Cowboy

Lore & Background

The cowboy has deep historic roots tracing back to Spain and the earliest European settlers of the Americas. Over the centuries, differences in terrain and climate, and the influence of cattle-handling traditions from multiple cultures, created several distinct styles of equipment, clothing and animal handling. The origins of the cowboy tradition come from Spain, beginning with the hacienda system of medieval Spain. This style of cattle ranching spread throughout much of the Iberian peninsula, and later was imported to the Americas.

Reader's Guide

Equestrianism required skills and an investment in horses and equipment rarely available to or entrusted to a child. Because of the time and physical ability needed to develop necessary skills, both historic and modern cowboys often began as an adolescent. Historically, cowboys earned wages as soon as they developed sufficient skill to be hired (often as young as 12 or 13). On western ranches today, the working cowboy is usually an adult.

Did You Know?

• The English word cowboy was derived from vaquero, Spanish for cowherd or cattle-herder.
• "Cowboy" was first used in print by Jonathan Swift in 1725.
• By 1849 "cowboy" had developed its modern sense as an adult cattle handler of the American West.
• In the Tombstone, Arizona area during the 1880s, the term "cowboy" was used pejoratively to describe men implicated in various crimes.