Lasso
A long rope with a running noose, thrown to catch cattle.
Also: lariat, reata, riata, lazo
The lasso, called a lariat or simply a rope in North America, is a length of rope with a small eye, the honda, at one end through which the rope runs to form a noose. A rider throws the loop over a cow's horns, head or heels, then takes turns round the saddle horn to hold the animal. The tool came from the vaqueros of Mexico, whose reata was braided from rawhide; the word lariat comes from the Spanish la reata. Gauchos used the lazo alongside the boleadoras. Roping is still part of ranch work, and team roping and tie-down roping are timed rodeo events.