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  • Glossary
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  • Cowboys of the World
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Cowboy Glossary - Horse Terms

alamar knot
ALAMAR KNOT:  decorative knot used to tie a mecate around a horse's neck.   In traditional Old California horse training, when a  horse had graduated to become a finished  bridle horse, the alamar knot was tied from two coils of a mane hair mecate draped over the horse's neck and the knot worn on the horse's chest to denote him as a bridle horse.
Link to a site showing how to tie the Alamar Knot 

buckskin bell mare
Bell Mare:  generally older mares wearing a bell, used as leaders in pack trains or put in a remuda to locate where horses are grazing at night.

Bell:  To trim an animal's tail into a distinctive bell shaped pattern.   Often used on mules.  The pattern is used for identification,  for instance to show where a horse or mule should be in a pack string.

bronco
Bronco:  an animal that has never been broken to saddle or harness use. Also bronc.  (Spanish:  rough)



rodeo saddle bronc
Bronc: Rodeo term used to designate the bucking horses that are ridden with a saddle.


Rough string: saddle horses that buck every time they are saddled. Some never become gentle.
 
(Caballada):  Spanish for a band of horses.   Saddle horses maintained by a ranch.  Also see remuda or cavvy.

cavvy of horses
Cavvy:   (caviada) Buckaroo term for a ranch outfit's saddle horses.  The cavvy horses are gathered by a horse wrangler and brought "to the ropes."  This is a rope corral, sometimes temporary, at which the "day horses" are roped.  The jigger boss, second in command, does the roping.  The buckaroo calls out which horse he wants based on the instructions the cow boss has given for the day's work.  Term used mainly in the Great Basin and northwest.

Parada
Parada:  a relay of horses and the place the change is made.  Similar to cavvy.  Group of broke horses.

Remuda in Arizona
Remuda: all saddle horses on a roundup that are thrown together and constitute the remount horses for the cowboys. The remuda is in the charge of a cowboy whose duty is to herd and bunch the animals when the cowboys want a fresh mount.  This term is used most often in the southwest and Texas.  North of U.S. Highway 50 the term most often used is cavvy or cavvietta.  Also see  'caballada', cavvy.

cold backed bronc
  Cold-backed:  A horse that has a tendency to buck when initially mounted in the morning.

Sun fish
  Sun fish:  when a bronc bucks and twists its body into a crescent, and throws head alternately to right and left...looks as though he is trying to sun both sides of his body.

bronc swapping ends
Swap ends: when a bronc is bucking and goes up facing one direction but lands facing the opposite direction.  

croup
Croup:  The croup is the rump of the horse, the top of the hind quarters from the tail to the kidney area (loin).

Rafter-hipped:  horses with a low tail set. Mustang types lacking a rump often show this fall-off from the hipbone to the tail. Arabs and Tbreds have a straight topline (flat croup), but some Quarter Horses show a lot of slope from the loin down to the tail.

donkey or burro
 Donkey:  common name for a member of the ass family.  The Spanish brought donkeys, called "burros" in Spanish, to North America beginning in the late fifteenth century.  They were the favored beast of burden used by prospectors in the desert Southwest of the United States. 
A male donkey (jack) can be crossed with a female horse to produce a mule. A male horse can be crossed with a female donkey (jennet or jenny) to produce a hinny.  


Rocky Mountain Canary: a burro, also  sometimes called a Colorado Mocking bird.

mule colt with his horse mother
 Mule:  cross between a male ass and a female horse (mare)  Sure footed and hard working animal.  Photo shows a mule with its horse mother.

gouch eared mustang
Gouch eared:  Having ragged or cropped ears.  Sometimes a horse will lose part of an ear to frostbite or an accident.

Picture
Ground-Tie:  The horse is taught to stand still with the reins dropped on the ground rather than tied to an object.  
Handy, but not fool-proof.

bull dogging - hazer is on the left in the photo
Hazing:  Rodeo term referring to bulldogging.  The bulldogger rides his horse on the left side of the steer. The hazer rides on the right. When the steer is released from the box, the hazer attempts to keep the steer between his horse and the bulldogger's horse so that the bulldogger has a better chance to get off on the steer and throw it down. The word "haze" is used to mean push or herd the animal.

Rim-fire:  When a cowboy gets his rope caught under his horse's tail, usually while roping cattle.  This can cause a severe wreck when the horse takes exception to the position of the rope.

Rollers:  "blowing rollers"  A snorting, rattling sound made by a horse when he is spooked.

Stray:  an animal found strayed away from its owner or from the range where it belongs.
​
string of horses
String:  A group of several horses designated for use by a cowboy.  Each horse has a different athletic ability and disposition.  A cowboy chooses his mount for the day according to the work to be done that day:  corral work, big-circle, gather, etc.

pack string
String:  a cowboy's rope or a line of pack-animals.

