Their use was to lock the rowel.
His bridle--for, since the cowboy and his mount are inseparable, we may as well speak of his horse's dress also--was noticeable for its tremendously heavy and cruel curbed bit, known as the "Spanish bit." But in the ordinary riding and even in the exciting work of the old round-up and in "cutting out," the cowboy used the bit very little, nor exerted any pressure on the reins.

He laid the reins against the neck of the pony opposite to the direction in which he wished it to go, merely turning his hand in the direction and inclining his body in the same way.

He rode with the pressure of the knee and the inclination of the body and the light side-shifting of both reins.

The saddle was the most important part of the outfit.

It was a curious thing, this saddle developed by the cattle trade, and the world has no other like it.