this adds an extra bit of weight to the end, 2 it keeps the lariat from coming apart, and 3 looks good.

            Another option that is to come if Pete continues is a shorter quirt with a leather popper.  The same wrist loop at the base and a smaller loop for a flat, double leather popper at the “business end.”  This quirt will be about 12-16-inches or to your specifications.

            The same colors and craftsmanship is available in Texas Pete’s Quirts as in the Flying “D”whips.