Lariat

A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish and Mexican cowboy, then adopted by the cowboys of the United States. The word is also a verb; ''to lasso'' is to throw the loop of rope around something.

Overview

A lasso is made from stiff rope so that the noose stays open when the lasso is thrown. It also allows the cowboy to easily open up the noose from horseback to release the cattle because the rope is stiff enough to be pushed a little. A high quality lasso is weighted for better handling. The lariat has a small reinforced loop at one end, called a ''honda'' or ''hondo'', through which the rope passes to form a loop. The ''honda'' can be formed by a honda knot (or another loop knot), an eye splice, a seizing, rawhide, or a metal ring. The other end is sometimes tied simply in a small, tight, overhand knot to prevent fraying. Most modern lariats are made of stiff nylon or polyester rope, usually about 5/16 or 3/8 in (8 or 9.5 mm) diameter and in lengths of 28, 30, or 35 ft (8.5, 9 or 11 m) for arena-style roping and anywhere from for Californio-style roping. The reata is made of braided (or less commonly, twisted) rawhide and is made in lengths from to over . Mexican maguey (agave) and cotton ropes are also used in the longer lengths.

The lasso is used today in rodeos as part of the competitive events, such as calf roping and team roping. It is also still used on working ranches to capture cattle or other livestock when necessary. After catching the cattle, the lasso can be tied or wrapped (dallied) around the ''horn'', a typical feature on the front of a western saddle. With the lasso around the horn, the cowboy can use his horse as the equivalent of a tow truck with a winch.

Part of the historical culture of both the vaqueros of Mexico and the cowboys of the Western United States is a related skill now called " trick roping", a performance of assorted lasso spinning tricks. The Hollywood film star Will Rogers was a well-known practitioner of trick roping and the natural horsemanship practitioner Buck Brannaman also got his start as a trick roper when he was a child.

Etymology

The word ''lasso'' seems to have begun to be used as an English word in the early nineteenth century. It may have originated from the Castilian word ''lazo'', which is first attested in the thirteenth century in the sense 'noose, snare', and derives in turn from classical Latin ''laqueus'' ('noose, snare, trap, bond, tie').

The rope or lasso used to restrain cattle is also called a ''Reata'' or ''La Reata'' in Mexico, which was Anglicized to “Lariat” or “Riata” in the United States. In Spain, the word ''reata'' has four definitions: 1) the rope that ties one horse or mule to another to make them go in a straight line; 2) the leading mule of three that draw a cart; 3) a rope used for binding masts and spars (woolding); and 4) figuratively, it means the submission to the opinion of others.

Other names are used in various countries where the Lasso is used. In Argentina, Chile and Venezuela is simply called “El Lazo” or “El Lazo Criollo”. In Colombia the equipment is called “Rejo”, in Costa Rica “Coyunda”, in Ecuador “Beta”, and Peru “Guasca”. Meanwhile in Colombia, the term Reata or Riata means: hardened, firm, rigid, severe; it also refers to a belt for pants.

History

Lassos are not only part of North American culture; relief carvings at the ancient Egyptian temple of Pharaoh Seti I at Abydos, built c.1280 BC, show the pharaoh holding a lasso, then holding onto a bull roped around the horns. Huns are recorded as using lassos in battle to ensnare opponents prepared to defend themselves in hand-to-hand combat around AD 370. They were also used by Tatars

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