# Your Definition of a Cowboy/Cowgirl



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I think it was Baxter Black who said (and I'm paraphrasing) "A real cowboy is someone who can treat a uterine prolapse with a horse, a lariat, and a pocket knife."


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## CBXSteve (Apr 28, 2015)

I'd say your definition is on track. Most of the cowboys around me (Paris, Tx) seem to have day jobs doing something else or running their own herds, but hire out for a few hours on a given day to work someone else's cattle. Some are probably cooperative arrangements as well...I'll help drive yours, you help drive mine.

It is easy to spot these cowboys. They tack up their horses at home and load them into what ever conveyance will carry them. Most often it is a stock trailer, but I have seen cow horses riding in the back of a pickup truck with stakes on the bed rails with a single horizontal board. The horses riding in these conveyances are universally calm, collected, head down, and utterly unfazed by anything that goes on around them or any maneuvering the (unconventional) vehicle does. It's really quite a sight.

After the job the cowboys often gather at a local eatery for some chow, the saddled horses waiting patiently in their various conveyances for the trip home.

Being new to Texas, I was kind of taken aback at first, but it is a common sight, and the horses are obviously pros and have no problems with it...just another day at work.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

As an Australian my definition of those would be someone who is employed to work with cattle from horseback.


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## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

I think a cowboy/cowgirl is something that has ridden horses for a long time, knows a ton about them, horse first aid stuff, etc. I don't believe they have to work cattle, yeehaw all day, or gallop into the sunset - or have to be from Texas (no offense intended). ^.^


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

As a midwesterner we've always just said that it was someone who worked around the farm and did their job well. 

If someone could get on a horse and do any job you through at them then they were a cowboy. A lot of them could get on ANY horse, rope anything, preform medical work, then take that horse and ride it down to the restaurant for a beer. Sounds simple but it was quite the honor because they had to not only preform ranch work with the horses but also train, live, and show them in a variety of disciplines and situations. I remember one old farmer could rope a cow like there was no tomorrow, then when our market shifted to show horses he was putting out grade A hunter/jumpers for a while. 

If someone could get on a horse and just rope a cow or just cut or just something then they were just a hand.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Then, there is the song, that states, 'don't call him a cowboy until you see him ride!"
Put 'drug store,' in front of cowboy, and we get an entirely different picture!
Obviously, the word cow boy and cow girl, derived from people that actually used horses to work cattle
Again, since in the good ole days, many horses were just bucked out on the range, by a rough string rider, there is also a certain negative connotation when it is said that a horse has been 'cowboyed', which is not really fair, considering the many good cowhands, that put a great start on a horse.
In other words, don't get too hung up on a name, as I know of people called horse trainers, that are horse mechanics, at best!


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Works cattle for beef production horseback. Full time. Otherwise they are a day worker. You can be a good hand and a day worker, but I don't know any that call themselves a cowboy or cowgirl. 

Whether he or she is a good hand will depend on knowledge and skill.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

As the OP mentioned, location can have a big effect on the definition. A few years ago, I left the Philippines and visited my son in Japan. I think that most Westerners would view my attire for the trip as old fogey tourist style. But frequently, Japanese folks would gasp, grab their companions and exclaim (always in English for some reason), "Look! A cowboy!". I was puzzled. My son thought it was hilarious.


This was my basic outfit for that trip.

He then explained to me that part of his job as a teacher was dispelling the stereotypes that many Japanese have of Americans. Mainly that every American is a gun toting, hard riding cowboy. He explains that most Americans are urban/suburban types who work normal 9-5 jobs. Then, they ask him what his father does. He has to say "Well..... he's sort of a..... cowboy.... truck driver... sort of guy...."


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

I got into a debate about this on FB recently. People get really offended when you tell them that living outside of town with 2 dry cows a horse and a Baily U-Roll-it hat from the Boot Barn does not fulfill your cowboy card.

