I had an interesting little product come across my desk this month – little being the key word. The Whip Clip was designed by Dos Equine to give riders another place to store their whip, other than in their boots or under a saddle flap, while mounted. Dos Equine’s goal is to guarantee that no rider with a Whip Clip ever has to throw away or drop their crop mid-lesson.
Having never been the sort to stick my whip in my boots, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with the whip clip. This has led to the whip clip being not only the smallest product I have reviewed since joining California Riding Magazine, but also the most well-traveled one. Almost every rider under my trainer Nancy Reed’s guidance has tried the Whip Clip, or at least given their opinion on it, as well as a few other riders at Hazy Meadow in San Diego County’s Lakeside.
Since the Whip Clip arrived in the middle of a fierce rainstorm, my first experience with the clip wasn’t while striding around the arena, which was under a foot of water, but out on a much drier Lakeside trail.
I was riding a very brave bay pony, Boji, and didn’t expect to need a whip. But I side strongly with the “better safe than sorry” party; so I slipped the Whip Clip into the top of my half chaps and found myself a small crop.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Whip Clip. I had fully expected to spend my entire ride distracted by the handle of my whip, but the whip clip was very secure and didn’t move as Boji and I navigated the sand dunes of a nearby riverbed. A few minutes into our ride, I forgot the whip was even there. The only problem I had was getting the whip out of the clip. My half chaps are older and nowhere as tight as I would like. When I went to twist the whip out (as stated by the directions) I ended up removing both my whip and the Whip Clip. I guess that method works in a pinch, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.
The Crop Swap
The next day I passed the Whip Clip to my barn buddy, Caley O’Brien to try with her much newer half chaps. She was on a slightly more stubborn horse than Boji, and I figured she would have numerous occasions to try the Whip Clip – and she did. Unfortunately, I forgot that Caley was not at the barn the day before when I had read off directions to all my possible guinea pigs, a.k.a. barn buddies. After three failed attempts at removing her crop from the whip clip, Caley was finally triumphant.
She turned to me and said, “Look, you just have to twist it as you pull up and it comes right out!” Oops. I had forgotten to mention that to her. I guess that means anyone can figure out how to use the Whip Clip – it just requires a bit of trial and error.
At the end of the ride Caley confessed that she wasn’t sure if it was something she would use regularly, but she really liked that she had some place to stick her whip on the trail so she could have both her hands free. This seemed to be an opinion shared by many of the riders at Hazy Meadow.
Nancy suggested that Whip Clip would be a big hit with Pony Clubbers. I have to admit I have seen my fair share of pony clubbers running around with whips stuck inside their boots. Unfortunately, I don’t know any West Coast pony clubbers. In fact, my list of possible guinea pigs is limited to mostly hunter/jumper riders, but I did know a bona fide endurance rider.
Debbie Wood’s accomplished endurance mare, Krispy Krème, is the last horse I would ever think of as needing some gentle encouragement via a whip; Krème’s work ethics puts most humans to shame. That said, Debbie loved the idea of the Whip Clip, “I think it (the Whip Clip) is a great idea! I like to carry a whip with me on my long rides, but there is no place to put one during a major ride. I would have to attach it somewhere on my saddle and that is just a pain.”
Back In The Arena
On the last day of my Whip Clip trial I finally pulled out my dreaded tall boots. I attached the Whip Clip with my crop to my boots at the start of my day. I did turn-out, lunged and spent 30 minutes walking, trotting and cantering Boji, the super pony, all with the Whip Clip securely attached to the top of my field boots. It never fell off and I never lost my whip along the way. It took awhile to get the hang of removing and replacing my crop in the clip with one hand; but it was much easier in my tall boots than my half chaps.
Overall, I think the Whip Clip would be a fun gift for an avid trail and/or endurance rider – or for the rebel pony clubbers whose parents are tired of paying for boots to be taken in! After all, any trainer will tell you that dropping your whip in the middle of a lesson is surely a jailable offense.
For more information on The Whip Clip visit www.dosequine.com, e-mail info@dosequine.com or call 616-896-0245.
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