End of the open range

Barbed wire, an innovation of the 1880s, allowed cattle to be confined to designated areas to preventovergrazingof the range. In Texas and surrounding areas, increased population required ranchers to fence off their individual lands.[27]In the north, overgrazing stressed the open range, leading to insufficient winterforagefor the cattle and starvation, particularly during the harsh winter of 1886–1887, when hundreds of thousands of cattle died across the Northwest, leading to collapse of the cattle industry.[50]By the 1890s, barbed wire fencing was also standard in the northern plains, railroads had expanded to cover most of the nation, and meat packing plants were built closer to major ranching areas, making long cattle drives from Texas to the railheads inKansasunnecessary. Hence, the age of the open range was gone and largecattle driveswere over.[50]Smaller cattle drives continued at least into the 1940s, as ranchers, prior to the development of the moderncattle truck, still needed to herd cattle to local railheads for transport tostockyardsandpacking plants. Meanwhile, ranches multiplied all over the developing West, keeping cowboy employment high, if still low-paid, but also somewhat more settled.[51]

Development of the modern cowboy image

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at the 61st Academy Awards

The traditions of the working cowboy were further etched into the minds of the general public with the development ofWild West Showsin the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which showcased and romanticized the life of both cowboys andNative Americans.[61]Beginning in the 1920s and continuing to the present day,Western moviespopularized the cowboy lifestyle but also formed persistentstereotypes, both positive and negative. In some cases, the cowboy and the violentgunslingerare often associated with one another. On the other hand, some actors who portrayed cowboys promoted positive values, such as the "cowboy code" ofGene Autry, that encouraged honorable behavior, respect and patriotism.[62]

Likewise, cowboys in movies were often shown fighting withAmerican Indians. However, the reality was that, while cowboys were armed against both predators and human thieves, and often used their guns to run off people of any race who attempted to steal, orrustlecattle, nearly all actual armed conflicts occurred between Indian people andcavalryunits of theU.S. Army.[citation needed]

In reality, working ranch hands past and present had very little time for anything other than the constant, hard work involved in maintaining a ranch.

Modern working cowboys

On the ranch, the cowboy is responsible for feeding the livestock,brandingand earmarking cattle (horses also are branded on many ranches), plus tending to animal injuries and other needs. The working cowboy usually is in charge of a small group or "string" of horses and is required to routinely patrol the rangeland in all weather conditions checking for damaged fences, evidence ofpredation, water problems, and any other issue of concern.

They also move the livestock to different pasture locations, or herd them into corrals and onto trucks for transport. In addition, cowboys may do many other jobs, depending on the size of the "outfit" orranch, theterrain, and the number of livestock. On a smaller ranch with fewer cowboys—often just family members, cowboys are generalists who perform many all-around tasks; they repair fences, maintain ranch equipment, and perform other odd jobs. On a very large ranch (a "big outfit"), with many employees, cowboys are able to specialize on tasks solely related to cattle and horses. Cowboys whotrain horsesoften specialize in this task only, and some may"Break"or train young horses for more than one ranch.

TheUnited States Bureau of Labor Statisticscollects no figures for cowboys, so the exact number of working cowboys is unknown. Cowboys are included in the 2003 category,Support activities for animal production, which totals 9,730 workers averaging $19,340 per annum. In addition to cowboys working on ranches, in stockyards, and as staff or competitors atrodeos, the category includes farmhands working with other types of livestock (sheep,goats,hogs,chickens, etc.). Of those 9,730 workers, 3,290 are listed in the subcategory ofSpectator sportswhich includes rodeos,circuses, and theaters needing livestock handlers.

