Catch that cow

If you were riding a horse, and you wanted to catch a cow beside you, how would you do it?

This cowboy knows exactly how. Because he can't use his hands, he uses a long piece of rope with a loop at the end of it called a lasso.

A lasso is a tricky thing to use. It takes a lot of practice. First, the cowboy twirls the loop of rope over his head, just like he is doing in this picture. Then he throws the it around the cow's head and neck.

Lassos are special because if you pull on the long end of the rope, the circle part gets smaller. This helps the cowboy catch the cow. When he throws the lasso around the cow's neck he pulls it tight.