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As is said elsewhere,
it is hard to be a cowboy without cows. Browse here to
find the explanations of some interesting cattle terms or you
may search the site for a particular term.
Click on pictures
for larger views.
Search Cowboy
Showcase
Click to go to pages containing terms
for:
Horse Terms
Cowboy Terms: The People
A Cowboy's Personal Gear
Saddles & Tack Glossary
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Barbed
Wire: (sometimes called "bobbed wire" or "barb wire."
Another name was "The Devil's Rope.")
 A
wire used in fencing that has points at intervals to deter livestock
from crossing the fence.
Joseph F. Glidden of Dekalb, Illinois is credited with the first
successful patent of barbed wire in 1874. Over 2000 varieties
have been cataloged and old barbed wire is quite collectible.
Some historians date the end of the "Old West" as the time when
ranges began to be enclosed. |
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Bob:
Method of marking cattle by trimming
their tail hair. The cowman might "bob" the tails of the
cattle he intends to keep while he is working them.
This mark is made by cutting straight across the end tassel
of tail hair. The mark is very distinctive and able to
be seen from a long distance. See "long
tailed." |
Applying a brand. |
Brand: Ownership
mark. See our Brand Article pages.
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 Branding Iron:
The tool used to apply a brand. Called "iron" for
short. |
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Running Iron: Ring or flat iron used to draw a
brand rather than stamp it on. In the old west, sometimes
used by rustlers to quickly mark unbranded cattle.
In some places it is still illegal to carry a running iron;
however, in others, it is a common practice to apply a legal
brand with one. |
Our
friend, saddlemaker Mike Brennan of Meeker, Colorado sent
us this picture of these old saddle irons (also called
"running irons.") used for branding cattle on the range.
Mike is interested in acquiring a new set He hopes they
might still be used somewhere and possibly (hopefully) available.
Mike says, "We still use them on the ranch, but they are
getting about burnt out. They are made of cast copper
and after a few thousand times in the fire, they get a little
tired and tend to crack. This particular "iron" is well
in excess of 50-60 years old." If you know of a source
of new or good used irons, please contact him at:
Mike M. Brennan
Pistol
River Leather
www.pistolriverleather.com
785 Park Avenue
PO Box 100
Meeker, CO 81641
(970) 878-4346
mbrennan@nctelecom.net
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Saddle
Iron: These branding irons are short stamp type irons
that can be carried easily on a saddle and are constructed so
you can find a stick and place it in the end when you need to
use the iron. |
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Bull:
male un-castrated bovine (cow) Well-bred males are raised
to father cattle in a cow herd. Genetics is big business
in the cattle industry today. |
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Calf: baby cow. Usually cattlemen plan for their herds to calve (have their young) in
the early spring. Some warmer climate ranches allow
calving any time. The animals are then rounded-up and
marked by branding
and earmarking or tagging to denote ownership.
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Corriente:
cattle of non-descript breeding usually from Mexico. Often
used in the U.S. for recreational-roping cattle.
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Cow: A female bovine.
This term is used also as a generic reference to cattle.
Cattle were first imported into the New World by the Spanish
in 1541. Since then breeds from England, Europe and India
have been introduced, trying to create the best producing cattle
that make the best use of the available feed on different ranges.
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Critter: often in speaking of cows
or horses a cowboy calls them a "Critter." Other animals
can also be critters. |
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Cut: (Noun) "a cut":
a group of cattle separated from the herd for a reason, such
as to sell. (Verb) the act of separating the cattle.
(see photo)
Also: a process of
castrating a male animal.
First cut: the choice
pick of the group.
Cut a circle: A cow boss
will describe an area such as a portion of a ranch from
which you will gather cattle or ride to check on land and
animals.
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De-horning: In many places,
cattlemen remove the horns from horned cattle when they are
calves. This makes them easier to handle and less likely
to hurt each other. This practice became popular when
cows began to be transported more often by truck and rail and
needed to be confined in small spaces. |
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Dewlap: Another method
of marking cattle similar to a waddle. A dewlap is formed
by cutting a piece of skin so that it will grow into a distinctive
hanging mark in a certain location. Used in conjunction
with brands and earmarks. |
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Dogie: (pronounced
with a long "o" as in "own," not as in the pet animal named
"Spot.") A calf with no mother.
