Meaning
'Yuh ketch cow by him horn, but man by him word' — you catch a cow by its horns, but a man by his word. A person is bound and judged by what they say, the proverb teaches: hold others to their promises, and keep your own, for a man's word is the thing by which he is caught, held, and known. It stresses the weight of a spoken pledge in a culture where reputation rests on keeping one's word, and it warns that to break your word is to be caught out and dishonoured, as surely as a cow is held by the horns.
Examples
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Him promise, so him haffi deliver; yuh ketch cow by him horn, but man by him word.
He promised, so he has to deliver; a man is bound by his word.
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Keep yuh word — yuh ketch cow by him horn, but man by him word.
Keep your word — a man is held to what he says.
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Mek him stan by wah him seh; yuh ketch cow by him horn, but man by him word.
Make him stand by what he said; a man is caught by his own word.
Origin
A contrast image: a beast is controlled by physical means (the horns), but a person by something intangible — the word they have given.
How it’s used
Used to stress the binding weight of one's word and promises — both keeping your own and holding others to theirs.