Wednesday Western - Horse Lingo

Late again! Now I know why I waited until my kids were in high school to start writing seriously. There are too many interruptions and things to deal with when there are grade schoolers around.

I'd planned a blog on Billy the Kid with a give-a-way of a book Titled: The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid by Pat F. Garrett copyright 1959 but because this is late and won't give everyone a chance at the book, that will be next Wednesday so mark the date on your calendar if you are a Billy the Kid buff.

So instead today I have Horse Lingo from  Ramon F. Adams book  Cowboy Lingo.

Mount- didn't mean just climbing aboard a horse , it could also mean the number of horses he had and used to talk about his horse or "mount".

Bud, the bay, is a Jug-head.

String - the horses the cowboy was allotted to use while working for a ranch. Or it could be the number of horses he personally owned.

Pitched Off - Thrown from a horse

Pull Leather - What a cowboy did to stay on a horse trying to "pitch him off."

Mustang - a wild horse of an unmixed variety.

Cayuse - Wild horses in Oregon named after the Cayuse tribe of Indians

Pony - didn't have to do with the animal's size, in the Northwest practically every horse was called by this term.

Cow-horse or Cow-pony - a horse experienced in cattle work.

Stock horses - were brood mares and colts.

Work horses - used to harness to wagons and scrapers.

Fuzz-tails or Fuzzies - were range horses.

Willow-tails or Broom-tails- were usually mares with long, loose, coarse, heavy tails, where were indications of poor breeding.

Rat-tail - a horse with little hair on their tail.

Top horse - was a good cattle horse that could do the cutting and roping from.

Jug-heads, Churn-heads, or Crock-heads - were most of the horse that were good only for day-herding or riding-circle.