First and foremost, Cowboy(ing) is a job description. 
Technically you have to draw wages to cowboy.
Working with cattle does not make a cowboy because there is a difference between a cowboy and cow farmer. That difference is determined by how they handle their cattle.

A lifestyle usually accompanies the job but living a "country" life style does not make one a cowboy. Also ones demeanor such as good manners, honesty, and other traits romantically associated with cowboys. Just like with any other job there are good people and bad people who have the same career.

Women who cowboy usually do not call themselves cowgirls. They are cowboys as well. I don't say "I cowgirl in Nevada". I say "I cowboy in Nevada." Some use the term "cowboy-girl" but most don't. I usually see "cowgirl" used for girls who rodeo.

Then there are variations:
Rodeo cowboys are not cowboys but cowboys can be rodeo cowboys.

Also the word cowboy can be used as a way to compliment a exceptional cowboy:
"That Jerry, he's good help, he's a cowboy"

Then I think it was mentioned, a horse had been "cowboyed" as a negative connotation.


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

From my reading, it seems that the term "cowboy" was originally applied to young teenage boys who either helped on cattle drives or accompanied cattle on trains to the Midwest slaughter houses. They were, essentially, young male, day laborers. It was not a particularly positive term.

Thanks to Hollywood films and, later, television the term took on a more positive meaning. Today, the term may be applied to a ranch hand or even a horseback rider who has never worked with cows. Sometimes, it is simply applied to someone wearing "cowboy" apparel.

Therefore, the term may be looked at as meaningless or referring to various individuals -- either positively or negatively, male or female -- depending on context.


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

Cordilla that's a really good point. I know my relatives in Germany have this misconception that a "cowboy" only rides western, shoots guns, and wears chaps and spurs. They're really surprised when they come over and see my horses and me (sans spurs or chaps or lasso lol). From my understanding there's a slight disconnect in the language because there's not really a word to describe what we perceive cowboy as, without using the over commercialized 'cowboy' image. 

I think the name itself has slowly evolved into a negative connotation. I mean in the past I believe that it was mostly used to refer to a job description (much like 'teller' or 'secretary' is today) and people didn't go around saying "I'm a cowboy" (I know no one around here uses 'cowboy', they just say a "good hand" or something akin to horseman. 

I do think it's incredibly interesting how our language has evolved and commercialized itself to lend certain words certain cultural misconceptions or ideas. And therefore changed the words we use in everyday language.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

It is interesting how terms have evolved and the regional influences those terms are used.


Here is one that is often debated like cowboy, the term "punchy".
In most parts of Texas from my short time living there, Punchy, is positive.
Up here in the north the term punchy is reserved for describing someone that dresses the part but isn't all that handy. Mostly negative.

The term buckaroo has actually become negative here. As the Vaquero and buckaroo style has been popular(wade saddles, tapaderos, hackamores, flat hats, wool vests and wrist cuffs)There has been some back lash as the clinician followers and the guys that decided to try their hand at cowboying/buckarooing in this part of the world and washed out still dress the part but aren't very handy get called "buckaroos". But even 20+ years ago the term buckaroo wasn't used that way(that I remember of).


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## blueriver (Oct 10, 2009)

A cowboy makes his living with his horse.

Then again he is also known as the guy who rides in the middle of the front seat ... he pays nothing for gas and never has to get out to open the gate!!!


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

COWCHICK77 said:


> It is interesting how terms have evolved and the regional influences those terms are used.
> 
> 
> Here is one that is often debated like cowboy, the term "punchy".
> ...


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

In the UK the term 'cowboy' has a derogatory meaning. You get cowboy builders, someone who will not do a decent job, often starting and not finishing a job. 

We even have A TV programme, "Cowboy Builders." 

I think this stems from the fact that Cowboys generally just slapped a saddle on a horse and rode it out rather than taking the time to train it as the Brits did. 

Most Brits would think of John Wayne as being a cowboy or, any western rider, thanks to the Internet views have probably changed and cowboy means someone who works cattle with a horse,


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Foxhunter said:


> I think this stems from the fact that Cowboys generally just slapped a saddle on a horse and rode it out rather than taking the time to train it as the Brits did.
> 
> ,


Except that they didn't.

