Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-14
)ESERET EVENING NEWS.
May IL. 1880.
Wednesday,
THE yACOUERO.
HE Is OFTEN wRoNGFULLY con-
FOUNDED WITH THE COWBOY.

III 40 VT TN " At<NNE VII NON-
FOUNDED WITH THE COWBOY.
Agreat many people, even in the
West, confound vacqusros with cow
boys, some even supposing that the
only difference between the men
known by these names Is that OF To-
cality Of the country in which they
work; in other words, that n man
working with range cattle is a cow
boy in the North and n vaequero in
the South. Such a mistake, how
ever, Is only made by people I'M
acquainted with range work, because
as a matter Of fact there Is n vast
difference between the occupations
in which these men are engaged.
Ii is true every vacquero' may be-
come a cowboy; but every cowboy
can not possibly become a vacquer0.
The name and the occupation il
denotes are both Of Spanish origin,
says Chambers journal. IL 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
today mongrel descendants from the
pure-bred Barbs landed on the shores
Of the Gulf Of Mexico over a cen
fury since. The same is true Of the
yaequero, for be is invariably n
Mexican, sometimes the descendant
from pure Castilian family; hut |
more often ssGreaser'' or half |
breed, having the blood Of the Cas-
titan and Indian mixed in his |
veins. His occupation Is handling |
and breaking wild horses. and while |
he inherits the hot-tempered, inn
Petuous disposition, together with |
the reckless bravery Of his Spanish |
ancestry, he has also coupled with il |
the cunning and treachery Of his
Indian forefathers in rs noted n de- |
gree az the wild descendants Of those |
pure.bred Spanish palfreys have in
herited their high spirits, speed and |
endurance.
In his dress the vaequerO gives the |
strongest outward evidence ofhis an |
cestry and occupation. The heavy, |
broad-brimmed sOmbrerO, ornament |
ed with gold or silver braid and |
cord; the acknowledgements and |
embroidered veiveteen jacket and |
trousers with buck-skin shirt and |
gaily-eolored sash, long-legged boots
and big spSrs, form invariably the |
dress adopted by him. no matter how |
poor lie may lie, or how old and worn |
his garments.
In choosing His outfit, his saddle |
and bride, he Il niSsa careful than |
the ordinary cowboy, ans. 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 a crOwn-piece
and engraved with mpnograms, or
brands, or any other device which
may catch his fancy. His bril-
die is almost invariably Of his own
manufacture. Of plated horse-hair Of
different colors so combined as 10
give evidence OF his natural artistic
taste. II differs from the ordinary
bridie in being so constructed as 10
be adapted for use with or without
bits, and when used in the latter
shape is called n "hackamOre." 1t
is in this shape the vacquerO invari-
ably uses it the first time he saddles
and mounts wild horse, because
then the bits are useless, and only
irritate the animal; the first lesson
the vacquero desires 10 teach il be-
ing to go ahead without any regard
to the direction, the hair-cord, which
passes around the nose and jaws be-
ing sufficiently strong TO stop its
wild race, If such a course is neces-
sary. The lassO or laTiat used by
the vacquero is, like the cowboys,
made from plated raw-hide or
horse-hair, about thirty feet ia
length, and so heavy that none but
= very strong wind IL able 10 alter
the course Of the moose when thrown
at fleeing animal.
The outfit entire is often worth
Of dollars, and represents
the vacquerO's stock in trade, being
as indispensable as n lawyers or
physicians library. We have often
seen such an outfit girthed, or
sinchej," as they say, on horse
! Ut worth more cents than the out
e, was dollars. The vacquero takes
lore pride in the completeness and
Iuality nf his outfit than the ordin.
AIRY cowboy.
Isarely 90 you ever see the vac
Iuero change his occupation; he is
hOrn in the saddle, reared
in the saddle, and not unfrequently I
falls dead from the saddle. He Is
more accomplished with the lasso
than the cowboy, and no vacquero
Is considered n thoroughly c0mpe-
lent lassO-thTOwer, or roper, I'M
less he can catch n horse run
ming at its utmost speed by any !
one Of its four feet, or its two I
front or hind feet. Merely 10 be
able to throw a lassO over the r
horses head is no qualification
Tor vacquero. Then, too, an eff
,ient vaequero understands thor
Iughly the art Of braiding horse-hair
or raw-hide and making therefrom !
1ridles, riding-whips or ''querts, and
asses or lariats. - ----
OF course, the main difference be- /
'ween the vacquero and cowboy is {
hat the former is employed exclu- :
lively with raDge-horses, while the n
alters charges are horned creatures. Z
besides this, the thorough vacquero Q
S rarely seen in the North. In other 5
however, his life and habits
Ire very similar TO those Of the ,
'owboy; but he is better paid, and
Ictually his life is in greater danger; =
or, while the cowboy may have Oc-
to break a broncho or
lalf-wild horse, that is the vac 7
Iuero's regular occupation, and he
nay be called on to ride five or six
day for weeks at time.