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      • Cotton the Horse
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      • Miss Beymer’s Boyfriend by Bill Mooney
      • Recollections by Bill Mooney
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      • ​A Dirty Ole Mustanger Like Me
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  • Glossary
    • Horse Terms
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    • Personal Gear
  • Cowboys of the World
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    • The Day it Nearly All Ended
    • The Goring
    • Horse Breaking
    • Honduras
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Cowboy Personal Gear

Any particular cowboy's gear becomes a rich tapestry of his or her own making.  This style boot, that style hat, big spurs, small spurs, lots of silver...it can go on indefinitely...and then they begin to trade...this set of silver conchos for that headstall...
Much of the style dress and many of the terms used in reference to cowboys, horses, their tack, and the things they do are regional, changing depending on where you come from.  Many of the words are derived from Spanish.  You may search for a particular term or browse through the terms and explanations for a cowboy's clothing and personal gear.
Bedroll
BEDROLL:  blankets rolled and carried for sleeping.  Also called sugans, soogans, hot rolls, or dream sacks.

PicCOWBOY BOOTS
COWBOY BOOTS: High topped boots made with high heels to keep them from slipping through saddle stirrups and as a brace in roping.  Soles are usually slick leather to keep them from catching when dismounting.  Styles are often regional and defined by function.

Roper boots
Roper boots with flat heels are used especially in arenas and for walking.

packer boots
Packer boots are laced and generally made of heavier leather for cold weather, hiking, and hard riding.

CHAPS: (pronounced "shaps")  Derived from the Spanish las chaparreras, or chaparejos.  Leggings worn by horse people as protection against the brush and weather.  Usually made of leather.
Armitas
(Armitas):  A California, Spanish named, version of leggings, similar to chinks, but made by hand, usually without metal hardware.

bat wing chaps
(Batwings): Long chaps with big flaps of leather.  They usually fasten with rings and snaps.  Like the chaps rodeo rough stock cowboys wear.

chinks
(Chinks):  Short chaps or riding apron, originally from California.  Usually with fringe, they come just below the knee.  Regional to buckaroos.  Texas and southwestern cowboys sometimes wear chinks with their pants tucked into high boots.        

shotgun chaps
(Shotgun chaps): Tight legged chaps. Can be pulled on as trousers, having no snaps and rings.  Often, however, they have full length zippers.

wooly chaps
(Angora chaps):  Covered with long Angora goat hair.   Used up in Wyoming and Montana and open prairie country as a protection from the cold.  Also called "woolies".


       Tri-color wooly chaps
made by Power, Pendleton, Oregon.



wooly chaps
These wooly chaps belong to Amy Carman of Kansas.  They originally belonged to her grandmother Margaret Monroe Fulk of Cave Junction, Oregon.


COWBOY HAT
COWBOY HAT:  A cowboy's hat, usually with a four to six-inch brim, acts as an umbrella in stormy weather, and a shade from the sun in hot weather.  Hats and their shapes are very regional.  You can tell where a working cowboy is from by the crease in their hat.  John B. Stetson is credited with designing and marketing the first true cowboy hat, which he called the "Boss of the Plains."

Sombrero
SOMBRERO:  Spanish term for a broad brimmed hat, from the Spanish word "sombra" meaning shade.

cuffs
CUFFS:  Leather wrist cuffs used for protection against brush, to protect your shirt sleeves from wear, and  to keep a rope from fouling in your shirt sleeves.

Four-horse roll
Four-horse roll:  the old-style way of turning up the cuffs on your Levis about 4 inches.  This was said to also be useful for depositing the ashes of cigarettes if you were in a house, before ashtrays were common.

Marlin Spike
Marlin Spike:  More properly known as a nautical term.  This silver-mounted spike belongs to buckaroo Dan Locke of Lodi, CA.  A friend made it for Dan and he packs it behind the cantle of his saddle.  It comes in handy for punching holes and unlacing leather among other things

Pigging string or piggin' string
Pigging string or piggin' string:  Short piece of rope cowboys carry on their saddle or chaps.  In Texas they call this rope a "hoggin' string".  In British Columbia, Canada they call it a "short line." In the SW they call it a "tie down rope" and in the Great Basin they call it a "piggin string."
 
Note that it is related to the term "hog tie" meaning to tie both back legs and one front leg of an animal together securely so they can't get up.  Or in common usage, tie up anything tightly and securely.
See Cowboy Piggin' String

Popper
Popper:  Leather pieces attached to the end of reins, romal, or quirt that make a popping noise when slapped on your chaps.