Tools

  • Firearms: Modern cowboys often have access to arifle, used to protect the livestock from predation by wild animals, more often carried inside apickup truckthan on horseback, though riflescabbardsare manufactured, and allow a rifle to be carried on asaddle. Apistolis more often carried when on horseback. The modern ranch hand often uses a .22 caliber "varmit" rifle for modern ranch hazards, such asrattlesnakes,coyotes, andrabidskunks. In areas nearwilderness, a ranch cowboy may carry a higher-caliber rifle to fend off larger predators such asmountain lions. In contrast, the cowboy of the 1880s usually carried a heavy caliber revolver such as the single action.44-40or.45 ColtPeacemaker (the civilian version of the 1872Single Action Army).[107]The working cowboy of the 1880s rarely carried a long arm, as they could get in the way when working cattle, plus they added extra weight. However, many cowboys owned rifles, and often used them for market hunting in the off season.[108]Though many models were used, Cowboys who were part-timemarket hunterspreferred rifles that could take the widely available .45-70 "Government" ammunition, such as certain Sharps, Remington, Springfield models, as well as the Winchester 1876.[109]However, by far the single most popular long arms were the lever-action repeating Winchesters, particularly lighter models such as the Model 1873 chambered for the same .44/40 ammunition as the Colt, allowing the cowboy to carry only one kind of ammunition.[110]
  • Knife; cowboys have traditionally favored some form ofpocket knife, specifically the folding cattle knife or stock knife. The knife has multiple blades, usually including a leather punch and a "sheepsfoot" blade.
  • Lariat; from the Spanish "la riata," meaning "the rope," sometimes called alasso, especially in the East, or simply, a "rope". This is a tightly twisted stiff rope, originally of rawhide or leather, now often of nylon, made with a small loop at one end called a "hondo." When the rope is run through the hondo, it creates a loop that slides easily, tightens quickly and can be thrown to catch animals.[111]
  • Spurs; metal devices attached to the heel of the boot, featuring a small metal shank, usually with a small serrated wheel attached, used to allow the rider to provide a stronger (or sometimes, more precise) leg cue to the horse.
  • Other weapons; while the modern American cowboy came to existence after the invention ofgunpowder, cattle herders of earlier times were sometimes equipped with heavy polearms,bowsorlances.

Horses

The traditional means of transport for the cowboy, even in the modern era, is byhorseback.Horsescan travel over terrain that vehicles cannot access. Horses, along withmulesandburros, also serve aspack animals. The most important horse on the ranch is the everyday working ranch horse that can perform a wide variety of tasks; horses trained to specialize exclusively in one set of skills such asropingorcuttingare very rarely used on ranches. Because the rider often needs to keep one hand free while working cattle, the horse mustneck reinand have goodcow sense—it must instinctively know how to anticipate and react to cattle.

A goodstock horseis on the small side, generally under 15.2hands(62inches) tall at thewithersand often under 1000 pounds, with a short back, sturdy legs and strong muscling, particularly in the hindquarters. While asteer ropinghorse may need to be larger and weigh more in order to hold a heavy adultcow,bullorsteeron a rope, a smaller, quick horse is needed for herding activities such ascuttingorcalf roping. The horse has to be intelligent, calm under pressure and have a certain degree of 'cow sense" -- the ability to anticipate the movement and behavior of cattle.

Many breeds of horse make good stock horses, but the most common today in North America is theAmerican Quarter Horse, which is ahorse breeddeveloped primarily inTexasfrom a combination ofThoroughbredbloodstock crossed on horses ofMustangand otherIberian horseancestry, with influences from theArabian horseand horses developed on the east coast, such as theMorgan horseand now-extinctbreeds such as the Chickasaw and Virginia Quarter-Miler.

Vehicles

The most common motorized vehicle driven in modern ranch work is thepickup truck. Sturdy and roomy, with a high ground clearance, and oftenfour-wheel drivecapability, it has an open box, called a "bed," and can haul supplies from town or over rough trails on the ranch. It is used to pull stock trailers transporting cattle and livestock from one area to another and to market. With ahorse trailerattached, it carries horses to distant areas where they may be needed. Motorcycles are sometimes used instead of horses for some tasks, but the most common smaller vehicle is thefour-wheeler. It will carry a single cowboy quickly around the ranch for small chores. In areas with heavy snowfall,snowmobilesare also common. However, in spite of modern mechanization, there remain jobs, particularly those involving working cattle in rough terrain or in close quarters that are best performed by cowboys on horseback.

A rodeo cowboy insaddle bronccompetition

Rodeo cowboys

Main article:Rodeo

The wordrodeois from the Spanishrodear(to turn), which meansroundup. In the beginning there was no difference between the working cowboy and therodeocowboy, and in fact, the termworking cowboydid not come into use until the 1950s. Prior to that it was assumed that all cowboys were working cowboys. Early cowboys both worked on ranches and displayed their skills at the roundups.[113]

The advent of professional rodeos allowed cowboys, like manyathletes, to earn a living by performing their skills before an audience. Rodeos also providedemploymentfor many working cowboys who were needed to handle livestock. Many rodeo cowboys are also working cowboys and most have working cowboy experience.

The dress of the rodeo cowboy is not very different from that of the working cowboy on his way to town. Snaps, used in lieu of buttons on the cowboy's shirt, allowed the cowboy to escape from a shirt snagged by the horns ofsteerorbull. Styles were often adapted from the early movie industry for the rodeo. Some rodeo competitors, particularly women, add sequins, colors, silver and long fringes to their clothing in both a nod to tradition and showmanship. Modern riders in "rough stock" events such assaddle broncorbull ridingmay add safety equipment such askevlarvests or a neck brace, but use ofsafety helmetsin lieu of thecowboy hatis yet to be accepted, in spite of constant risk of injury.