Cowboys of America

Vaquero is a transliteration of the words 'cow' and 'man'.

In Spanish, they called theirselves cowmen.

In English, it was demoted to cowboys."

Other names for a cowboy in American English include:

cowman, cowman, cattleman, cowpoke, cowhand, cowherd and puncher.

America’s first cowboys came from Mexico.

History

Beginning in the 1500s, vaqueros, the Spanish term for “cowboy” were hired by ranchers to drive and tend to livestock between Mexico and what is now New Mexico and Texas.
During the early 1800s, and leading up to Texas’s independence from Mexico in 1836, the number of English speaking settlers in the area increased.

These American settlers took their cues from the vaquero culture, borrowing clothing styles and vocabulary and learning how to drive their cattle in the same way.

The vaquero influence persisted throughout the 1800s.
Cowboys came from a variety of backgrounds, and included European immigrants, African Americans, Native Americans and Midwestern and Southern settlers.
In the nineteenth century, one out of three American cowboys in the South was Mexican.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Western movies popularized the cowboy lifestyle but also formed persistent stereotypes :, the cowboy and the gunslinger are often associated with one another.
Gunslinger or Gunfighter is a name given to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun.
Cowboys in the 21st century might seem like an anachronism, but as Sager demonstrates, their work still needs to be done.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cowboys included in the occupation category “support activities for animal production”
Despite decades of socioeconomic change, cowboys still don’t have health insurance and they don’t retire.
Times might be changing, but as a symbol of persistence, self-sufficiency and a hard work ethic, cowboys live on.


Dress
Most cowboy dress grew out of the environment in which the cowboy worked. Many of the items were adapted from the Mexican vaqueros.
Cowboy hat : a hat with a wide brim to protect from the sun and the elements; there are many styles, probably influenced by both the Mexican sombrero and US (and Confederate) Cavalry hats.
Cowboys boots : a boot with a high top to protect the lower legs, pointed toes to help guide the foot into the stirrup, and high heels to keep the foot from slipping through the stirrup while working in the saddle, with or without spurs.
Jeans : or other sturdy tight-fitting pants; heavy pants designed to protect the legs and snug fitting to prevent the pants legs from snagging on brush, corral equipment, and other hazards.

Tools

Chaps : guards worn to protect the legs when riding through heavy brush or during rough work with the livestock.
Lariat : ( called lasso in the East) from the Spanish "la riata," meaning "the rope," a tightly twisted stiff rope with a loop at one end enabling it to be thrown to catch animals .
Spurs : a tool, attached to the rider's heel, designed to help a rider communicate with the horse when the hands are busy or when it is too noisy for oral commands.
Rifle : a weapon needed to protect the livestock from predation by wild animals. Occasionally cowboys will carry a pistol when not physically working cattle, especially in brushy areas.
Cow dog : many people, including cowboys, find a herding dog invaluable in locating and controlling livestock.

The rodeo cowboys

In the beginning there was no difference between the working cowboy and the rodeo cowboy, and in fact, the term working cowboy did not come into use until the 1950s.

To keep the rough and tough cowboy alive the Rodeo was invented to let talented individuals display their cattle handling skills in addition to many other additions over the years.
The most exciting of all these skill tests is, of course, bull riding.
If you don't already know the point of bull riding, the basic object of the sport is to stay on top of a very angry, bucking bull longer than anyone else.
The rodeo's today let the most skilled of cowboys show off their roping, riding, and many other talents to the whole world.
Being a rodeo cowboy is a dangerous occupation where the strongest and smartest will take home the victory.