HAUNTING the boot rooms of many a house across the country is the hunting whip; above doors, in stick racks and haphazardly strewn across benches, ready for next weekend. Some are first-generation, others antique, but all in regular use since it would be a shame not to.
The market for hunting whips is buoyant, says Richard Hume of The Hunting Stock Market. “We sell tonnes of them, particularly between September and Christmas. They make great presents; people like to have them engraved.” When we speak, he has just sent a couple to Italy. “They go all over the world – there aren’t many places people can get hunting whips any more.” Hume’s whips are made by David Thorne, who is based in Crediton, Devon. He began making whips in 1987. “People sometimes leave them on the roof of their car and then drive off,” says Hume. “That’s the main reason for coming back to us for a whip. We haven’t yet had one come in that’s had to be put back together.”
Anyone horsey will very likely have a whip or two