Cowboys had to have horses that would not only work with them, they had to learn a job and do some thinking on their own. You don't get that with careless handling.

Cowboys also didn't hang near towns, so their ways weren't well known. Which added a bit of curiosity to outsiders. Which led to Wild West Shows, commercial rodeos, Hollywood movies, and now clinicians. The guys that could be found in town, were obviously second rate or they would have been out working, not hanging out, showing off, or getting into trouble.

That layer of separation, that make outsiders curious, also encouraged some to pretend they understood and to try to represent something they could not.

Granted our ways may tolerate a bit more buck than many. Our horses are strong and not overly handled until later. They are big, strong, feel good, which can make them a bit feisty.

But out here, when we see a horse that has been handled roughly, some might snicker and say "He's been town boyed." The negativism, born out of ignorance for cowboy/buckaroo ways, wears thin.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

"I think this stems from the fact that Cowboys generally just slapped a saddle on a horse and rode it out rather than taking the time to train it as the Brits did."

"Except that they didn't."

I've read several books lately involving western history. One is about Montana Cowboys, and lets folks who worked on ranches between the late 1800s and around 1950 tell their stories about growing up. Quite a few guys told about being 'horse crazy' from the time they were kids. One guy told the story of how his Dad cried when explaining to his family that Red had died on a pack trip. The boy was quite young, and it wasn't until years later her realized "Red" was a horse! He said his Dad had little use for most men, but loved good horses.

During the battle of the Little Big Horn, at least two men - a white and an Indian scout - mentioned hugging their horse around the neck when they thought they were about to die. Another trooper mentioned the only thing that saved him that day was his horse's good judgment and strength. Another guy's horse bolted. Ended up carrying the guy in a big circle around the troopers & through the Indians, then took off and ran several miles to the Indian camp, raced thru part of the camp, turned and then raced back, rejoining (by chance) the other troopers as they fled the valley. So that fellow rode for miles thru the Indians on a bolting horse, and ended up back in comparative safety. Of course, several other guys had horses who bolted, and they weren't so lucky!

A rancher friend of mine hires guys from Chile to herd his sheep. Most know nothing of horses. One was caught in a blizzard. When he concluded he was going to die, he dropped his reins and began confessing his sins to God. He admitted he had sinned often, and was still trying to confess all of them a couple hours later when his leg brushed against the trailer in his camp. Once the reins were loose, the horse found the camp - at night and in a blizzard that hit 30 below. My friend said that was one sheepherder who from then on took EXCELLENT care of his horse!








​ 
_Turning on a Dime [Mat Walker, Wagon Boss for the Matador, on Doodle Bug, Famous Matador Cutting Horse], Matador Ranch, Texas_, ca. 1908​ 







​ 
_Emory H. Sager, of the Shoe Bar, on "Old Blue" his favorite cutting horse, working the herd out on roundup grounds. Shoe Bar Ranch, Texas_, 1912​ 
Once a horse learned his job, they became valued animals. A good one was known for miles around, as was the person who trained him.

Both pictures are from this great website:

Erwin E. Smith Collection Guide | Collection Guide


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I didn't phrase my answer very well - sorry!

I should have said the impression was that all Cowboys did was to catch a wild horse, get it in a pen, and then ride it out.

Of course this all stemmed from the movies and TV programmes. 

Now with the Internet the world has shrunk in that it is possible to find out what really goes on. 

Heck, should have known better very few Holywood films are factual!


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Foxhunter said:


> Heck, should have known better very few Holywood films are factual!


No worries. I agree. If what Hollywood portrayed was factual, I never would leave the house!


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## mmcleodk (May 2, 2015)

Here its generally used for farm workers (most specifically those who work with beef cattle, but I've heard it used for others as well.

The other use of it is something like "Those guys are a bunch of cowboys" meaning they have a bit of a "git 'er done" attitude and don't get phased by much, but also do things kind of wild and unorganized/unsafe ("by the seat of their pants"). Mostly heard that meaning thrown around in the oil patch.


