A riding crop is a short type of whip without a lash and is used in horseback riding. While it is considered abusive and proof of bad horsemanship to whip a horse painfully, designs of riding crops nowadays are intended to be less painful than a device that causes lashing. Given this moderation, the crop is still to be used properly and very rarely as they are supposed to only act as back up to the natural aids such as the leg, seat and voice of a rider.

A crop is usually made up of a long shaft of fiberglass. It can also be a cane which is covered in leather, fabric, or similar material. The rod of a crop thickens at one end to form a handle and ends into a thin, flexible tress such as wound cord or a leather tongue. This thin end is intended to make contact with the horse. The handle may have a loop of leather to help secure the rider’s grip.