Click on thumbnail images for larger views and additional descriptions.

---

A

Adobe - Clay, sun dried bricks of adobe mud, straw. and water. (Pronounced "ah-DOUGH-bee.")
"A-Fork" Saddle - A saddle with the front end looking like an "A," no swells
Airtights - Canned goods, such as peaches, tomatoes, etc., either in home canning jars or commercial tin cans.
Amigo - Spanish word meaning "friend;" partner, pard, compadre.
App - An appaloosa horse.
Appaloosa - A horse breed characterized by a spotted rump.
Apple - The pommel or saddle horn. The word "pommel" was derived from the Latin word pomum meaning apple, hence "grabbing the apple" means to grab the pommel or saddle horn.
Arroyo - The bed of a dry or intermittent creek or river.
Association saddle - A hornless saddle, originally provided for saddle bronc event contestants by some rodeo associations.

Go to the top

---

B

Balance rider - Cowboy who rides a bucking bronc solely by balancing himself in the saddle.
Bangtail - A mustang or racehorse, named for having its tail cut short -- like bangs in a haircut. Also called a Bobtail.
Bareback rigging - A stripped-down saddle consisting mainly of a hand-hold and the cinch to hold it in place.
Bat wings - Chaps with wide side flaps.
Bay - A brown or reddish horse with black mane and tail.
Beeves - Plural of beef; cattle.
Bear Sign - Doughnuts.
Bicycling - Spurring a bronc's sides first with one foot and then with the other.
Billet - 1. A heavy leather strap that secures the girth on the off side of the saddle. 2. Sleeping quarters, such as a bunkhouse, barracks, or dormitory.
Bison - Large shaggy-haired brown bovine of the North American plains characterized by a hump, large head, and short horns. Also called "buffalo."
Blowing a stirrup - To lose a stirrup.
Bobtail - (See Bangtail).
Boot Hill - A cemetery, especially one reserved for those who died with their boots on.
Brand - Distinctive design burned into an animal's hide to show ownership.
Branding iron - A long handled tool used for burning a distinctive owner's mark on livestock.
Breast Strap - Tack used to prevent a saddle sliding back.
Bridle - Tack for a horse's head, including the headstall, bit and reins.
Brindle - Having a gray or brown streak or pattern or a patchy coloring.
Bronco - A horse that is not broken to ride and bucks whenever anyone attempts to ride him.
Brown gargle - Coffee.
Brush popper - A cowhand who rides into thick brush to find cattle.
Buckaroo - Anglicized version of "vaquero;" a cowboy, especially one from California.
Buckskin - 1. Horse of a light yellowish dun color with dark mane and tail. 2. A soft yellowish suede leather, originally from deerskin.
Buffalo - 1. noun: A North American Bison. (See Bison.) 2. verb: to intimidate or overly impress someone, just as a buffalo intimidates by its size and brute strength.
Build a loop - To shake out a coiled lasso in preparation for roping.
Bulldogging - A rodeo event in which the contestant attempts to throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting the neck. Called bulldogging because in the early days of rodeo the cowboy would stop the steer by biting the animal's lip in the same way that a bulldog would stop a bull.
Bull Riding - A rodeo contest in which the competitor attempts to ride a bucking bull for a certain time, usually eight seconds.
Bunkhouse - A dormitory for housing a ranch's hired hands.
Burro - A donkey used as a pack animal.
Buscadero - A style of gun belt, developed in the early 1900s, consisting of a curved belt with one or two slotted side panels, with a holster suspended from the slot. (From a Spanish word meaning "seeker" or "searcher" -- usually applied to lawmen.)
Butte - Flat topped hill with steep sides. See also: Mesa.

