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Cowboy Piggin' String

The term “Piggin’ String” has a special meaning to outside cowboys who rope and tie down wild cattle and doctor and brand calves. There are other names for this handy piece of rope. In the Southwest, it is sometimes called a “hogging rope.” In Texas and New Mexico, cowboys call it a “tie-down rope.“  These piggin' strings are similar to the small ropes rodeo tie-down ropers use to tie the feet of the calves they rope in the arena.     

There are a couple of ways cowboys pack their piggin strings. Often a cowboy carries more than one string. The piggin string I use is 7 feet long and 3/8” in diameter, cut from an old catch rope.
    
  1. I have small rings attached to my saddle on each side (under the third button on a four-button saddle).  The reason for these rings is that I ride a single-rigged saddle. I tie the piggin string onto this ring on the near side (on side) and run the loose ends behind the cantle to the ring on the off side of the saddle.  I place my saddle strings and piggin string ends down through the off-side ring.  This keeps everything out of the way when you are riding through thick brush or roping.
                
  2. If you ride a double-rigged saddle, you can tie your piggin’ string to the on-side rear D-ring. Again, you need to run the loose ends behind the cantle and through the off-side rear D-ring.
piggin string on chaps
Some outside cowboys prefer to carry their string attached to their chaps or chinks. They have a metal ring installed under the top band of their chaps or chinks on the left side.  The string is first looped through the front fastener or belt on your chinks or chaps and the two loose ends dropped through the metal ring.  It is very important to understand nothing is tied hard and fast to the chinks or chaps. The reason for this is that you won’t get hung up on the string if you get in a storm with your horse.      


hobbled horse
There are a number of handy uses for a piggin string besides tying down roped cattle. Here are a few:

You can also use it to hobble your horse if you find your hobbles have fallen off your saddle while riding in the brush or you left them hanging on a nail back at the ranch.
From the left side of the horse, place your string around the off side leg, bring your string to the middle, twist your string three times, then come around the on side front leg. Tie off with a square knot and your horse is hobbled. 
(Only use this method with small rope if your horse is already hobble-broke.)
     

emergency bridle rein
The string can make a spare emergency bridle rein if you are caught out with nothing to fix your broken bridle rein or other piece of tack.

You can use it to help open & close difficult wire gates.   Illustrated below.
Tie your string in a slip-knot around the gatepost; come around the corner post with the loose end.  Pull until you get some slack in your gate latch wire so that it can slide on (or off) the gatepost.
     
Add to these - tie up your dog, tie the gate closed.  
Bet you can think of some others...

How you carry this handy piece of rope does not matter. The important thing is for it to be there if you need it.

Article by
Mike Laughlin
[email protected]     
Photos by Lee Raine


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  • Home
    • Web Site Design >
      • Privacy Policy
    • Links
  • Gear
    • 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