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 Barbed
Wire: (sometimes called "bobbed wire" or "barb wire."
Another name was "The Devil's Rope.")
A wire
used in fencing that has points at intervals to deter livestock from
crossing the fence.
Joseph F. Glidden of Dekalb, Illinois is credited with the first
successful patent of barbed wire in 1874. Over 2000 varieties
have been cataloged and old barbed wire is quite collectible.
Some historians date the end of the "Old West" as the time when
ranges began to be enclosed.
Bob:
Method of marking cattle by trimming
their tail hair. The cowman might "bob" the tails of
the cattle he intends to keep while he is working them.
This mark is made by cutting straight across the end tassel of tail
hair. The mark is very distinctive and able to be seen from
a long distance.
Brand: Ownership
mark. See our Brand Article pages.
 Branding Iron:
The
tool used to apply a brand. Called "iron" for short.
Running Iron: Ring
or flat iron used to draw a brand rather than stamp it on.
In the old west, used by rustlers to quickly mark unbranded
cattle. In some places it is still illegal to carry a
running iron; however, in others, it is a common practice to apply
a legal brand with one.
 Saddle
Iron: These branding irons are short stamp type irons
that can be carried easily on a saddle and are constructed so you can find a stick and place it in the end when you need to use
the iron.
 Bull:
male un-castrated bovine (cow) Well-bred males are raised to
father cattle in a cow herd. Genetics is big business in the
cattle industry today.
 Calf: baby cow. Usually
cattlemen plan for
their herds to calve (have their young) in the early spring.
The animals are then rounded-up and marked by branding
and earmarking to denote ownership.
Corriente: cattle of non-descript breeding usually
from Mexico. Often used in the U.S. for recreational-roping
cattle.
Critter: often in speaking
of cows or horses a cowboy
calls them a
"Critter."
Other animals can also be
critters.
 Cow:
A female bovine. This term is used also as a generic
reference to cattle. Cattle were first imported into the New
World by the Spanish in 1541. Since then breeds from England,
Europe and India have been introduced, trying to create the best
producing cattle that make the best use of the available feed on
different ranges.
 Cut: (Noun) "a
cut": a group of cattle separated from the herd for a
reason, such as to sell. (Verb) the act of separating
the cattle. (see photo) Also: a process of castrating a male animal.
First cut: the choice pick of
the group.
Cut a circle: A cow boss will
describe an area such as a portion of a ranch from which you will
gather cattle or ride to check on land and animals.
De-horning: In many places,
cattlemen remove the horns from horned cattle when they are
calves. This makes them easier to handle and less likely to
hurt each other. This practice became popular when cows began
to be transported more often by truck and rail and needed to be
confined in small spaces.
Dewlap: Another method of
marking cattle similar to a waddle. A dewlap is formed by
cutting a piece of skin so that it will grow into a distinctive
hanging mark in a certain location. Used in conjunction with
brands and earmarks.
Dogie: (pronounced
with a long "o" as in "own," not as in the pet
animal named "Spot.") A calf
with no mother. Term used more often in Texas. Derived
from the Spanish word "dogal" meaning a short rope used to
keep a calf away from its mother during milking.
Drive: Method of rounding up
cattle by scattering cowboys over the range and pushing the cattle
to one place.
Earmark: Method of marking cattle
by cropping their ears in  distinctive patterns. Usually used
along with a brand. The earmark patterns are also registered
with the brand. Earmark on the cow at the right is read as an
"under half slope on the left ear." (as viewed by the
reader) Earmarks can often be seen quicker than a brand
(because the cow usually looks at you) and
are a good aid in recognition and when sorting cattle.
Another ear mark on the dark calves to the right:
swallow fork in the right ear.
 Ear
Tag: Method of marking cattle (or other animals) by
attaching a tag to their ears. Often vaccinations, breeding, and herd
identification are information that are recorded using the tag
numbers. (Negative side to this is that the tags can pull out
and be lost.)
Heifer: young female cow, raised
to replace the older cows in a herd or to provide meat.
 Horn
iron: The old way to
help heal the horn base after de-horning was to cauterize the horn
stub with a hot iron.
Jerk: A gather of, or trip
through, a small piece of country. Term often used in rough country
where cattle are hard to gather.
Leppy: An orphaned calf.
Sometimes also used referring to a young cowboy who is inept in
cowboy ways.
Locoed: horses and
cattle become addicted to
the eating of Loco weed,
thereby causing the victim
to become thin; with injury
to eyesight, muscular
control and brain; causes an
abnormal growth of hair on
the mane and tail of horses
- on cattle an extra
increase of hair on flanks.
Long-eared, full-eared: Cattle that
have not been earmarked. They have their whole ears.
Mavericks: wild
cattle that haven't been branded and never been gathered.
Sometimes in remote, rough country the animal has been untouched by
the cowboys for quite a while and the older the animal becomes, the
more unmanageable it gets.
Rataque: Fence made by laying
mesquite logs or sticks between posts.
Rodeo:
roundup, today a contested event.
 Rodear: To gather
and work cattle out of a
herd held by riders, such as
in a fence corner where
there is no
corral.
Roundup: The spring and
fall gathering of cattle on
the ranges in order to brand
and ear-mark the calves,
wean, sort for ownership and cut
out those
wanted for shipment to
market.
Shelly Cow: An old cow, usually
in poor condition.
Slick: A horse or cow with no
brand, earmark, or other identification of ownership.
St. Elmo's Fire: The eerie glow
sometimes seen on cattle's long horns during a lightning
storm. It is caused by brush like discharges of atmospheric electricity
and commonly accompanied by a crackling or fizzing noise.
The discharge also appears as a tip of light on the extremities of such pointed objects as church towers or the masts of ships during stormy weather.
The light was so named because St. Elmo is the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors, who regard St. Elmo's fire as the visible sign of his guardianship over
 them.
Steer: castrated male bovine
(cow). Steers are raised and fed well to provide meat.
Stray: an animal found
strayed away from its owner or
from the range where it
belongs. Something some people do not understand is that often
cattle from several neighboring ranches become mixed up during the
season and need to be sorted and sent back to the proper
homes. This is the reason proper branding and marking are so
important.
 Tank:
a depression formed for the purpose of holding water, usually
natural water such as rain water or intermittent stream water.
Used mostly in the southwest.
  Waddle: Another method of marking
cattle. A waddle is formed by cutting a piece of skin so that
it will grow into a distinctive hanging mark in a certain
location. Used in conjunction with brands and earmarks.
The example shows a neck waddle. Waddles and dewlaps often are
more visible than brands in cold weather country where the winter
hair obscures the brand, and are useful for quick recognition and
sorting.
 Watusi:
African breed of cattle, dating their ancestry back 6000 years and
called the "cattle of kings." Useful today in the United
States, not only for their striking appearance, but for low
birth-weight calves.
Weedy: Similar to
"locoed", but
caused by eating too much
black sage or other plant
instead of a normal diet and
causing malnutrition, often
effecting an animal's mind and
thinking.
Works: another term
for roundup, used mainly in the southwest. (for example: spring
works, fall works)
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