July 2003

Flick With A Fleck

Fleck makes some beautiful, well-balanced whips, but the Libertyville and Westfield whips also combine excellent value with good balance.

Caps can vary: Westfield whips, from left, Classic whip with brass cap, Tufflex Deluxe whip, Classic whip with chrome knob, Dynaflex, Classic with brass grip.

Dressage whips are often a matter of preference, because it’s the “feel” that really matters. But searching for a whip that is “just right” can be frustrating, as there are so many variables of materials and design in this relatively simple tool. It’s even worse if you can’t go to the tack store and try the whip. Our whip trial was designed to eliminate much of this work for you, narrowing down your field of choices.

The most important variable in whips seems to be balance. By balance, we mean the weight of the grip above the hand vs. the weight of the longer shaft length below. If the rider must…