Posts Tagged ‘buckaroos’

Behind the Scenes of a Wagon Camp

June 23, 2020
Jolyn Young

Have you ever wondered what it was like to camp out on the wagon with the cowboy crew? Well, here’s how you can replicate the experience at home: Throw out all your food except canned goods and beef. You can keep a few other pantry staples, such as flour and sugar, but say good-bye to […]

Ropers North And South

November 19, 2017
Jolyn Young

Roping is roping, right? Wrong. Well, kind of right. And kind of…well, just different. We’ve been living in Arizona for nearly a year now, and I’ve noticed a few differences in the way cowpunchers approach roping compared with the buckaroo style. But, here’s one thing these ropers have in common: Build a loop. Hold it […]

War Knot Series, Part One: Mustache Knot

July 31, 2017
Jolyn Young

Here’s the first installment in a four-part series on tying a war knot or buckaroo knot in a horse’s tail. Buckaroo traditions were handed down from the California vaqueros, who learned their skills and customs from the Spanish conquistadors. In keeping with tradition, many modern-day buckaroos tie a knot in their horse’s tail each day […]

Cowboy Gear

June 1, 2017
Jolyn Young

Cowboys from across the regions of the Western United States all sit in saddles and ride horses to work. But aside from those general similarities, the gear they pack with them all day can vary widely. After we moved to northern Arizona from northern Nevada, my husband discovered that cowpunchers carry a LOT more supplies […]

20 Things To Do While Waiting

May 22, 2017
Jolyn Young

When a person is out cowboying, he or she sometimes must wait. Sometimes you’re waiting to meet up with the rest of the crew to throw together everyone’s cattle from the day’s circle. Sometimes you’re waiting for a signal from another cowboy to move down the ridge. Sometimes you’re waiting for someone to come pick […]

Weird Wagon Questions

May 19, 2017
Jolyn Young

It’s springtime, and you know what that means: green grass, bouncy calves and branding on the wagon. Well, this last part is true for the handful of big ranches that still use a wagon to brand calves each spring. And most of these ranches use a pickup, not an actual wagon. Confused yet? Here are […]

Modern-Day Buckaroo Attire

May 15, 2017
Jolyn Young

In articles about the differences in clothing and gear used by cowboys in different regions, the buckaroo is usually portrayed as a caricature from the 1980s. Modern-day buckaroos no longer wear snap-brim hats and thrift-store coats unless they find a wicked good deal on a Cabela’s cast off. Here’s a breakdown of the typical buckaroo’s […]

Cowboy Skills: Dallying

April 26, 2017
Jolyn Young

“Take your turns!” “Go to the peg!” “Go to the wood!” These are all creative cowboy ways of saying “Dally!” To many ropers, dallying is as important a skill as catching. Unless you’re using a horn knot and tying off like a Texan or Southwest cowpuncher, you’ll need to stop the roped animal somehow, and […]

The Branding Season Guide You Haven’t Read

April 13, 2017
Jolyn Young

Most cowfolks think that branding season is the best time of the year, including Christmas and their own birthdays, but I have a confession to make. Branding season is not my favorite. I realize I may risk losing my cowboy card over this, but I’m willing to take that chance, because I have kids and […]

Translating Buckaroos To Cowpunchers

April 11, 2017
Jolyn Young

Buckaroos and cowpunchers both have the same basic job: to take care of cattle. Buckaroos live up north in the Great Basin, and cowpunchers live down south in Texas and the Southwest, and the differences in their lingo are as great as the differences in their gear and methods. My family and I recently moved […]