Go to the top

---

C

Calaboose - Jail. (See Hoosegow.)
Cantle - The raised part at the back of a saddle seat bridging the two sides of the saddle tree. Derived from the obsolete English word scantling meaning a fragment or portion.
Cap and ball revolver - A muzzle loading pistol with the charges ignited by percussion caps on the rear of each chamber.
Cattle guard - A set of horizontal rails placed across a road at a fence opening to prevent cattle from crossing. The device works so effectively that sometimes simple alternating black and white stripes painted across a paved surface will also do the job.
Cavvy - The herd of horses from which a cowboy selects his mount for the day.
Cayuse - A nondescript range horse, probably derived from the ponies of the Cayuse Indians of northwest North America.
Chain-fire - An explosion caused when the flash from one chamber of a cap-an-ball revolver caused the powder in an adjacent chamber to ignite. A dab of grease was placed over the front of each chamber to prevent such disasters.
Chaparral - An area of dense brush or other vegetation. (Derived from the Spanish "chaparro," meaning "scrub oak.")
Chaps - Protective leather coverings for the legs. (Pronounced "shaps")
Chestnut - 1. A horse color ranging from a red-yellow to golden-yellow. The mane, tail, and legs are usually variations of the coat color. Essentially synonymous with the color sorrel. 2. Horny, irregular growth found on the inside of a horse's legs.
Cheyenne roll - An extension at the rear of the cantle that strengthens the cantle and provides a better grip of the cantle.
Chinks - Short chaps, usually fringed and stopping just below the knee. Generally worn during warm weather.
Chinook - Warm, dry wind that originates on the leeward slopes of mountains.
Choking the apple - Gripping the saddle horn.
Chuck - Food, grub.
Chuckwagon - A wagon used on cattle drives or roundups to carry food, utensils, camping gear, etc.
Chuckwagon chicken - Bacon.
Chute - A narrow enclosure with gates in two or more places, used to confine and direct livestock.
Cinch, cincha - 1. A strap attached to the saddle that goes under the horse's belly to keep the saddle in place. It usually consists of a latigo, girth and billet. 2. Something that is easy to do 3. As a verb, cinch means to tighten something like a rope or strap around an object. For example: "I cinched up my belt."
Cinch ring artist - A rustler skilled at using a hot cinch ring to change a brand.
Claybank - A pale red dun color without black points.
Clean out - When a roped calf is thrown cleanly to the ground with its legs out in one direction, it is described as being "cleaned out."
Colt - A male horse between the ages of birth and 4 years.
Community loop - A large loop thrown at stock by a roper without aiming at any specific animal.
Concha - A decorative round leather or metal disk.
Coronet - The band between the pastern and the hoof..
Corral - An enclosure designed for holding livestock.
Cowboy Mounted Shooting - A competition in which riders use firearms loaded with specially designed blanks to shoot at ten reactionary targets (such as balloons) from horseback while riding a specified course of travel or an old west type scenario. To maintain historical authenticity, only originals or reproductions of 1800s firearms and attire are generally allowed.
Crow Hop - Stiff legged jumps by a horse that doesn't know how to buck.
Cut sign - to find a sign or clue.
Cutting horse - A horse trained to cut cows out of a herd.

Go to the top

---

D

Dally (or Dallie) - To take a wrap or several wraps around the saddle horn with a rope.
Dam - A horse's mother. (Derived from the French word, dame, meaning a woman.)
Dapple gray - A horse having a coat of mottled gray. Gray horses are born dark, and the haircoat gradually changes to white over time. In the process, various types of mottling appear.
Dee ring or D-ring - A metal ring, shaped like a capital letter "D," used for attaching items to a saddle or cinch.
Dog-fall - A fall of a steer in bulldogging, with its legs doubled up beneath it. To be timed, a steer must fall with all four legs pointing in the same direction.
Dogie, Dogy, or Dougie - An orphaned calf, especially noted for constant bawling..
Dotting irons - A set of branding irons which required two or more irons to get an entire brand. There were commonly three shapes of dotting irons: a straight line, a small half-circle and a large half-circle. Combinations of these could produce almost any brand design.
Doubletree - A crossbar that connects two singletrees (or wippletrees) for pulling a horse-drawn vehicle to equalize the load between animals and prevent so-called "side draft."
Drygulch - To ambush or shoot someone in the back.
Dude - A fancy-dressing, would-be cowboy. (Derived from the Scottish word, "dud," meaning "clothes.")
Dun - A horse with a dark colored stripe running along the spine from withers to tail (called a dorsal stripe) and a body that is a much lighter shade of that stripe. It will also commonly have areas on the legs that are the same color as the dorsal stripe, as well as a dark mane and tail. Derived from the Welsh word "dun," meaning tawny or mixed brown and black.

