What it Means to be a Cowboy
I've been raised around cowboys my whole life. It's a generational thing. My granddad built the first rodeo grounds in Bruneau, Idaho with the help of my dad and my uncle. My granddad used to rope and bulldog (now called steer wrestling). My uncle rode bulls, bareback and saddle broncs. My dad managed horse and cattle ranches his entire life. He trained and showed quarter horses in California for years.
I am also married to a cowboy. My husband was born and raised on a ranch and has worked on and managed cattle ranches most of his life.
Cowboy is not just a word describing a man who wears a hat, boots, and a pair of wranglers. It's not just a man who rides in the rodeo circuit either. I don't believe it is even just a word for someone who makes his living on a ranch. I've know a lot of people who worked on ranches that I don't consider cowboys. And I know a few cowboys who now make their living in town.
Although all the above can be part of a cowboy, to me the word produces deeper images. I see images of trailing cows with my dad, singing songs and enjoying the work that he loved. I see him willing and patient to share that love and his knowledge with me and others less experienced around him.
Being a cowboy is not just an occupation. It is a way of life. It is a rugged and hard life. You don't leave at the end of your shift and go home to your private life. Being a cowboy is your private life. When the work day is done, you go to the house for supper, and then check cows every two to three hours during the night in calving season. In the summer, evenings will find you changing irrigation water, or haying till dark
So how do you become a cowboy? The easiest way is to be born and raised as one. If you were not that lucky and would still like to apply for the job, here are a few traits that may help your resume.
1. Loves the land. Willing to till, plant, irrigate, harvest, and protect it, no matter the weather.
2. Loves horses. Willing to break your back shoeing ornery horses that sometimes bite and kick in appreciation for your caring about their feet.
3. Loves cattle. Willing to help deliver a calf in trouble from a mother who wants no help and is willing to blow snot in your hip pockets helping you over the fence to prove it!
4. Willing to work from daylight till dark and often beyond for little pay and no overtime benefits.
5. Benefits of job. One day a week off, after morning and evening chores, except in calving and haying seasons. Usually a warm house, good beef on the table, and fresh milk and eggs. You will also have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and sights of nature to calm and refresh your soul and let you know there is indeed a Creator!
All the cowboys in my life have a common thread or two. They are hard working men. They live a life based on honesty, integrity, and kindness. They love their families, dogs, horses, and cattle. They love their lifestyle and their land, but they would never value them over their wife or kids.
Some may see a man wearing a hat and boots on CMT singing a country song, and call him a cowboy. But "Cowboy" is a special word to me and belongs to those who can fill the boots of those special few.
If you feel you posses these qualities, apply for the job!
