remuda

[ ruh-moo-duh; Spanish re-moo-thah ]

noun,plural re·mu·das [ruh-moo-duhz; Spanish re-moo-thahs]. /rəˈmu dəz; Spanish rɛˈmu ðɑs/. Chiefly Southwestern U.S.
  1. a group of saddle horses from which ranch hands choose mounts for the day.

Origin of remuda

1
An Americanism first recorded in 1835–45: from Latin American Spanish (Mexico): “a change (of horses),” Spanish: “exchange,” derivative of remudar “to change, replace,” equivalent to re- re- + mudar “to change” (from Latin mūtāre )

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use remuda in a sentence

  • As expected, the wagons and remudas arrived at the new ranch hours in advance of the herds.

    Wells Brothers | Andy Adams
  • They had bought two whole remudas, and picked over five or six others until their purchases amounted to over five hundred head.

    The Outlet | Andy Adams
  • With instructions from our employer to return to the ranch after making camp, the remudas were started after the wagons.

    The Outlet | Andy Adams
  • There was some reason for it—sore-footed cattle, or else they have skinned up their remudas and didn't want me to see them.

    The Outlet | Andy Adams
  • We did not take out certificates in Medina on the remudas as a matter of economy.

    The Outlet | Andy Adams