Go to the top

---

E

Earmark - Distinctive cut in a cow's ear to show ownership.
End swapper - A bronc that reverses its position in the middle of a high buck.
EPM - Abbreviation for Equine Protazoal Myeloencephalitis, also known as "possum disease;" a neurological disease that is sometimes confused with West Nile disease, rabies, or equine encephalitis.

Go to the top

---

F

Feral - An escaped domestic animal. Technically, there is no such thing as a "wild" horse, since they all descended from domesticated stock. Rather, they are actually feral horses.
Fetlock - The joint between the cannon bone and the pastern, projecting behind the leg and above the hoof.
Filly - 1. A young female horse. 2. A young, unmarried woman.
Fish - A slicker, or long raincoat, named after "Fish" brand slickers. (See also Slicker.)
Flank - The side of a horse, where the hind legs and the stomach of the horse meet.
Flank cinch - A strap attached to the rear of a saddle, designed to hold the saddle down when pressure is placed on the saddle horn.
Flank strap - A leather strap, lined with sheepskin, placed around a bronc's flank and over his back, designed to encourage the horse to buck.
Foal - 1. noun: A young horse. 2. verb: To give birth to a foal.
Fork - The part of a saddle tree that bridges from one bar to the other at the front. The fork is the underlying framework for the pommel and swells.
Founder - A downward movement of the coffin bone.
Freemartin - A female calf, born as a twin to a male. A freemartin is an undesirable animal because it cannot reproduce and behaves much like a bull.
Futurity - In horse shows, a performance event for two-year-olds or younger or a halter event for yearlings or younger .

Go to the top

---

G

Gait - A horse's manner and rate of moving, as characterized by a specific pattern and speed of hoofbeats.
Gaited horse - horse that naturally moves with one or more of the so-called "ambling" gaits. Some of those gaits are the pace and the rack (both characteristic of the American Saddlebred), the fox trot, the various "Paso" gaits, the running walk, and the singlefoot. A few of the breeds classed as gaited horses are the American Saddlebred, Canadian Pacers, Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, Paso Fino, Tennessee Walking Horse, and Walkaloosa.
Gelding - A male horse that has been neutered.
Girth - 1. A strap or cinch that goes under or around a horse's belly to hold a saddle in place. 2. The circumference of a horse measured behind the withers.
Good Ride - 1. Any ride you can walk away from. 2. A rodeo ride to the buzzer and/or one without a penalty.
Graybacks - Lice.
Green broke - A horse that is not fully trained.
Greenhorn - a novice cowboy.
Grub - Food. (Derived from the fact that many critters dig -- or "grub" for their food.)
Grulla - (Pronounced "GROO - ya") A mouse colored, slate gray horse.
Gulch - A deep, narrow gorge or ravine.

