The BRC organisation has introduced a new whip rule for arena eventing and show jumping effective from 1st January 2020. See the competition rules appendix of the 2020 handbook (section CR appendix 4).
The rule states “one whip is permitted and MUST be between 45cm and 75cm and must not be weighted or with a hard point at the end. The end of the whip must be padded. The “pad” must be smooth with no protrusion or raised surface (which includes embroidery), and be made of a shock absorbing material throughout its circumference.
To give members time to acquire new whips, the club will enforce the rule from 1st April. The club will also have a small number of whips which members can borrow at a competition, on payment of a refundable deposit of £5.
The new whip rule also applies to show jumping held under British Showjumping rules.
BS Whip & Spurs Ruling and Visual Guide, Jan 2020