FACTOID #53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
A lasso is a loop of rope that is designed to be thrown around a target and tighten when pulled. It is now mainly used in rodeos as an attraction, but it still used to catch fleeing cattle or other livestock. After catching the cattle, the lasso can be tied around the horn, a typical feature of the western or cowboy-saddle. With the lasso around the horn, the cowboy can use his horse as the equivalent of a towtruck with a winch.
Part of the historical cultures of both Mexico and the western part of the United States, trick roping (lasso spinning tricks) was, and is, a well-known cowboy athletic activity. Will Rogers was a well-known exponent of trick roping.
A lasso is made from stiff or stiffened rope. This makes the noose stay open when the lasso is thrown. It also allows the cowboy to easily open up the noose from horseback when releasing the cattle because the rope is stiff enough to be pushed a little. A high quality lasso is weighted for better handling.
But the development of the lariat seems to be closely associated with the history of the horse-the handling of animals necessitated the use of rope of some type.
And since it was evidently around the horse that the lariat was evolved, the chances are that the materials used were either horsehair or rawhide, both of which are obtainable from the animals themselves.
Rawhide lariats are frequently extremely heavy and cumbersome, as compared with hemp rope, and often have a weak spot in one of the strands which eventually breaks, rendering the entire rope useless.
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