Go to the top

---

H

Hackamore - A halter equipped with some means of directing the horse without the use of a bit. There are two basic types of hackamore: mechanical and non-mechanical. For more detail, see Question and Answer page 181.
Half-cocked - To "go off half-cocked" means to take a premature action; to do a thing without considering all the facts. The hammer of a percussion pistol has a half-cock position that allows the cylinder to rotate for loading. If the trigger is accidentally pulled with the hammer over a chamber with a cap in place, the pistol could go off half-cocked. Since the cylinder is not locked in the proper position when the hammer is at half cock, the result could be disastrous.
Hand - 1. A measure of a horse's height at the withers, one hand equals four inches. Intermediate inches are separated from the hand measure by a period mark. For example, 62 inches would be expressed as 15.2 hands [62 divided by 4 equals 15 with a remainder of 2]. 2. A worker hired by a ranch; as in "a hired hand.".
Hardtack - Very hard, unsalted biscuit or bread which served as a durable food for long journeys.
Header - The cowboy who ropes a calf's head for branding or in rodeo competition; works in conjunction with a heeler.
Headstall - The part of a bridle that fits around the top of a horse's head; sometimes used to describe the bridle itself.
Heeler - The cowboy who ropes the back legs of calf after the header has roped the calf's head. The heeler tries to throw a flat loop in front of the calf's hind legs, into which it steps and is snared. (See definition of "lasso")..
Heifer - A young female bovine which hasn't had a calf.
Hemp necktie - A hangman's noose, so called because rope was made of Manila hemp.
Hen fruit - Eggs.
High roller - A horse that leaps high in the air when bucking.
Hobble - A pair of connected loops placed on a horse's feet to restrict movement.
Hock - Joint in the hind leg, equivalent to the human ankle.
Hog leg - A large pistol.
Hog-tie - To tie three of an animal's legs with a piggin' string.
Hombre - (Pronounced "AHM-bray") Spanish word meaning man or male.
Honcho - Often mistaken as a Spanish cowboy term, this word actually originated during World War II and is derived from a Japanese title for a military squad leader. In current usage, it means a foreman or other person who exercises control over workers.
Honda - A small loop in a lasso through which the rope runs to form a larger loop.
Hoolihanning - To leap on a steer in such a way that the animal's head and horns are driven into the ground. The animal turns over and must be let up and thrown by hand for eligible time.
Hoosegow - Jail. Derived from the Spanish word, "juzgado" (huz-GA-dough), a court of law.
Hot rocks - Biscuits.
Hotshot - A harmless electric device pressed against the hide of an animal to prod it into moving. Although Hot-Shot® is a registered trademark of Miller Manufacturing Company, the term "hotshot" is commonly used as a generic description for any electric cattle prod.
Hurricane deck - A saddle, especially one on a bucking horse. Named after the deck at the top of a passenger ship, where the vessel's movement was most noticeable.

Go to the top

---

I

Iron Horse - A railroad steam engine.
Indian broke - A horse trained to be mounted from either side.

Go to the top

---

J

Jack - A male donkey
Jenny - A female donkey
Jerk line - Rope used by a calf roper to cue his horse to back up, pulling the calf toward the dismounted cowboy.
Jerky - Strips of dried meat that can be stored for long periods.
Jingle bob - A piece of metal dangling the next to a spur rowel which makes a ringing sound when moved. Jingle bobs are designed to keep livestock from being spooked by the unexpected appearance of a cowhand, especially in the dark of night.
John - A male mule.
John B. - A Stetson hat.
Johnny Cake - (also: journey cake) Corn bread baked on a griddle.

Go to the top

---

K

Kack - Saddle.
Keep your powder dry - The frontiersman's equivalent of "Be prepared," "Stay on your toes," or "Expect the unexpected," this saying has its origin in the days of muzzleloading firearms. Having your supply of gunpowder get wet was one of the worst things that could befall you. It meant that you no longer had a means of defending yourself, putting meat on the table, or earning your livelihood.

Go to the top

---

L

Laminitis - An inflammation of the tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse.
Lariat - A rope with a loop used for catching livestock. Derived from the Spanish words, "la reata" -- "the rope." (See also Lasso.)
Larrup - Molasses.
Lasso - A rope with a loop used for catching livestock. Derived from the Spanish word, "lazo," meaning, "snare." (See also Lariat.)
Latigo - A strap for connecting and tightening a saddle girth.
Laughing stock - Cattle with a sense of humor. [Gotcha!]
Leopard App- An appaloosa horse with an overall spotted pattern.
Lineback Dun - Dun horse with a black line running down the spine.
Light a shuck - To depart for another location, especially in the dead of night. Derived from the use of corn shucks as convenient torches for lighting the way home.
Line Shack - a cabin for use of cowhands when out patroling the boundry line of the ranch for cattle that may have strayed over the line.
Llano Estacado - (Yea-no Es-tah-kah-dough) Spanish phrase meaning "Staked Plains." The dry, treeless plains of the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico.
Loco - A Spanish word meaning insane, crazy.
Longe - A long rope used for training a horse. (See Longeing.)
Longeing - A method of training horses, where a horse is worked at the end of a long line, called a "longe." (From an obsolete English word, "allonge," meaning a long rein.)
Longhorn - A hardy beef cattle breed characterized by exceptionally long horns.

