a nickname for cowboys Context: Hey there, Buckaroo, what’s the name of your horse?
Cattle drive:
when you bring a herd of cattle from one place to another Context: From 1865 to the mid-1890's cowboys and vaqueros brought about 5 million Texas longhorn north on cattle drives.
Chaparreras:
the Spanish word for the protection vaqueros wore over their pants to protect their legs Context: Vaqueros used hides from cattle to make chaparreras.
Chaps:
the English word that came from "chaparrereas" Context: Cowboys need leather chaps to protect their legs from mesquite trees and prickly pear cactus.
Charreada:
the original rodeo, started in Mexico Context: Vaquero skills get celebrated each year in the charreada part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Corrals:
enclosures built to keep cattle inside Context: Part of a cowboy’s job is to fix corrals when horses or cows break them.
Cowboys:
men who have jobs taking care of cattle, horses, and working on ranches Context: Real cowboys don't fight bad guys. That's just in the movies!
Drovers:
people who have the job of herding cattle from one place to another Context: Cowboys worked hard as drovers as they herded cattle along the dusty Chisholm Trail.
Herd:
a collection of the same kind of animals traveling and/or living together Context: Sometimes a crew of 12 to 15 cowboys and vaqueros could drive a herd as big as 3000 head of cattle. That's a lot of cows!
Kineños:
what the vaqueros are called who work on the King Ranch in south Texas Context: The King Ranch, the biggest cattle ranch in the world, calls its vaqueros "Kineños."
Lasso:
a long rope with a loop on one end used for catching cows Context: The cowboy threw his lasso and hooked the longhorn with one try!
Lazo:
the Spanish word for "lasso" and where the word "lasso" came from Context: The vaquero flung his lazo, stopping the steer instantly in his tracks.
Longhorn:
cattle brought to Texas from Spain in the late 1500's Context: Texas had lots of longhorn and the rest of the country wanted beef, so vaqueros and cowboys brought the longhorn up north to sell.
Rodeo:
a public show of cowboy skills Context: Roping cattle is a rodeo competition that shows off something cowboys do in real life.
Round up:
gathering cattle together Context: Each morning before the cattle drive could start on its way, cowboys had to round up all the cows.
Stampede:
a sudden rush of scared cattle that act crazy and could be dangerous Context: Suddenly, there was a stampede and the vaquero feared his horse might be speared by the longhorn.
Trail boss:
the boss on a cattle drive Context: The trail boss is to cowboys as the captain of the ship is to sailors.
Vaqueros:
the original cowboys who already lived here when Texas belonged to Spain Context: Vaqueros started herding cattle in the late 1500’s and worked for missions and presidios.
