Riding crop apparatus for striking a horse

An apparatus for striking a horse, comprising:

• a shaft formed of a rigid interior pole having a resilient exterior cover;
• a handle integral with the shaft;
• a popper defined by a unitary, single piece member that is integral with the shaft and has an exterior popper end, wherein the shaft, handle, and popper together form an elongated body that has a proximal end and a distal end;
• wherein the shaft includes at least a first portion having a first cross section that extends longitudinally between the handle and the popper, the handle extends longitudinally from the proximal end towards the distal end, and the popper extends longitudinally from the distal end towards the proximal end such that the exterior popper end forms the distal end of the elongated body;
• wherein the popper has a second cross section that is greater than the first cross section and includes a hollow interior channel which passes entirely through the popper longitudinally and which has a narrow portion which is defined by an aperture that extends longitudinally into the exterior popper end and a wide portion that is adjacent to the narrow portion and sized to have the shaft positioned therein;
• and
• wherein the handle has a third cross section that is greater than the first cross section.

An apparatus for striking a horse, comprising:

• a shaft formed of a rigid interior pole having a resilient exterior cover and having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a handle integral with the shaft, extending from the proximal end towards the distal end;
• wherein the shaft includes at least a first portion having a first cross section that extends longitudinally between the handle and the distal end;
• and
• wherein the handle has a second cross section that is greater than the first cross section.