Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: Cowboy Bob, What do lice look like on horses? My horse has these yellow things on the hair of her legs that won’t pull off easily. Is this lice and do you know of an easy natural way of getting rid of them and […]
Blinder A Blinder is a leather attachment on the side of the halter that makes it “Blind” to the side — preventing a horse from seeing things that might spook or distract it. Also called a “Blinker.” Photo by Bob Lemen. All rights reserved.
Bullwhip A whip usually consisting of a long tapered flexible length of braided leather attached to a stiff handle; used for driving livestock. When given a sharp snapping action, the tip of the whip can exceed 760 mph, producing a small sonic boom. Whips were thus the first man-made implements to break the sound barrier. […]
Buffalo Soldiers Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry, circa 1890, some wearing buffalo robes, Fort Keogh, Montana. Most were free Blacks of Northern parentage and many were veterans of the Civil War. Photo by C. Barthelmess, courtesy Library of Congress.
Boot Hill Some communities had two cemeteries: a “Boot Hill” for the rougher crowd and a separate area for “respectable folks” who didn’t want to associate with the rowdies, even in death. One notable “Boot Hill” is at the Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona, pictured here. Formerly named the “Tombstone Cemetery,” it contains the graves […]
Barrel Cactus Contrary to common myth, although their wounds can become infected, the spines of a barrel cactus are no more “dirty” than other cactus spines or wood splinters. A more dangerous myth holds that water from the interior of a barrel cactus can be drunk in an emergency. In fact, the water inside a […]
Blue Roan A horse having a black base coat intermingled with white hairs and a black mane, tail, head, and legs. So named because the black hair often appears to have a blueish cast, especially in sunlight. Photo by Bob Lemen. All rights reserved.
Buck A bucking horse doing its best to throw a rider during the North Star Stampede Rodeo in Effie, Minnesota. Note the high rear end, arched back and stiff front legs of the horse. Photo by Bob Lemen. All rights reserved.
Homesteader Under the Homestead Act of 1862, anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government — including freed slaves — was allowed to file for a quarter-section (160 acres) of free land. In order to receive a deed to the land, the applicant had to build a house on the property, dig […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: I was just wondering if you know what an 1800’s cowboy’s pay would have been – A. G. ANSWER: A working cowhand in the late 1800s was paid $25 to $30 a month “and found.” The phrase “and found” meant he also got his […]
War Bridle A “first form” war bridle, consisting of a thin cord run over the poll and then through the mouth and under the upper lip, against the gumline of the upper incisors. A loop is used so that it tightens on the horse’s head when the end of the line is pulled. Sometimes a […]
Jerkline A mule skinner with his team pulling a combine in Walla Walla County, Washington. Each single jerkline controls a pair of lead mules. Photo courtesy Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, LC-USF34-039819-D DLC.
Jerky Jerked beef hanging on line near Combes, Texas. Photograph by Lee Russell, February 1939 Photo courtesy Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, LC-USF33-012021-M1 DLC
Buckboard Buckboard – A horse-drawn four wheel carriage with a springy, flat-bottomed frame that rests directly on the axletrees rather on a spring suspension. Because of the lack of wagon springs, the benches are usually mounted on springs attached to the carriage frame. Also called a Jolt Buggy or a Jolt Wagon. Buckboard and horses […]