a long noosed rope used to catch animals

rope used to lasso livestock. Riata and lariat are both derived from the Spanish la reata (the rope). The classic nineteenth-century riata was made from braided rawhide, was sixty or more feet long, and was generally used by buckaroos who dallied the rope. In contrast, the classic lariat was made from the fibers of the maguey plant and was generally used by cowboys who tied their ropes hard-and-fast. See also lariat, dally, and hard-and-fast.