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TOOLS OF THE VAQUERO
One of the first fancy hackamores made by Luis Ortega shows fine weaving and a uniquely shaped heel knot at the base of the bosal. The sixteen-strand braided rawhide bosal, with a woven nosebutton is decorated in natural rawhide and walnut dyed colors, 1939. The horsehair headstall and silver conchas are later additions. Luis and Rose Ortega Collection, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Click image to zoom-in.
A California horseman, who, through experience and training had earned the right to be called a vaquero, could travel from ranch to ranch and always be accepted as a top hand. Vaqueros were very proud of their skills and equipment and it was commonly said that a ranch foreman would “size a man up” by inspecting the gear of the horseman. Men who rode with poor-quality horse equipment were assumed to lack judgment in the treatment of horses and the handling of cattle. As a teenager, Ortega worked on ranches from Oregon to Arizona and kept his hand-made braiding tools in a sugar sack in his bedroll. He spent his free time preparing rawhide strings or braiding ropes and other riding equipment, which he sold or traded to other horsemen.
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Tools of the Vaquero
