Tesco’s Christmas Whips.
I don’t spend a lot of time thanking Tesco’s for anything, but this is Christmas and they have provided me with two Christmas presents.
The first has nothing to do with whips, ponies, chariots or any of the topics that normally occupy my mind. Tesco chose “The Fairytale of NewYork”
Lyrics | Pogues lyrics – Fairytale Of New York lyrics
But Tesco’s have chosen to play just the music which gives us all the perfect Christmas Game of pin the lyric on the donkey. Which lyric, from Fairytale of New York, in your opinion, best describes Tesco?
But the second present is back to an old Christmas theme of mine, All I want for Christmas is a whip. I wrote this in December 2008 just before I got Obama, and put the principles into practice.
Since then I have received some vitriolic abuse for saying anything against whips. Whips are just a signalling system, you only need a tap, it’s just a reminder, it’s an extension of my arm, he loves it really, I only use it to scratch him.
Thanks to Tesco I can safely say this is crap.
Tescos have three whips available, basically you can have hats, gloves, jodhpurs to keep your kids safe and warm, and whips for them to hit the pony.
There is the standard riding crop for £4, which every pony will see as stunning value, the Harry Hall Glitter crop which makes being hit a real visual experience as the glitter whistles through the air, and the
OK, this is the other Christmas game. If the crop is just for signalling, why do you need a heavy duty version? This isn’t Tesco’s fault, they aren’t a horsey operation, they just got in a “professional horse person” who told them this is what you need. So WHY do you need the HEAVY DUTY WHIP???
I will be back to this issue until Tesco get rid of whips, and the equestrian establishment stop pretending the whip is a signalling system. It is for hitting horses. That is why you need the heavy duty version, because the standard one is only capable of signalling, not of doing its job, flagellation.
Tesco. Please do the decent thing. Let some ponies and horses enjoy a civilised relationship. Try asking yourselves, not some “equestrian expert” what other animals you would sell whips for, and then ask what ponies have done to deserve this unique status. And Obama will be visiting your Exeter store to find out if the whips are still on the shelves.
Update.
Just sent this email to Tesco Corporate responsibility.
Dear Sir,
I have just posted this comment on my blog. http://saddlechariot.blogspot.com/2011/12/tescos-christmas-whips.html
I hope you will remove whips from sale. There is no good reason to hit horses with whips (there are plenty of bad ones) and I feel selling whips does nothing to improve your image.
My name is Simon Mulholland, I can be contacted on 07929524260. (new number 07510736518)
Yours
Simon.ps the display is at Tesco’s Exeter. I will be visiting the store soon with Obama the pony and hope to be informed that whips are no longer for sale. Obama hopes the same.
I wrote the above Christmas 2011. Still waiting for the reply.
Just in case anyone still thinks whips are necessary, I drove Obama up here, or he pulled me up here, whichever you prefer, without a whip, bit or spurs. So why does anyone need them?
Tesco Whips Update.
No response from Tesco, about their heavy duty crops, but I have been approached on Google Plus with a request to join my circles by a firm who say their company was “was founded by horse lovers for horse lovers. Horses have been in our families for several generations, and our passion for these gentle and noble animals only grows with the passage of time.”
Which presumably explains why they sell whips and advertise child’s hammer head spurs. Apparently “ Lots of people love these spurs because they are angled so they don’t squash your foot when you wear them. Stainless steel. Size: Childs 1/2″ Neck.”
Well on that basis I’m off to get some. I spend the long winter evenings worrying that my foot might get squashed by the spur when I kick a pony in the ribs with the nice hammer headed metal tip. At last I can kick the pony in the ribs with absolutely no risk of hurting myself, and even more important I can teach children to do the same thing. With health and safety regulations you wouldn’t want to be sued because some kid had hurt his foot putting a metal tipped boot into his pony’s ribs.
Yes, like the owners of the firm, I share a passion for these gentle and noble animals,
hang on, that last sentence seems just slightly stupid. Gentle, noble animals……….. sell metal spikes so kids can kick them in the ribs safely,……. sell an enormous variety of whips none of which will squash your hand, stuff the pony, your hand will be all right……….something just a little bit out of whack here.
I’ll think about this and update you tomorrow.
Revolutionary Pony Access 