War Bridle
War Bridle:  a type of head control that just uses a loop around the lower jaw of the horse.  There are other types that include nose bands and a loop over the poll.  Those types are often used as training aids for problem horses.  As shown here, the war bridle is not severe, is used very lightly, and much is communicated to the horse using the rider's legs and body.

at the ropes
At the ropes:  horses are gathered at a ranch into a rope corral.  They are trained to stand with their heads facing the rope and and are roped by the jigger or cowboss for the cowboys from behind using a hoolihan loop.  The cowboy asks for his horse for the day according to the work to be done.

 (Caballo): Spanish for horse
cow horses
Cow horse: a horse that is trained to roping, cutting, working out a cow-herd.

horses with cow sense
Cow sense: What a horse has when it has a natural ability to use for roping, cutting and general cow work.

cutting horse
 Cutting horse: certain cow-horses used at a round-up in cutting out cattle for ownership and brand; today, a whole branch of horsemanship and horse use.

critters - a band of mustangs
Critter: often in speaking of cows or horses a cowboy calls them a "Critter."  Other animals can also be critters.

Bangtail:  Mustang mare, (not necessarily limited to mares).  In older days, uncombed tails were a sign of an unbroken horse. 

Broom-tail:  a class of range horses that are considered not worth much.

Cayuse: a range-bred horse.

Owl-headed horse:  A horse that looks around a lot. Negative term.

Mustang
Mustang: (MESTEÑO) a feral horse.  From the Spanish word mestizo meaning mixed blood.

buckskin horse
Buckskin: a tan or yellow colored horse with black mane & tail.





Dun horse
Dun:  "Dun factor doesn't not mean dun color, it's a type of gene inheritance. Dun factor acts on the base coat color and usually lightens it a shade or two. Also, many dun factor horses have a stripe down the back and lines on the legs, neck, and ear tips, etc."  courtesy of Kathy Kadash-Swan

flaxy or flaxen maned horses
 Flaxey:  Blonde colored or flaxen mane or tail on a horse. 

grulla horse
Grulla: (pronounced groo-ya)  a mouse colored horse, a mousy-dun.  The dun version of a black horse.  (Mexican:  grullo)  Note the dark dorsal stripe, tiger striped legs and white ear tips.

palomino horse
Palomino: a golden colored horse with a light or white colored mane and tail.

pinto horse
 Pinto: a paint or spotted horse.

glass-eyed horse
Glass-eyed:  Blue or white eyed horse.  An old-wives' tale says blue-eyed horses do not see well or are night blind, but most see as well as any other horse.

gelding
  Gelding: it is a range custom to let a male colt run on the range until he becomes a 2-year old.  He is then castrated and becomes a gelding.  Horses are gelded to help ensure good temperament.
The old way was that only geldings were used by cowboys.  Mares were turned out with a stallion in stud bands to raise a new crop of colts. 

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.malnutrition, often effecting an animal's thinking.

Weedy:  same as above, but caused by eating too much black sage or other plant instead of a normal diet and causing

Re-riding the range
Re-ride:  To ride again, such as to check a pasture or allotment for cattle not gathered the first time.
Also with reference to riding a bronc or bull in a rodeo, if the animal does not buck as should be expected, the rider is given a different horse or bull in the hopes they can score their best.

Palomino Stud or Stallion
Stallion:  an adult male horse.  Usually kept mainly for breeding purposes although many are shown and ridden.   Another term is "stud."

stud band
Stud Band: a group of mares turned out on open range with a stallion.  In the days before Taylor Grazing and lots of fenced deeded ground, most horses and cattle were run this way.

two rein horse
Two-rein horse:  In the vaquero tradition, the "two-rein" is a step in the horse's training progression.  The horse goes from snaffle bit to hackamore to two-rein to bridle.  A "bosalito" or thin bosal, used with a mecate goes under a second headstall that uses a half-breed bit with California-style rawhide reins and romal.

Tattoo on a thoroughbred horse
Tattoo on a thoroughbred horse.  These numbers are tattooed on the inside of the upper lip and registered with the Jockey Club.  This is a permanent manner of identification, however not easily seen.  

war knot in a horse's tail
War Knot:  tail knot used to keep the horse's tail out of the way while working.  Used by buckaroos and vaqueros.

Wheel team
Wheel Team : first team attached to a wagon that requires more than one team, such as in a "four up" or "six up".

Horse and rider
"Pull leather / pul lethər/ v a disparaging term used to indicate that an off-balance rider has been forced to grab his saddle with his free hand in order to prevent falling off his horse."  Term and usage suggested by  Kent Hanawalt          