Go to the top

M

Macardy - See Mecate.
Mane - Long hair growing along the crest of a horse's neck.
McCarty - See Mecate.
McClellan saddle - A military saddle designed in the 1850s by George B. McClellan and patterned after saddles used by the Hungarian cavalry.
Mecate - (Pronounced "mek-cah-tay") In Spanish, the word "mecate" means "rope" or "cord." A long rope that serves as reins, lead rope, quirt, and more. For more detail, see Q&A #284 -- "What's a mecate?"
Medicine Hat - A pinto with coloring covering the pole and both ears. It is also usually marked with a "shield" or spot of color over the chest.
Mesa - A flat topped mountain with steep sides.
Milk vein - A vein running across a mare's belly to the udder which becomes enlarged when she is producing milk.
Mochila - (Moh-chill-ah) A leather saddlebag with four locked pouches -- called "cantinas" -- used for carrying mail by the Pony Express. The mochila fit over the saddle and the rider's legs went between the pockets, so the mochila could only be removed if the rider dismounted. "Mochila" is a Spanish word for a knapsack or soldier's pack.
Molly - A female mule.
Morral - A feed bag for a horse that fits over its nose. Also called a nose bag.
Mosey - To wander or depart. The word's origin is uncertain - it may be derived from the way Moses wandered in the wilderness, or as an Anglo corruption of "vamanos," meaning "Let's go."
Mossy-horn - An old, wily bovine, especially a feral bull.
Mule - Offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, characteristically having large ears.
Mustang - A wild horse of the North American plains, descended from feral Spanish horses. "Mustang" may come from a Spanish word -- possibly "mestengo" or "mesteño," -- meaning a "stray, feral, or ownerless" horse. It also seems possible that the word may be derived from the ancient land known as Mustang, in northeast Nepal -- noted as the home of small, tough, mustang-like ponies. (For a little more detail on this topic, see Q&A #252,)

Go to the top

N

Go to the top

O

Overo - A pinto coloration pattern of white over dark body markings.
Ox - A steer trained for draft work. Plural: oxen.

Go to the top

P

Palaver - Casual conversation. (Anglo corruption of the Spanish word "palabra," meaning, "word.")
Palomino - Having a golden coat with a white or cream colored mane and tail.
Palouse - Original name of the Appaloosa horse.
Pastern - the area between the fetlock and the hoof.
Peacemaker - a single-action, breech-loading revolver popular in the frontier West.
Perambulate - To walk around with no particular destination. From a Latin phrase meaning, "to walk around."
Performance Class - A class in which either the horse or the exhibitor is judged upon their actions.
Picket line - A rope suspended off the ground which is used for tying horses.
Pick-up man - A mounted cowboy in the rodeo arena who "picks up" the riders after they have completed their contest rides. Pick-up men also release the flank strap and herd the broncs or other stock out of the arena, as necessary.
Piebald - A black and white pinto. Also often used to describe a skewbald horse.
Piggin' string - A short rope with a loop, used to hog-tie (thus the name piggin' or pigging) three legs of roped livestock.
Piñon - (Pronounced "PIN-yohn") A pine tree found in the higher elevations of the American Southwest. The seeds of the piñon -- commonly called "pine nuts" -- are high in both protein and calories, making them an excellent food for those engaged in rugged activity.
PMU - Abbreviation for Pregnant Mare Urine; refers to horses used in the production of the urine from which estrogen replacement therapy drugs are made. It may also refer to the foals produced by such mares.
Points - The mane, tail, and lower legs; sometimes also includes the muzzle.
Poke - a pouch or bag used by a cowboy to carry his "possibles" (small personal items).
Poll - The area at the top of a horse's neck between and directly behind the ears.
Pommel - The portion of a saddle that fits over the withers. The saddle horn of a Western saddle is mounted on top of the pommel. Derived from the Latin word pomum, meaning apple or swelling.
Pony - Any of various breeds of small horses, usually less than 15 hands (five feet) high at the withers. Also used of western cow horses as well as an informal term for a polo or race horse.
Pork-and-beaner - A cowboy, so-called from this staple item in his diet. Although beans are high in protein, they lack the calories and salt needed by a man doing hard work in hot country. A chunk of salt pork cooked with the beans helped to fill that dietary need. That's how pork and beans got started!
Possum disease - (See EPM.)
Proud flesh - A protrusion of tissue that remains after a wound has otherwise healed.
Pulling strap - 1. Also called a breast collar; a harness strap that puts pressure across the horse's chest rather than on a hame and neck collar. 2. A heavy beast strap that attaches to the saddle to keep it from slipping backward when pulling cattle to a branding fire or drawing other heavy loads. Essentially, it is a breast strap that runs more over the shoulder, rather than the chest, and often includes a neck strap to hold it higher.

