How the Cowboy Makes his Lariat 1917

Music by Christine Southworth.
Commissioned by National Film Preservation Foundation for "Treasures [from American Film Archives] V: The [American] West"
How the Cowboy Makes His Lariat (1917)
Production Company: Bray Studios Inc., for Paramount-Bray-Pictographs. Cast: Pedro León. Transfer Note: Copied at 20 frames per second from a 35mm print preserved by George Eastman House. New Music: Christine Southworth (score), Charles Whalen (guitar), Evan Ziporyn (whistling). Commentary: Donald W. Reeves. Running Time: 3 minutes.
Featured in Treasures 5: The West, 1898-1938.
Courtesy National Film Archive
www.filmpreserv...

[@robertqueberg4612]

These men were from my grandparents generation. How the “facts” change over a century. With our synthetic fibers, and automation this whole story has a different perspective. It has changed from “how we do it”, to “how they did it”, which makes this video much more interesting. Thank you for giving us a chance to watch useful items being made.

[@edwarnock9884]

From the California mission days vaqueros, (Also called "los indios" because many were Native Americans.) had a system that marked the horses through the stages of becoming a "handy bridle horse." Yearlings, two-year-olds and all unbroken horses manes were roached, and their tails cut short. This provided hair for making cinches, mecates, and horsehair saddle pads. Vaqueros had a saying, "Nothing is better than horsehair on a horse." Nearly everything needed to produce a bridle horse came from the horse or the cows they were used to care for. When the new saddle horses were started, they started in a bosal, of usually rawhide but sometime horsehair was used. At this point the horse got a one inch cut out of its mane, just in front of the withers so that the inch section of short hair stuck straight up. This marked the horse as a "hackamore horse" and let the hands know its stage of progress and how to tack up and ride a particular horse. The next stage was the "two rein," and a second one-inch section of hair was cut short so now two short portions of mane stood straight up. This stage used a bosalita (very thin bosal) along with a very thin mecate rein. the horse carried the bit without a romal rein and no curb strap at first. As the horse accepted carrying the bit and advanced the romal was added and then a curb strap. The final stage is the bridle or was referred to as "straight up in the bridle." Often, they carried a bosalita and a "get down rope" which was a short mecate that had the loose end usually tucked under a belt or armitas (California chaps). These were used so the vaquero could lead and tie a horse if needed. (Bridle horses should never be tied or led by the reins.) These horses had no cuts in the mane hair and the manes were desired to grow long and full as were the tails. This tradition was used universally in California and on some western ranches still is.

[@simonbridges3835]

This is wonderful on so many levels 🤗 The ingenuity, the skill[s] of these lads, the fact that this film has been preserved, the opportunity to step back into and in an instant, be immersed in the past 😁 Thank You so much for posting this 👏👏👏👏👏

[@wmrustycox]

Talk about a lost art... that's one for sure ! The ability to do that grew out of need !

[@MsGroovalicious]

I finally found this video. Whew...I saw it once years ago, and couldn't find it again. Thank you!!!

[@Platano_macho]

my dad told me my grandpa used to do this back 30 years ago. my grandpa lived in mexico (very poor) at that time.he died at 100 years old 27 years ago

[@markiobook8639]

Cowboy whittles a spinning whorl. Horsehair is thus spun by the spinning whorl into a thread. An assistant feeds the horsehair into the thread. From the thread a rope is made. Snakes hate short grass too- it irritates their belly- but apparently it's a myth. Perhaps the strong smell would deter them more- maybe they retain a memory of hoofed animals as dangerous. Horsehair doesn't irritate the horse. The Cinch is the belt for the saddle to stay attached btw.

[@waynedaly1718]

Fascinating. Never seen that before. Thanks for sharing

[@ronaldhowell6187]

That was absolutely awesome!

[@jacktattis]

They were not a thing with Australian Station hands .Why not I have no idea

[@rschiwal]

Then I also was surprised to discover that fishermen invented knitting. The word comes from "netting" for making fishing nets; out of "nettle."

[@McDanielRanch]

Wish I had more videos like this

[@Juidodin]

i fear the girls at our stable would stone me if i attempt to try this :D

[@hatsnapper1]

Ms. Southworth are there more films about the Cowboys produced by Bray Studios?

[@craigbadder321]

Ford truck name lariat as luxury.

[@Bobby-hm4dz]

A real home made....

[@MrTechmoore]

Awesome video

[@conradsenior5843]

No kidding? Horsehair is stronger than spectra?

[@timehaley]

It left out that they only used the tail hairs from male horses due to their never being doused with urine like from the female horses and the hairs were thus stronger from the males. The hairs from the manes were used from both sexes. It's the same with horse hair bows for violins. They only use the male tail hairs.

[@johnnorton2182]

You ain’t seen to many mares take a piss have yoy

[@TightwadTodd]

Where was the Lariat???..All i saw them making was a Mecate,not a Lariat..

[@orion7741]

If you brush up on your history, you will find how ignorant your comment is. That is a horsehair lariat rope. Fairly common before the 18th century. They were used just like a rawhide rope. It was not a mecate in the video. Mecates are much thicker and shorter ropes.

[@TightwadTodd]

@@orion7741 That history you want me to "Brush up on",is exactly that,,MY HISTORY.. someone who has twisted hair ropes and comes from several generations of working hands that braid and twist and are Hackamore and bridle hands..I love the hypocrisy of people who accuse others of ignorance,while perpetrating it themselves.Mecates are twisted in several diameters and lengths,for different applications...I dare you to twist a hair riata and rope anything of substantial weight with one...

[@annh.8290]

@@TightwadTodd This might help out why the film doesn't show him making the lariat, but the title remains: "The single surviving copy of How the Cowboy Makes His Lariat ends abruptly and may originally have been slightly longer. Pedro León is never seen making a lariat (used to catch horses or cattle), instead weaving an elaborate horsehair cinch (used to secure a saddle). There’s an elegant economy here in deriving from the horse the tools to ride it. “All cowboys know how to do this,” reads one intertitle. Maybe so, but nine decades later this little film remains genuinely educational.-Scott Simmon"

[@schlomoshekelstein908]

@@TightwadTodd SHAME UR ANCESTOR DIDN'T GET GUNNED DOWN IN A BAR FIGHT SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO READ YOUR PRETENTIOUS BULLSHIT. maybe a horse will kick you in the head if you're lucky

[@terrillrausch3006]

You're wrong. ........shut up