Term used more often in Texas. Derived from the Spanish
word "dogal" meaning a short rope used to keep a calf away from
its mother during milking. |
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Drive: Method of rounding
up cattle by scattering cowboys over the range and pushing the
cattle to one place. |
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Earmark:
Method of marking cattle by cropping their ears in
 distinctive
patterns. Usually used along with a brand. The earmark
patterns are also registered with the brand. Earmark on the
cow at the right is read as an "under half slope on the left
ear." (as viewed by the reader) Earmarks can often be
seen quicker than a brand (because the cow usually looks at
you) and are a good aid in recognition and when sorting cattle.
Another ear mark on the dark calves to
the left: swallow fork in the right ear.
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Ear Tag:
Method of marking cattle (or other animals) by attaching
a tag to their ears. Often vaccinations, breeding, and
herd identification are information that are recorded using
the tag numbers. (Negative side to this is that the tags
can pull out and be lost.) |
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Heifer: young female cow,
raised to replace the older cows in a herd or to provide meat.
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Horn iron:
The old way to help heal the horn base after
de-horning was to cauterize the horn stub with a hot iron.
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Jerk: A gather of, or trip
through, a small piece of country. Term often used in
rough country where cattle are hard to gather.
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Leppy:
An orphaned calf. Usually easily recognized by their
pot bellies. Sometimes also used referring to a young
cowboy who is inept in cowboy ways. |
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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.
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Long-eared, full-eared: Calves/cattle
that have not been earmarked. They have their whole ears.
Usually one of an age that it should have been branded and earmarked.
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Long tailed: Some cattle
managers snip the long hair on the tip of the tail off when
they process range cattle. Makes a very distinctive mark
and later the hair grows back. Lacking that they are "long-tailed."
See Bob. |
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Mavericks:
wild cattle that haven't been branded and never been gathered.
Sometimes in remote, rough country the animal has been untouched
by the cowboys for quite a while and the older the animal becomes,
the more unmanageable it gets. |
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Oreana another term
used for a lone unmarked and unbranded calf. |
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Rataque:
Fence made by laying mesquite logs or sticks between posts.
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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.
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Rodeo: roundup, today a contested
group of events and associated entertainment.
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Rodear:
To gather and work cattle out
of a herd held by riders, such as in a fence corner where there
is no corral. |
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Roundup: The spring and fall
gathering of cattle on the ranges in order to brand and ear-mark
the calves, wean, sort for ownership and cut out those wanted
for shipment to market. |
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Shelly Cow: An old cow, usually
in poor condition. |
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Slick:
A horse or cow with no brand, earmark, or other identification
of ownership. |
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St. Elmo's Fire: The eerie
glow sometimes seen on cattle's long horns during a lightning
storm. It is caused by brush like discharges of atmospheric
electricity and commonly accompanied by a crackling or fizzing
noise. The discharge also appears as a tip of light
on the extremities of such pointed objects as church towers
or the masts of ships during stormy weather. The light
was so named because St. Elmo is the patron saint of Mediterranean
sailors, who regard St. Elmo's fire as the visible sign of his
guardianship over them. |
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Steer: castrated male bovine
(cow). Steers are raised and fed well to provide meat.
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Stray: an animal
found strayed away from its owner or from the range where it
belongs. Something some people do not understand is that
often cattle from several neighboring ranches become mixed up
during the season and need to be sorted and sent back to the
proper homes. This is the reason proper branding and marking
are so important. |
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Tank: a depression
formed for the purpose of holding water, usually natural water
such as rain water or intermittent stream water. Used
mostly in the southwest. |
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 Waddle:
Another method of marking cattle. A waddle is formed by
cutting a piece of skin so that it will grow into a distinctive
hanging mark in a certain location. Used in conjunction
with brands and earmarks. The example shows a neck waddle.
Waddles and dewlaps often are more visible than brands in cold
weather country where the winter hair obscures the brand, and
are useful for quick recognition and sorting.
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Watusi: African breed of
cattle, dating their ancestry back 6000 years and called the
"cattle of kings." Useful today in the United States,
not only for their striking appearance, but for low birth-weight
calves. |
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Weedy: Similar to "locoed",
but caused by eating too much black sage or other plant instead
of a normal diet and causing malnutrition, often effecting an
animal's mind and thinking. |
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Works: another
term for roundup and working cattle, used mainly in the southwest. (for example:
spring works, fall works) |
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for larger views. |
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