Go to the top

Q

Go to the top

R

Rack - A single-footed, extremely rapid and smooth four-beat gait unique to the American Saddlebred and the National Show Horse.
Ramrod - 1. A rod used to ram the charge into a muzzle-loading or cap-and-ball firearm. 2. A ranch or trail foreman; the person in charge of making sure the work gets done.
Rank - An animal that is ill-tempered, dangerous, or hard to ride.
Rawhide - untanned hide, usually cow or buffalo.
Rein - A long strap running from the bit to the rider's hands.
Remittance man - An absentee ranch owner, often from an eastern state or England, who derived income from the remittances sent to him by those who worked his land.
Remount - A fresh mount, especially a horse to replace one lost or killed in combat.
Remuda - string of riding horses. (See Cavvy.)
Ride for the Brand - To be loyal to your employer.
Ride Shank's Mare - To walk on your own two legs, or shanks.
Roan - Having mixed colored and white hairs.
Rocky Mountain Canary - A burro, probably named for its high-pitched braying
Roughstock - broncs used in saddle bronc or bareback events, and bulls used in bull riding events.
Round-up - a gathering of horses or cows.
Rowel - The star-shaped disk set at the end of a spur's shaft or post.
Runaway bucker - A bronc that runs wildly from the chute and then "breaks in two" someplace in the middle of the arena.

Go to the top

S

Saddle - 1. A seat for the rider of a horse. (Click on thumbnail picture for the parts of a saddle.) 2. A saddle-shaped pass or ridge that slopes gently between two peaks.
Savvy - Used as both a verb and a noun, meaning to have understanding or knowledge. From the Spanish word "sabe," know.
Scattergun - A shotgun.
Segundo - A foreman, or second-in-command. A Spanish word meaning "second."
Singletree - A crossbar to which the traces or tugs of a draft horse harness are attached for pulling a vehicle. Also called a whippletree or swingletree, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a whiffletree. The singletree may be considered an element of a doubletree.
Skedaddle - To leave quickly, as if in a panic. Skedaddle was a dialect word in the north of England by at least the early 1800s and meant "to spill." In North America, "skedaddle" in its current usage became popular around the time of the Civil War.
Skewbald - A pinto colored white and any other color except black. Also sometimes called a piebald.
Skunk eggs - Onions.
Sky pilot - A preacher or chaplain, especially a circuit rider who ministers the Gospel in multiple locations to working men such as cowboys or lumberjacks.
Slicker - A long rain coat, slit front and back to allow the wearer to sit on a saddle, and often with snaps to fasten the material around the wearer's legs.
Slickfork - An "A Fork" saddle.
Slow elk - Beef (the meat).
Soda sinker - biscuit.
Soogan - See Sugan.
Sorrel - 1. A horse color ranging from a red-yellow to golden-yellow. The mane, tail, and legs are usually variations of the coat color. Essentially synonymous with the color chestnut.
Sougan - See Sugan.
Sourdough - 1. A kind of bread prepared using starter dough from a previous batch, rather than commercial yeast. 2. A mining prospector.
Spinner - A bull or horse that bucks in close, tight circles.
Spur - 1. An apparatus that goes around the heel of a boot, used to prod a horse to be more active. 2. To prod into activity.
Stallion - An adult male horse.
Stampede - Runaway herd.
Stampede string - A string placed under the chin or around the back of the head to keep a rider's hat from blowing off.
Steer - A neutered bull. See also "Ox."
Steer Wrestling - A rodeo contest in which the competitor attempts to throw a steer to the ground. (Also called "Bulldogging.")
Stock contractor - One who supplies livestock to rodeos, such as saddle or bareback broncs, bulls, roping calves, or steers. He may also supply the hands to run the rodeo.
Stove-up - Badly injured, as by a fall from a horse or other accident.
Strawberry roan - A red roan, having a mixture of red and white hairs all over the body, with red, black, or flaxen mane and tail.
Sugan, soogan or sougan - A wool blanket, down-filled quilt or featherbed which was wrapped in a waterproof canvas cover; a sleeping bag or bedroll.
Sunfishing - When a horse rears and twists its body violently from side to side, rolling its belly upward toward the sun, it is said to be sunfishing.
Surcingle - a bareback strap that fastens around a horse's girth area, running from the ribcage up to the withers area. It may have many rings attached, or one or more hand holds.
Swells - The shoulders, or outer sides, of the pommel or fork. The swells may be slick or undercut.
Swingletree - See Singletree