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## LesandLily (Oct 8, 2012)

Being one who "works for wages" and pushes (punches) cows from horseback for the greater part of every day...we use the term "cowboy" as a term for the job. "What do you do?"...."Me? I cowboy full time". Once you do that then you have the ability to call yourself a cowboy. Overall it is a label you need to earn either by doing it for a living or by developing and showing a certain amount of skill. "Boy 'ol Tex, sure can cowboy". Personally I am working toward the term "Handy". Call someone a "Hand" or saying they are "Handy" is a term of respect and says something about their skill level with a rope, a horse and their ability to read and move cattle. 

Recently my boss described a guy he knew as "that cowboy could sure enough sit a horse but he wasn't very "handy"...referring to his inability to handle not only his horse (a small part of being a cowboy) but his rope, read the cattle and make decisions based on what needed to be done. 

So call me a cowboy but I would prefer to be called "handy" particularly by other hands.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

To me a "cowboy" or "cowgirl" would be people who work cattle for a living. They might own the cows, or just work on the ranch. I don't really have any specifics in mind when I (rarely) use the words. Just work with cattle for a living.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

tinaev said:


> Just work with cattle for a living.


Yeah. I'm a funny combination of rancher and day worker. Would like to make a hand someday.


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## 4HGirl (Jul 17, 2014)

Interestingly, like I predicted, the people whose opinions I agree most with are those from Western states like Wyoming, Montana, and Arizona. I guess a lot of it depends on location. I feel like those of us out West are exposed to more of a cowboy culture, as opposed to those who have just seen cowboys in movies and not experienced the culture first hand. It's been fun to see where this has gone. 

Part of the reason that I asked about this is because one of my TAs last semester asked several students to draw their idea of a cowboy on the board. While comical, the drawings were highly inaccurate, at least compared to the cowboys I know. I wondered if this was all due to Hollywood stereotypes or people's definitions of a cowboy (someone who works cows, rodeo cowboys, people in Western movies, cartoon characters, etc.)

Keep the answers coming! I would love to see more of what people have to say!


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

LesandLily said:


> .......Recently my boss described a guy he knew as "that cowboy could sure enough sit a horse but he wasn't very "handy"...referring to his inability to handle not only his horse (a small part of being a cowboy) but his rope, read the cattle and make decisions based on what needed to be done. .......


Reminds me of another Baxter Black quote. "Boy, when you help, it's like having 2 good hands not show up."


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

4HGirl said:


> Interestingly, like I predicted, the people whose opinions I agree most with are those from Western states like Wyoming, Montana, and Arizona. I guess a lot of it depends on location. I feel like those of us out West are exposed to more of a cowboy culture, as opposed to those who have just seen cowboys in movies and not experienced the culture first hand. It's been fun to see where this has gone.
> 
> Part of the reason that I asked about this is because one of my TAs last semester asked several students to draw their idea of a cowboy on the board. While comical, the drawings were highly inaccurate, at least compared to the cowboys I know. I wondered if this was all due to Hollywood stereotypes or people's definitions of a cowboy (someone who works cows, rodeo cowboys, people in Western movies, cartoon characters, etc.)
> 
> Keep the answers coming! I would love to see more of what people have to say!


Movie stereotypes do not only influence peoples' opinions of other people. They often tend to influence the people they are supposedly portraying. People in the professions portrayed begin to dress and act like the actors in the moves, thus reinforcing these stereotypes.


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

This is an interesting thread. I'm from the midwest, and the majority of folks around me would consider a "cowboy" as someone who rodeo's. We have our cattle farmers, crop farmers, hog farmers, chicken farmers...etc...and in my parts, people do not rely on horses as a tool to get their work done. I've been fortunate in that I've been able to travel a lot. In my mind the real "cowboys" are out west. A few years ago we drove from Indiana to Alberta and once we got past the Dakota's you could see guys (and girls) pushing cattle on horseback. In the towns there were horses tied to hitching posts...there were even hitching posts at the filling stations! Technically...I think a real cowboy is someone who is hired, but then again I think it also comes with a certain frame of mind. They are handy folks who have a real partnership with their horses. 

