Page 24 - All About History - Issue 26-15

Animals & Man

Day in the life

AWILDWESTCOWBOY

RISKING LIFE AND LIMB TO DELIVER

CATTLE TO MARKET, UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA, 19TH CENTURY

The classic image of the cowboy clad in ten-gallon hat and slacks is
one that has been heavily romanticised in folklore, film and television.
Although cowboys are now viewed as all-American heroes, their
roots can be traced to Medieval Spain. Spanish traditions of cattle
ranching spread to the vaquero of northern Mexico, where the
Mexican cowboys, or ‘Mustang-runners’, broke and rode horses to
markets. Eventually these traditions merged with the English-
speaking traders to form what is now commonly regarded
as the ‘cowboy’. Although the classic days of the cowboys
were cut short by the emergence of barbed wire
fences, they created a culture so strong that it
still attracts great fascination today.
WAKE UP

Every minute counted in a cowboy’s
demanding day, so they would wake and
dress before sunrise after only a few hours
of disturbed sleep. The cowboy uniform
was not a fashion statement – every piece
served a purpose, from the hat that shielded
the wearer from the sun to the bandana that
protected from dust. Even the iconic boots were Cattle were branded so the
designed to dig into the ground while roping a calf. cowboy could distinguish his
steer from the rest
TAME HORSES

Although cowboys are often depicted as having
one loyal steed, in reality cowboys needed a huge
number of horses for their work. It was tradition
to let foals grow up wild in the open range. Once
the animals reached maturity, they were rounded
up and tamed. The process of taming a wild horse,
or Mustang, was known as ‘bronco-busting’. Horse
taming was initially a very brutal process, but
cowboys soon learned that horses that were tamed
by more gentle means made more reliable steeds.

PARTICIPATE IN A RODEO

Time spent on the trail riding horses and
controlling cattle created a special set of skills
among cowboys, and led to friendly competitions
known as rodeos. Unlike today’s grand
demonstrations, early rodeos were informal events
where cowboys would test their skills against each
other. Formal rodeo events emerged in 1872, and by
1890 they became public entertainment.
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