T

Tack - Gear used for working with a horse.
Tally-book - A journal or notebook used to keep track of livestock.
Tapadero - A leather hood which covers a stirrup - also called a "stirrup hood." It functions both as a stop to keep the foot from slipping too far into the stirrup and as a shield to keep brush from pushing the foot out of the stirrup. In Spanish, "tapadera" means a lid, or something that covers.
Tenderfoot - a newcomer to the cowboy life; also known as a "greenhorn."
Texas butter - Beef gravy.
Texas gate - A gate made of barbed wire.
Tobiano - A pinto of any color with some white crossing its back and a solid colored head.
Tree - 1. The interior framework of a saddle, over which the leather or other covering is attached.
Trick rider - An equestrian entertainer, usually performing gymnastics and other seemingly hazardous feats on horseback.

Go to the top

U

Go to the top

V

Go to the top

W

Waddie - A working cowboy.
War bag - A sack for carrying a cowboy's personal belongings or tack.
Wheel gun - a revolver.
Whippersnapper - This expression originated among the cowboys of England, at least as far back as the Elizabethan era. Young boys who weren't yet capable of herding cattle from horseback were taught how to drive livestock by loudly cracking a bull whip. Proud of their ability to produce the explosive "bang" of the whip, those youngsters often became an annoying nuisance to others by their constant racket. Thus, by 1700 a British dictionary defined whippersnapper as "...a very small but sprightly Boy." As cowboys came to the New World, they brought the expression with them. Later, "whippersnapper" came to mean an impertinent youngster with an excess of ambition.
Whippletree - See Singletree
Whistle berries - Beans.
Withers - the highest point of the shoulder, located between the top of the neck and the back.
Wolf tooth - also known as a canine or tush tooth; a pre-molar tooth that lies behind the space where the bit fits.
Woolies - Sheepskin or goatskin chaps with the wool on the outside.
Wrangler - A cowboy, especially one in charge of the remuda, or horse herd.

X

Go to the top

Y

Go to the top

Z

Zebra Stripes - Dark stripes or bars on a horse's legs.
Zony - A hybrid cross between a zebra and a pony.
Zorse - A hybrid cross between a zebra and a horse.

Go to the top

Mailing address:
Cowboy Bob Lemen
P.O. Box 69
Grand Rapids, Minnesota 55744
(218) 326-4762

Send me an E-mail

     Return to Cowboy Bob's Home Page

COPYRIGHT © 2007 BOB LEMEN, GRAND RAPIDS, MINNESOTA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The contents of this document are not for reproduction.