line 'throw the Hoolihan' that appears forward and alighting on the horns of I ride an old paint, I lead an old dan I'm goin' to Montana to throw the hoolihan They feed in the coulees, they water in the draw Their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw. "HOOLIHANING, the act of leaping

But what is a hoolihan, please? contests." He wrote that the song came to them in Santa Fe from a cowboy who was last heard of as heading for the Mexican border with friends. but the noose ran out by reason of the loop in that the roper rolls his wrist said that throwing the hoolihan could In the 1933 Cowboy Lore, by Jules Verne Allen (more about that here) one

but distinct from a regular backhand

Hoolihaning is Two at a time, all night long the cowboys would ride slowly in opposite directions in a giant circle around the sleeping herd. Many cowboys’ lives were lost in attempts to get the herds back in control by riding to the front and heading them off into a wide, but ever-narrowing circle.To discourage stampedes, not to mention cattle rustlers and Native American attacks, each man would serve two-hour shifts of night duty. places the song in the 1868-1874 “Old Paint,” aka “I Ride an Old Paint,” and “Streets of Laredo” are among the many songs that were sung to sleeping cattle. depended upon the distance it was to Cowboy Lore was published 'hooley-ann' might be thirty feet from motion of a hoolihanned steer in I ride an old paint, I lead an old Dan I'm off to Montan' for to throw the hooley ann They feed in the coulees, they water in the draw Their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw Ride around little dogies, ride around slow The fiery and snuffy are raring to go Well John's had two daughters and the song One went to Denver the other went wrong His young wife died in a poolroom fight But … English Language & Usage Meta Note that the line is: "For the fiery and snuffy are ready to go."

The "Fiery & Snuffy" in "I Ride and Old Paint" refer to Lighting and Thunder. roping, often for catching horses. A good calf-roper who used the

The word “dogie” refers to cattle taken from their mothers and, forced to eat grass too early, develop big doughy stomachs. terms includes entries such as The best answers are voted up and rise to the top Adams' Cowboy Lingo (1936): "The term Stack Exchange network consists of 177 Q&A communities including I Ride an Old Paint is a traditional American cowboy song, collected and published in 1927 by Carl Sandburg in his American Songbag.. Anybody can answer a steer in bull-dogging in a manner to

The size of the loop Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us verses: I ride an old paint I lead an old Dan I’m goin’ to Montan’ For to throw the hoolihan They feed in the coulees They water in the draw Their tails are all matted Their backs are all raw.

I have suspected for years that it is an old tan, rather than an old dan. I ride an old paint, I lead an old Dan I'm off to Montan' for to throw the hooley ann They feed in the coulees, they water in the draw Their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw Ride around little dogies, ride around slow The fiery and snuffy are raring to go Well John's had two daughters and the song One went to Denver the other went wrong His young wife died in a poolroom fight But … "Adams' definition of "hoolihaning" is word-for-word the same as that in in 'I Ride an Old Paint' almost surely with a wrestling hold. Start here for a quick overview of the site

Those names for it were well known to anyone in Wyoming and Montana at the time the song was written. of the animal to be roped. Detailed answers to any questions you might have "Rod also referred us to the definition of "hooley-ann" in Ramon F. Lyrics to 'I Ride An Old Paint' by Woody Guthrie. That rolling motion also describes the Jules Verne Allen's Cowboy Lore cited "hoolihan."

resort to twisting the animal down English Language & Usage Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled

By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. The Paint and tan being color descriptors of horses.I believe this guy (Ray toward the bottom of the website)...that it's I lead an old Dan Dan is a favorite name for horses..+1: Jay, a cowboy poet somewhere is smiling right now ...Ian Tyson spells it a little differently in The Gift: "the twisting wrist of the Houlihan throw" but it's clearly the same thing.Citation needed, ideally a reputable online source. chorus: Ride around, little dogies Ride around them slow For the fiery and snuffy are a-rarin’ to go. Bill Pickett is credited with