Rawhide - skin stretched ready to be scraped and cut
Rawhide:  unprocessed hide used to make tack.  Often cut in long thin strips and braided.

ROPES:

The following information was submitted by a reader for your use:  "The word La Riata (or reata in English) refers to a rope made from hide, be it bovine or equine hide. The word La Soga refers to a rope made from plant matter such as grass or cotton and is now days used to refer to ropes made of nylon and poly. La Soga is where we get the English term Lasso. In modern day California they call a pencil bosal a bosalito, but in old Mexico the correct term is Bosalia meaning it is the smaller more feminine counter part to the larger more masculine Bosal..."
Howdy Fowler, Mission Ranches, Dog Canyon, NM
reatas
LARIAT: (el lazo) (derived from Spanish "la reata"  meaning to catch or fasten.)
A long rope (also called "lasso" or "reata"), of braided rawhide, hemp, or today of polyester or nylon.  The rope has a loop or eye attached at one end (honda or hondo) through which the other end runs.  Note the different style hondas in the photo.  Also know as a lash rope, string, or catch rope.

Reata
REATA (or sometimes spelled riata): braided or twisted rawhide rope. 
"Skin-string"

A reata can be different stiffnesses (called in roping circles: lays) depending on what type of rawhide is used.  For instance, bull hide makes a very stiff rope for heel roping.  The Mexican way to treat a reata, to keep it supple, is to tie it between two trees, rub it first with lemon juice (cut a fresh lemon in two and rub the fruit along the length) and then rub it with beef fat (suet).  This keeps the leather from drying out or becoming stiff.  Artificial products will make the reata too limber. 

reata
This pictured reata is an 80 foot reata "especial por los charros de Jalisco, Mexico."  It is worth clicking on the thumbnail to view the larger picture.

Maguey
MAGUEY:  Mexican style "grass" rope made of agave fiber.  The word "maguey" means "agave" in Spanish.


Honda or hondo
Honda (or hondo):  a metal, rope, or rawhide ring, through which a rope slides to make a loop.  Several styles are available depending on the usage.

rope strap
Rope Strap:  A strap, usually of leather and fitted with a buckle, attached to the pommel of a saddle used for attaching a catch rope.

hoolihan
Hoolihan:  A style of loop used when throwing a rope:  a loop thrwn over the head with the wrist turned backwards often used for roping horses because the rope is not swung before it is released, so it does not excite the animals.

quirt
QUIRT: (la cuarta) Short, leather strap or braided whip, often attached to a handle, used as a whip to encourage a horse to increase speed.  A loop is usually attached to the hand end so that it can be carried on the rider's wrist or over the saddle horn.

Slicker
SLICKER:  (pommel slicker)  Waterproof long coat designed to protect rider and saddle from rain or snow.

Slobber Leather
Slobber Leather: large leather pieces to attach the reins to a snaffle bit.

Spur
SPUR: (la espuela) U-shaped device attached to rider's heel to encourage a horse to greater speed or to pay  attention.  See our pages on Spurs.

CHAP GUARD
CHAP GUARD:  Small upswept metal projection on top of the spur shank of some spurs that supposedly helps keep a cowboy's chaps from fouling in the rowel.  Not all spurs have chap guards.

Rowel
ROWEL: (la rodaja or la estrella) the disk or star set in the end of the spur's shaft or post, which turns as the rider's heel touches the horse's sides.

Jingle bobs
JINGLE BOBS:  the metal pieces dangling from the rowel that make a bell-like ringing when the spurs move, either while walking or riding.  The jingle bobs offer decoration and it is said their jingling helps keep the horse calmer.  Tradition has it that a bell's noise makes a horse walk faster.

STAMPEDE STRING
STAMPEDE STRING: A long leather string run half way round crown of a hat then through a hole on each side and ends knotted, placed under chin or around back of head which keeps hat in place in windy weather or when riding an active horse.



teepee
TEEPEE:  Small canvas tent used by cowboys when camped out on the range.  Became common during the 1880s and still in use today.  Also called range teepee or teepee tent.

war bag
WAR BAG:  Canvas sack or bag containing personal items or gear.  Also "Possible Bag"

wild rag
WILD RAG:  (mascada) Kerchief or scarf worn at the neck, sometimes elaborately knotted.  An authentic wild rag is usually large (36-48" square) and most often made of silk.  Wild rags are used for warmth in the winter. 

See our article on the buckaroo scarf knot.


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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