Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-24
VAcaUERos AND COWBOYS.
Two Glasses of Picturesque Westerners
that Are Sometimes COMPOUNDED.

A great many people even in the
West confound vacqueros with cow
boys, some even supposing that the only
| difference between the men known by
these names is that of locality of the
country in which they work; in other
words, that man working with range
cattle is a cowboy in the North and
vacquero in the South. Such a mis-
take, however, is only made by people
unacquainted with range work, because
as a matter of fact there is a vast differ
ence between the occupations in which
these men are engaged. 1t is true
every vacquero may become cowboy;
but every cowboy can not possibly be-
come yacquero.
The name and the occupation it de-
notes are both of Spanish origin. It is
a matter of history that the first horses
brought to America were from Spain,
and the cow-ponies used in Texas and
Old and New Mexico are to-day mon
grel descendants from the pure-bred
barbs landed on the shores of the Gulf
of Mexico over a century since. The
same is true of the vacquero, for he is
invariably Mexican, sometimes the
descendant from pure Castilian fami-
ly; but more often "Greaser" or half
breed, having the blood of the Castilian
and Indian mixed in his veins. His
occupation is handling and breaking
wild horses, and while he inherits the
hot-temperd impetuous disposition of
his Spanish ancestry he has also coupled
with it the cunning and treachery of
his Indian forefathers, in as noted a
degree as the wild descendants of those
pure-bred Spanish palfreys have in
herited their high spirits, speed and
endurance.
strongest outward evidence of his an
cestry and occupation. The heavy
broad-brimmed sombrero, ornamented
with gold or silver braid and cord; the
fancifully decorated and embroidered
velveteen jacket and trousers, with
buckskin shirt and gally-colored sash,
long-legged boots and big spurs, form
invariably the dress adopted by him, no
matter how poor he may be or how old
and worn his garments.
In choosing his outfit, his saddle and
bride, he is more careful than the
ordinary cowboy, and gives less thought
to the expense; especially so is this the
case with regard to the trappings of his
saddle, which are often fastened in
place with silver-headed rivets, the
heads being frequently as large as a
crown-piece, and engraved with mono
grams, or brands, or any other device
which may catch his fancy. His bride
is usually of his own manufacture OF
plated horse-hair of different colors
so combined as to g i've evidence of his
natural artistic taste 1t differs from
the ordinary bride in being so con.
structed as to be adapted for use with
or without bits, and when used in the
latter shape is called ''hackamoor.'
1t is in this shape the vacquero invari
| ably uses it the first time he saddles
and mounts wild horse, because ther
the bits are useless. and only irritate
the animal; the first lesson the vacquerl
desires to teach it being to 90 aheaC
without any regard to direction, the
hair-cord which passed around the nos,
and jaws being sufficiently strong t.
, stop its wild race, If such a course il
necessary. The lasso or lariat usee
by the yacquero is, like the cowboy s
f made from plated raw hide or horse
! hair, about thirty feet in length, and ST
heavy that none but a very stron:
wind is able to alter the course of tn
moose when thrown at a fleeing animal
This outfit entire is often worth hun
. dreds of dollars, and represents th
| vacquero's stock in trade, being as in
. dispensable as a lawyers or physician
, library. We have often seen such a
: outfit girthed or ''sinched'' as they say
l on Il horse not worth many more cent
than the outfit was dollars. TIL
vacquero takes more pride in the CON
pleteness and quality of his outfit tina
= the ordinary cowboy.
Rarely do you ever see the vacquer
$ change his occupation; he is apparent
ly born in the saddle, reared in the sat
: die. and not unfrequently falls dea
from the saddle. He is more accom-
a plished with the lasso than the cowboy
and no vacquero is considered a thor
e oughly competent lasso-thrower, o
: roper, unless he can catch horse run
V ming at its utmost speed by any one Q
its four feet, or its two front or him
n feet. Merely to be able to throw
: lasso over the horses head is no quail
: tication for vacquero. Then, too, a
k efficient vacquero understands thor
= OuSniS the arU OF DFaluIuS uoISe-Hdi
4 or raw hide and making therefor
IS brides, riding whips or ''querts." an
:. lassos or lariats. Every portion of hi
It large and heavily-rigged saddle has it
s proper Spanish name, which is un
d known to the ordinary cowboy of tn
D present day, although some years since
V when Southerners were engaged eN
clusively in that business, most of thos
:. were familiar with the Spanish nam
5; of each portion or section of the saddle
@ Of course, the main difference be
'. tween the vacquero and cowboy is thu
is the former is employed exclusivel
w with range horses. while the latter
Il charges are horned creatures. b
sides this, the thorough vacquero
D. rarely seen in the North. In other II
spects, however, his life and habits ar
re very similar to those of the cowboy;bu
if he is better paid, and actually his LID
at is in greater danger; for, while til
N cowboy may have occasionally to brea
t. a broncho or half-wild horse, that
the vacquero's regular occupation, an
ne he may be called on to ride tive or 81
ne day for weeks at a time.-Chanaber
n Journal.