Cow Whip: It’s Not A Misnomer!

Greetings everyone! Today I am actually blogging from my hometown of Groveland in the great cattle producing State of Florida!

There’s something I’ve had on my mind that I want to address today. There is a certain whipmaking tutorial page out there that makes the claim that the term “cow whip” is a misnomer. A misnomer is a wrong name or unsuitable name for something. The author suggest that “cow whip” is a misnomer because the whip is primarily used from the back of the horse.

With all due respect to the owner of that site, I do not agree that the term is a misnomer. The fact that a cow whip was originally used while on a mount no more makes the term a misnomer than if it had been used on foot or from the back of an ATV.  The whip’s primary purpose was to be employed while herding cattle, or “cows” as they are called in the common vernacular. What else would the original users call it? A mount whip? A horse whip? Or maybe even a “cracked from the back of a horse whip?” No, the name “cow whip” is perfectly suited for it.

I’ve seen terms like Florida Stockwhip, Spanish Drover whip, Cracker whip, and even bullwhip used for it, but  among the cattlemen of the State of Florida who’ve made and used this whip for centuries, you’ll seldom hear anything other than the term “cow whip” being used.

Just thought I’d clear that up.

Have a great weekend.

-Rhett