The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-10-04
the vAQvERo.
He is Often Wrongfully COMPOUNDED
With the Cowboy.

"A ktVnV A41Av PSOtAO1 ~'~AA AsA SsAS
West, confound vaqueros 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 a vaquero
in the South. Such a mistake,
however. is only made by people
unacquainted with range work, be-
cause as a matter Of fact there is a
vast difference between the occu-
pations in which these men are en-
gagged. 1t is true every vaquero
may become a cowboy? but every
cowboy cannot possibly become a
vaquero.
The name and the occupation it
denotes are both of Spanish origin,
says Chambers Journal. It is a
matter Of history that the first horses
brought to America were from
Spain and the cowponies used in
Texas and Old and New Mexico are
to-day mongrel 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 vaquero, for he is invariably
q Mexican, sometimes the descend
ant from q pure Castilian family
but more often "Greaser" or half
breed, having the blood of the Cas-
tilian and Indian mixed in his veins.
His occupation is handling and
breaking wild horses, and while he
inherits the hot-tempered, impetu-
GUS disposition, together with the
reckless bravery Of his Spanish an
cestry, he has also coupled with it
the cunning treachery of his Indian
fore fathers in as noted a degree as
the wild descendants of those pure
bred Spanish pelfreys' have inner
tied their high spirits, speed and
endurance.
In his dress the vaquero gives the
strongest outward evidence of his
ancestry and occupation. The
heaviest, broal-brimmed sombrero,
ornamented with gold or silver braid
and cord; the fancifully decorated
and embroidered velveteen jacket
and trousers with buckskin shirt
and gaily-colored sash, long-legged
boots and big spurs, form invariably.
the dress adopted by him, no mat.
ter 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 fire.
quently as large as crown piece,
and engraved with monograms, 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 give evi-
dence of his natural artistic taste.
1t differs from the ordinary bride
in being so constructed as to be
adapted for use with or without
bits, and when used in the latter
shape is called "hackamore." It is
in this shape the vaquero invariably
uses it the first time he saddles and
mounts a wild horse, because then
the bits are useless, and only irri'
tate the animal; the first lesson the
vaquero desires to teach it being tc
go ahead without any regard to di'
rection, the hair-cord, which passes
around the nose and jaws being
sufficiently strong to stop its wild
race, if such course is necessary
The lasso or lariat used by the va
quero is, like the cowboys, made
from plated raw hide or horse-hair
about thirty feet in length, and &c
heavy that none but a very strong
wind is able to alter the course O
the moose when thrown at q fleeing
animal.
The outfit entire is often worth
hundreds of dollars, and representa-
the vaouero's stock in trade, bein}
as indispensable as a lawyers o.
physicians library. We have otter
seen such an outfit girthed, or ''sin
ched" as they say, on a horse no
worth more cents than the outti
Ewas dollars. The vaquero take'
more pride in the completeness ant
quality of his outfit than the ordi
nary cowboy.
Barely ever do you see the va
quero change hisoccupation; he i
apparently born in the saddle, rear
ed in the saddle, and not unfre
. quently falls dead from the saddle
He il more accomplished with tn
l1lasso than the cowboy, and no va
quero is considered q thorough.
! competent lasso-thrower, or rope
unless he can catch.a horse runnin
at ito utmost speed by any one 9
| its four feet, or it's two front Q
: hind feet. Merely to be able t
, throw Q lasso over the horses hea
7 Is no qualification for q yaquert