They made better sandal-makers, shoemakers, and hatters.

As horse-trainers they were speedily most efficient, the cunning of their minds finding a natural outlet in gaining supremacy over the lower animal.

They braided their own riatas from rawhide, and soon surpassed their teachers in the use of them.

They were fearless hunters with them, often "roping" the mountain lion and even going so far as to capture the dangerous grizzly bears with no other "weapon," and bring them down from the mountains for their bear and bull fights.

As vaqueros, or cowboys, they were a distinct class.