‘I’m hoping I can build this passion into something big’ — show producer starts unique project over lockdown
A young show producer has started a new project amidst the Coronavirus lockdown.
Harry Moore of the Moore show team has ventured into crafting bespoke handmade canes and whips for the hunt field and show ring.
Harry is known for riding and producing show horses alongside his brother Jack at their base in Cheshire.
“I recently started helping out at the Cheshire hunt kennels a few mornings a week,” explains Harry, who creates under the name H.M Bespoke Canes and Whips and showcases his creations on his Instagram page.
“Steven Ashworth (huntsman) and Lucinda Craven (whipper-in) explained that I would need a kennel whip for the hound exercise and they kindly gifted me a spare one. That’s when I started looking at how canes were made and thought I’d try to make one my myself. I’ve always been creative and I enjoy making things from scratch so I started doing some research and asking various people in the market from advice.”
Lockdown presented Harry with the time to master the technique: “I do the canes at night after I’ve finished off the yard and will spend a few hours sorting them out,” adds Harry, who has made various other sticks such as hiking and showing canes as well as Welsh whips.
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The creations has proven popular among fellow show riders, including Simon Charlesworth, Olly Burchell-Small, Frazer Atherden and worker specialist Danny Carroll who is now huntsman of the Rockwood Harriers. Robert Walker has requested a kennel whip for his son, Sam, who also walks out with the Cheshire kennels most mornings.
“Each cane takes a couple of weeks to make as you have to get the correct shape and balance,” says Harry. “The nylon thongs I use are heavy and all the keepers are handmade out of bridle leather. The binding is one of the hardest parts to perfect; there can’t be any gaps so it’s a slow process to make sure it’s all together, but it’s worth the time when you see the end result of the cane.
“I’ve got a lot of orders for children kennel whips as they are a lot more robust than a classic hunting whip.
“I’m hoping I can build this passion into something big for myself in the future.”
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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.