What the heck is a houlihan? And why does one throw it? -- It is a loop thrown by the wrangler catching horses out of a corral each morning for all the cowboys. The corral on a cattle drive usually consisted of a single rope to contain the remuda. Each cowboy was not permitted inside to catch their own horse because of the possibility of spooking the rest. The wrangler moved slow and easy and the houlihan was a large loop brought across the chest and over the head of the roper in one sweeping motion. The horses got used to the loop and the person doing the ropeing.

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Thanks.
-Joe Offer-