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  • Home
    • Web Site Design >
      • Privacy Policy
    • Links
  • Gear
    • Pistol River Saddlery
    • Cowboy Gear - Tips and Tricks: >
      • Three-Way Hobbling
      • Piggin' String
      • Stirrup Hobbles
      • Tying Your Rope Up
      • Buckaroo Scarf Knot
      • Cowboy Night Latch
      • Cut-away saddle pad
      • Center-firing your Cinch
      • Pack Saddle Latigo Safety Knot
      • Quick Keeper
      • Tire Changer Aid
      • Safety Tie-Up
      • No Roll Saddle Stand
    • Saddle Makers >
      • Wade Saddle History
      • Don Howe Working Cowboy Saddle Maker
      • Hamley and Co.
      • Bill Maupin
    • Spurs >
      • E.F. Blanchard Spurs >
        • How to tell authentic Blanchard spurs.
        • More Blanchard Spurs
      • Garcia Bits and Spurs
      • Amozoc Spurs
      • Prison Made Spurs
      • Adolph Bayers Spurs
  • Arts
    • Poetry >
      • Cowboy Poetry by Gary Vorhes
      • Charlotte Thompson Poetry
      • Mike Meaux Poetry
      • Audrey Hankins Poetry
      • Carole Jarvis Poetry
    • Rodeo Photos
    • Cowboy Photos
    • Horse Photos
    • Cattle Photos
    • Gear Photos
    • Dogs and Animals Photos
    • Reminders of the Past Photos
    • Windmill Photos
    • People Photos
    • Ready to Rodeo
    • Books by Dale Woolley
  • Horses
    • Diamond Z English Shire Horses
    • 5 Tips for Traveling
    • Harnessing A Team
    • The Dameles and the Curly Horse
    • Rounding Up Wild Horses
    • Extreme Horse Camping
    • First Pull on the Latigo
    • Twister Heller Starts a Colt
    • Cowboy Martingale
    • Cowboy Training Halter
    • Cowboy & Colt Clinic
    • Using the McCarty
    • Teach a Horse to Stand
    • Cowboy Draw Reins
    • War Knots >
      • Tying War Knots
    • Tail Knot for Pack Horses
    • Cavvy Marks
    • Deworming Your Horse
    • Safe Fall Trail Riding
    • Horse Remedies
    • Hormone Implant
    • How to buy a mule
  • Brands
    • Brands II
  • Chuckwagon
    • Dutch Ovens
    • Recipes
    • Sourdough >
      • Grant's Sourdough
    • Cowboy Coffee
  • Articles
    • Grubbing Hoe Ranch
    • Trevor and Emily Fuhriman
    • Land of Extremes
    • Jersey Valley Cattle Co
    • Diamond Tail Ranch
    • Gang Ranch of British Columbia
    • TS Ranch of Nevada
    • When the TS Ran a Wagon
    • IL Ranch
    • Basque Ranching
    • Crystal Rose Cow Dog College
    • Wyoming Honor Farm Inmate/Wild-Horse Program
    • Cowboy Etiquette
    • Arizona Trigger
    • Longhorn Cattle
  • Stories
    • For the Love of a Horse
    • Breakheart Station Master
    • Freighters Outbound
    • DK Cowboy Stories: A Prophet With Antlers
    • Ben's Trail
    • Spendin’ Time at Cow Camps
    • Slewfoot The Black Bear
    • Orphan Boy
    • Mooney's Stories - The Circle A Ranch of Nevada >
      • Cotton the Horse
      • Wigwam, the Wrangle Horse
      • Spanish Ranch 1
      • Spanish Ranch 2
      • Spanish Ranch 3
      • Spanish Ranch 4
      • Miss Beymer’s Boyfriend by Bill Mooney
      • Recollections by Bill Mooney
      • Branding out of a Rodear on the Spanish Ranch, Part 1
      • Branding out of a Rodear on the Spanish Ranch, Part 2
      • C Ranch
    • Wild Horse Casey >
      • ​A Dirty Ole Mustanger Like Me
    • Hero Cattle Dogs
    • Ranching Traditions
    • Life Lessons
    • Dave’s Summer Adventure
    • Fire-Proofing the Range
    • Cowboy Superstitions
    • Cowboy Humor
    • Portrait of a Cowboy >
      • Cowboy Obstricition
    • Tons of Silver
  • History
    • Fort Worth Stockyards
    • Horseshoe Ranch
    • Andrae - Marvel Nevada Oral Histories
    • Texas 6666 Ranch Historical Photos
    • Gerlach Cattle Company 1906
    • Cattle Roundup Photos
    • Cowboy Historic Photos
    • Sheepcamp
    • Comstock Lode
    • Pony Express
    • Horn Iron
    • Historic Sites
  • Cowboy Profiles
    • Victoria Jackson
    • Flying M Ranch Women's Team
    • In the Big Nevada Desert
    • Mike Laughlin, Cowboy
    • Bob Tanner
    • Bill Kane
    • Wally Blossom
    • Ian Tyson The Legend
    • Allie Bear
    • Marge Prunty
    • Bryan Neubert Cowboy Clinician
    • Rex Blackwell
    • Wiley Carroll - Legendary Hunter
  • Glossary
    • Horse Terms
    • Cattle Terms
    • The People & The Land
    • Saddles and Gear
    • Personal Gear
  • Cowboys of the World
    • Cowboys of the Dark Continent
    • Scrubber Running
    • The Day it Nearly All Ended
    • The Goring
    • Horse Breaking
    • Honduras
    • Mexico