Lifestyle or image.... lifestyle in my mind.
Are there real cowboys anymore?
Cherry County NE is as cowboy as it gets but they ride ATVs and wear baseball caps on the ranch, then wear cowboy hats and spurs to town as formal attire.
I see old timers that are cowboys from way back but the young generation just aren't cowboy to me.
I grew up with a kid that worked for a dairy farmer in school, married a farm girl, farmed with her Dad, then decided he was a cowboy. He started rodeoing...not riding the events but was the pickup man at the end of a ride. Well he had a horse wreck and hit his head on the ground and has been a mess ever since. He calls himself a cowboy. Wears a filthy black hat, filthy coat that's never been washed, doesn't like to shower or bathe. His wife stays with him but makes it clear he keeps his distance because he likes being dirty because he thinks that's the cowboy image. So 50 years later we're living 5 miles apart, locals avoid him for obvious reasons and he comes around. Always wants to hug my wife even though he's a dirty person. It's about to come to a head and I'm gonna tell him he's not what a cowboy is and he needs to hug on his wife, not mine.
Anyways, what do ya'll think? What makes a cowboy?

My grandson works at a ranch / feedlot. Rides a horse every day. Ropes etc. One of the benefits there they let him ride other peoples horses at work that are also paying him to train their horses. He does two at a time. Each pay to train animal, a half day. 30 day minimum. Ranch feeds them. I would call him a cowboy and say he is doing pretty good for himself his wife and their baby. He has also been buying then riding then selling horses.

I was told once, "You don't look like a cowboy.". I responded with "I am a Cattleman, and do 100% of the 'cowboying' it takes to handle and care for my herd..

It's what's on the inside of a man that is important, not the outside.





Charlie

I tend to prefer cattleman as back east we didn't do big hats, horses or pointy toed boots and did our cowboying on foot with a bucket of sweet feed. But dad's sixty head herd probably don't count for much by western standards.

Totally off topic but I couldn’t help it!

Tristan? Married with a kid? I remember when he was just a tyke. God I'm old, lol.

Even got a house payment

An old cowboy, dressed in cowboy shirt, hat, jeans, spurs and chaps went to a bar, sat down, and ordered a drink. As he was sipping his whiskey, a young lady sat down next to him. After she ordered her drink she turned to the cowboy and asked him, "Are you a real cowboy?"
To which he replied, "Well, I've spent my whole life on the ranch herding cows, breaking horses, and mending fences. .. so I guess I am."
After a short while, he asked her what she was. She replied, "I've never been on a ranch so I'm not a cowboy, but I am a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about women. As soon as I get up in the morning, I think of women. When I eat, shower, watch TV - everything seems to make me think of women."

A short while later she left and the cowboy ordered another drink. A couple sat down next to him and asked, "Are you a real cowboy?"
To which he replied, "I always thought I was, but I just found out that I'm a lesbian."

Keith

Here you go Ang. Tristan’s Mom teaching Dally how to drive

I prefer women but hey to each his own. As always we are all impressed with your level of expertise on any and all subjects.

Keith that is a good one. I've heard it before but in a format not family friendly.

I hear it's sheep yall texicans prefer.

I ride a Yamaha. It goes where I tell it to.

I would think anyone skilled with stock may be referred too as a cowboy / cow man . I was never good with horses, but practically raised between dairy and beef cattle. My significant other makes me leave my clothes at the back door I smell like the barn every night. When I go out I do not wear a cowboy hat and don’t wear one to the barn neither.

Don’t call him a cowboy until you seen him ride. Lot of fake ones out there today.

With a Jeep to match Grandpa's no less, lol.

My dad always said he was a cowman, he told the cowboys what to do. So of the men that worked for us became cowmen and some never grew up.

Someone who wears a 10 gallon hat on a 5 gallon head.LOL.