The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-04-10
vAcaUERos AND COWBOYS.
Two Glasses Of Picturesque Westerner'
that Are Sometimes Confounded.

VACQUEROS AND COWBOYS.
Two Glasses OF Picturesque westerners
that Are Sometimes ConTounded.
A great many people even in the
West confound vacqueros with cow
boys. some even supposing that the only
Inference between the men known BY
these names is that of locality of the
country in which they work; in other
words. that a man working with range
cattle is a cowboy in the North and Il
yacquero in the South. Such 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 vacquero.
The name and the occupation it de-
notes are both Of Spanish origin. 1t 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 CasllIlan fami-
IL: but more often Il ''Greascr' or half
breed. having the blood of the CaStiliam
and Indian mixed in his veins. His
occupation is handling and breaking
wild horses. and while he inherits the
f,y,. fn,,x,,,,.l Il nf
MS Spanish ancestry he has also coupled
with it the cunning and treachery of
MS Indian forefathcrS. in as noted Il
lcgree as the wild descendants Of those
purc-brcd Spanish palfreys have in
nelited their high spirits, speed and
endurance.
In his dress the vacquero gives the
strongest outward evidence of his an
cestry and occupation. The heavy
broad brimmcd S0mbrcrO. ornamcnted
with gold or silver braid and cord; the
fancifully decorated and embroidered
relyetceu Jacket and trousers. with
Duckskin shirt and gally-colored sash,
iong-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 silyer-headed rivets, the
heads being frequently as large as a
crown-piece. and engraved with mono
Il. Il
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 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 a ''hackamoor. "
1t is in this shape the vacquero inyari-
ably uses it the first time he saddles
aud mounts wild horse, because then
the bits are useless. and only irritate
the animal; the first lesson the vacquero
desires to teach it being to 90 ahead
without any regard to direction, the
hair-cord which passed around the nose
and jaws being sufficiently strong to
stop its wild race. if such a course is
necessary. The lasso or lariat used
by the vacquero is, like the cowboys,
made from plated raw hide or horse
lair. about thirty feet in length, and sc
heavy that none but very strong
wind is able to alter the course of the
moose when thrown at fleeing animal.
This outfit entire is often worth hun.
dreds of dollars, and represents the
yacquero stock in trade, being rs in.
dispensable as a lawyers or physician
library. We have often seen such an
outfit girthed, or ''sinched'' rs they say,
on a horse not worth many more cents
than the outfit was dollars. The
yacquero takes more pride in the com.
pleteness and quality of his outfit than
the ordinary cowboy.
Rarely do YOU ever see the yacquerC
change his occupations; he is apparent
ly born in the S"ddle reared in the sad.
die, and not unfrequently falls dead
from the saddle. He is more accom-
pliShed with the lasso than the cowboy,
and no vacquero is considered Il thor
oughly competent laSso-thrower, or
roper, unless he can catch horse run
ming at its utmost speed by any one of
its four feet, or its two front or hind
feet. Merely to be able to throw a
Iasso over the horses head is no quail
lication for yacquero. Then, too, an
efficient vacquero understands thor
oughly the art of braiding horse-hair
or raw hide and making therefrom
brides. riding whips or "querts." and
lassos or lariats. Every portion of his
large and hcavily-rigged saddle has its
proper Spanish name, which is UNI
known to the ordinary cowboy of the
present day, although some years since.
when SouthernerS were engaged eN-
clusively in that business, most of those
were familiar with the Spanish name
of each portion or section of the saddle.
OF course, the main difference be-
tween the yacquero and cowboy Is that
the former is employed exclusively
with range horses, while the latter 5
charges are horned creatures. Be
sides this. the thorough vacquero is
rarely seen in the North. In other re-
spectS. however, his life and habits are
very similar 10 those or the cowboy; but
he is better paid, and actually his life
is i'll greater danger; for, while the
cowboy may have occasionally to break
A broncho or half-wild horse. that is
The vacquero'S regular occupation. and
he NAV be called on 10 ride five or six
a day for weeks at Il time. Chambers
J0uradi.
The Little Dog Told the Big One.