And a little side note...maybe some Florida folks can clarify this- but I've heard cowboys really came from Florida and were originally called "crackers" because of the cracking noise their whips made.


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## Roadyy (Feb 9, 2013)

I have not read all of the responses and hope someone was smart enough to KISS. 


One stands and one squats for relief.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

TXhorseman said:


> Movie stereotypes do not only influence peoples' opinions of other people. They often tend to influence the people they are supposedly portraying. People in the professions portrayed begin to dress and act like the actors in the moves, thus reinforcing these stereotypes.


 
I have to disagree.
I have not found westerns to influence cowboy garb or demeanor. Movies do influence people who do not have knowledge or first hand experience as that is the only thing to reference. For example, the stereotype that cowboys live by a "code", they are honest, polite and tip their hat to ladies. Uh no, like I said before, there are good people and bad ones in any profession. 

Also there is a reason why we call this infatuation with "bonding" with a horse the Black Stallion Syndrome. Many newbie first time horse owners expected this magical bond because they have no other experiences to draws from other than watching Alex "bonding" with a wild stallion on a beach. Meanwhile the people who have owned and worked with horses are rolling their eyes.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I don't see movies influencing life either. I don't know anyone who goes to movies, really. Mother Nature has a bigger effect on our clothing and manners (mood) than anything else.

And the last thing cowboys want to do is to watch stunt people on run of the mill horses try to get some work done. Unless it's just real funny. Or someone we know leased their place to the movie outfit. Then we sit around and remember and visit good horses, good cattle, and good hands we saw while there.

Maybe that's why we don't go to movies. There is no pause and rewind for the one telling a story to use about three pair busting away and tearing over "that hill right there" and what it took to get them back in line. Much more interesting than anything I imagine Hollywood comes up with.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

In 1980, IIRC, I got a summer job with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The next weekend, I bought a cowboy hat...happily, just before "Urban Cowboy" caused the price of Stetsons to quadruple. Was it because of the movies? Nope. It was because of the sunburn on my neck and ears.

I started wearing cowboy boots, although I didn't ride any horses. I just found I got too much dirt in my shoes if I wore sneakers, and hiking boots weighed too much - the big waffle-stompers were popular for hiking back then & they weighed a ton. I have no idea how anyone hiked in the 'hiking boots' of the time. The Red Wing boots I got are essentially the same model I bought last year, and similar to the pair I bought in 1990 (and still wear sometimes...25 years of regular use isn't bad).

When you work outdoors - work outdoors, and not just recreate outdoors - and do so with a limited income, you don't imitate the movies. You find what works for you while you work...


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

You mean to tell me the guy with the lifted F350 with the Peterbilt mud flaps, stacks in the bed truck nutz under the hitch a "cowboy up" sticker on the back window and a black cowboy hat who lives in town isn't a cowboy? 

Who would have thunk it...


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## sorral3 (Jun 7, 2013)

COWCHICK77 said:


> It is interesting how terms have evolved and the regional influences those terms are used.
> 
> 
> Here is one that is often debated like cowboy, the term "punchy".
> ...


Punchy!!! I guess I am a bit punchy. I do wear a flat brimmed hat, ******, a nice wade saddle and I do not make my living with any of it. I have never, never called myself a cowboy or buckaroo or Vaquero. I do use this type of equipment because that is what I was taught, but never claimed to be one....that would show disrespect to those who taught me. I am a horseman, used to be a dude wrangler, but never a cowboy. I take the term literally, a cowboy makes his living caring for beef cattle, usually by horseback...period! I use the terms buckaroo and vaquero as those who cowboy in the styles of the California and northwest styles. 

I may be punchy, but hell, I can ride any saddle or wear any chaps I built...and yes I built them.


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