The dime-novel, two-gun characters of fiction, the movies built around these stories, and the occasional rodeo performance, are the basis for the average person’s impressions about the Western cowboy. Overlooked are the real life and the important daily tasks of these men on horseback who provide the meat for the nation’s tables.
The cowboy knows no hours. From sunup to sundown, in blizzard, rain and sunshine, he watches and cares for his herd.
The pioneers who built the cattle business into a tremendous industry used the saddle for making history. The modern cowboy following in their path is still using a saddle for a throne from which he upholds a tradition ... and never will he forsake that saddle for a jalopy to help him over the rough places.
ON GUARD
Probably no other American spends a greater part of his time outdoors than the Western cowboy. Certainly no other form of activity is so dependent upon the whims of Nature and animals. A calf may stray among jagged rocks, and a horse break a leg in recovering him. Rider and horse are always flirting with danger! Sickness in a herd or among the horses calls for expert knowledge and kindness. Broken fences, storms, mountain lions and the elements themselves present problems which to many of us would seem insurmountable. Gopher holes lurk in hidden places to throw both horse and rider; turbulent streams with their slippery boulders must be forded; high ledges and snowy precipices must be traversed under varying conditions.
Yes, it’s a rugged life and one which calls for strong men with clear eyes and steady hands. Under these men must be sturdy, sure-footed horses.
This combination of man and horse has contributed greatly to the romantic history of America; and, even today, typifies a way of life unlike any other.
It’s no wonder that this Western life has developed a strange and flavorful language of its own ... distinctly different from that used in other walks of life. It’s natural, too, that special clothing should be worn. Above all, it is essential that the cowboy’s greatest asset, the horse, should be specially bred and trained.