A Quirt is not a Flogger

As I've mulled Tuesday's session over in my mind -- because I can never seem to just go with things without thinking them half to death -- it occurs to me that I referenced that portion of His play with me that involved His collection of quirts with just a simple, almost throwaway line.  It all made perfect sense to me, but for those who read here, perhaps it seemed odd that a session that was nominally built around floggers would transition to quirts (although floggers and quirts are both part of the larger family that are known as whips).  I have pondered whether perhaps some observant reader might not have thought for just a moment, "But, wait -- a quirt is not a flogger!"  If so, that observation is certainly true.  A quirt is not a flogger.

A quirt is, very simply, a short handled whip with a lash made of leather.  Quirts are the American equivalent of the riding whip/crop and there are many regional variations. This particular style of whip is sometimes called a riding quirt, horse quirt, or a dog quirt.  The word is thought to have come from the Mexican word, cuarta.  These prosaic whips were initially meant for use on livestock -- but then that is true of many of the whips that have found their way into the BDSM milieu. 

In my experience, the quirt bites very sharply, and tends to leave dark, almost fang-shaped welts that mirror the width and shape of the lash -- usually about half an inch wide.  It is a challenging sensation, but one that I can find intriguing and attractive.  I have to work at it, but generally, I can find my way to some sort of accomodation with the crude little whips.

That gives me an almost full repertoire of whips -- floggers, quirts, dressage whip.  That would be just about the whole whip family except for the signal whip/singletail whip.  That one I don't seem to be able to get my head wrapped around.  I guess I'll just have to acknowledge defeat and leave the field to the real pain sluts.  Sigh. 

swan