Are there any smaller fixed blade knives that are associated with cowboy's or ranchers (historically or culturally)?

My family has roots in horse training, farming and ranching in Montana for a few generations ahead of me either side, and I would echo what Horsewright Horsewright mentioned; in that I don’t remember many fixed blades around for concern that a horse might get a little “snakey” on you, and that therefore the “style” was folder in various configurations for safety.
 
K.B. Knifeworks said:
Horsewright Horsewright - awesome info. Thank you for the well crafted response.
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Ya bet!

Ya (and other folks interested in this) will probably enjoy these two:

Helping the Neighbors: Traditionals in Use

Last week, my wife and I were invited to help a neighboring ranch (couple of ranches down from ours) brand. A branding is the processing of young calves usually 2-3 months old. This work in our area is done traditionally and traditionals were used. Saddle up, kick back and see how traditional...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

Cowboying up North

Its been a while since I've done one of my cowboying threads. Lots of leather work to be seen here, not only mine but others too. Here ya'll get to see stuff really being used in the work of making that steak that ya had last night and that roll of leather ya got sitting on the shelf ready to...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

I'll try and finish off my thoughts on the knives in the morning.
 
tltt said:
The gaucho patterns are probably the oldest patterns associated.

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The shorter Bowie Style Hunters were marketed to cowboys sometimes, but they'd be a bit later 1890's.

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There was a pattern in South America called a saladero knife, it was a large heavy chef knife pattern, used in dispatching cattle, they were broader than Gaucho knives. See them here - https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-19-bowie-knife-machette-1852246181 , https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0314/lot-7697fcaa-0c25-4d5a-a7c1-ad0d00a83be6 .

Many used a handle shape like the first one.

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Lamb Clamps / Lamb Tongs were a castrating knife pattern popular in the the first 1/2 of the 20th century. They were marketed to cowboys and sheepmen in Australia, NZ, and England mainly - https://www.jbrucevoyles.com/A117/XHB185.JPG .

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Here's a page of knives popular with Australian and New Zealand cattle and sheepmen 1880's - 1950 or so. This page is late, from the 1940's. Earlier knives had nickel silver mounts, fancy wood, horn, stag, etc..... The sheathes also were fancier, but of that style shown at top.

image.jpg
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There were also various Stock and Cattle folding patterns, that are easy to find pics of.
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Fantastic info. Thanks taking the time to post!
 
In my horse days a fixed blade was pretty much a No-No because of the possibility of a fall and getting stabbed by your own knife. I realize that working cowboys and western folks are a bit more secure in the saddle than most of us Easterners, but even when I rode in Washington state no one had anything on them but a folder. I surely would not expect a horseman to carry a big fixed blade.
 
DevinT said:
No writing, but a lot of cussing was heard.

Hoss
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Not a @^$%&* lot has changed Hoss, my friend. Was suppose to work cattle all week and brand on Saturday. But its gonna be%^$&*($ triple digits which is unusual for us up here in the mountains. That'd be tough on the cattle, horses and @#%$#&^ crew. So we're probably gonna kick er back a week or two. Weather then is suppose to be in the 80s which is much more normal for a hot summer's day up here. Lots of moving parts to make it happen though.

Anyhoo I said I'd be back and kind of finish off my ideas on this so hear I am. Had planned to be back sooner but ya know that life thing. I'd mentioned that it was about 30 years ago or so I started seeing people carrying small fixed blades, horseback. And as Stacy mentioned falling on a knife was a bad idea. So how do you do that safely. I was at a roping and I saw my first Pancake style sheath. It was worn SOB for a right hand draw at an angle and that seemed to work for that gal. Made the acquaintance of a world famous horsemanship clinician bout that same time and he had a small fixed blade (bout 5"oal) in a horizontal crossdraw sheath above his left front pocket and that seemed to work for him. along bout that time I was given a small little fixed blade for a birthday present. I thought wow this would be great lil knife to carry horseback but the sheath that came with it really $%^$&*(($# sucked. It literally looked like they took parts of a blown out truck tire they found on the freeway and riveted it together to make the sheath. I'd been doing leather work and selling it for some years prior to that so was pretty sure I could do er. Horsewright's motto is "Designed From the Saddle for the Saddle." So that kinda gives away the emphasis on my sheath making.

Well got caught up in the moving parts and gears agoing. Got called away from my typing. So no time to finish off yet again but I will.
 
Until fairly recently I was oblivious to the fact that blade technology had turned manageably smaller fixed blades into tools that I could carry with me while I ride in an oh satisfyingly snappy kydex sheath, that not only cuts amazingly well; but that I can pry on, hit with a hammer or rock, pick a hoof with, and just generally beat the sh*t out of.

And this is encouraged in the warranty for the knives. (except the hoof pick part. that would just be too good to be true.)
It’s too difficult for me to ignore these facts, so I relented to a fixed blade over a folder here about a year ago or so.

It kinda picks at my psyche to leave traditions too far behind carrying molded plastic parts around while surrounded by making (or relying on others make) what you need from what’s given. Seems I get a little cagey when the more opinionated of the generations ahead of me are around and I’m carrying a fixed blade IWB. Change and adaptation are necessary though, so I just hope I don’t hear about it…

Saw a shirt a while back that said, “Sorry for the things I said while working cattle.”
 
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