Originally, cowboys, about whom many adventure films have been made and a huge number of books written in the Western (i.e., “Western”) style, were common shepherds. The word “cowboy” itself means “cowboy”.

Pastures in the Western United States in the nineteenth century were unfenced, and herds from different ranches mingled with each other. Therefore, cows had to be constantly separated and dispersed into their native pens, and this required considerable skill. So on the basis of this difficult work a competition among cowboys in dexterity – rodeo appeared. Over time, these competitions evolved into a very real sport with its own rules – Western sports.

Cowboys drove not only cows to the nearest railroad stations, where they were loaded into wagons to be taken to the North for sale. Horses – domesticated and sometimes wild mustangs – were also sent on the long journey. The journey was very long and dangerous. Each cowboy had to change horses several times a day during the journey – a man simply could not afford to rest. All this happened for twenty years (1865-1885). Then the railroads covered the whole country, and the long cattle drives were a thing of the past.

Cowboy Saddle

Western (or cowboy) saddles are used by working cowboys, rodeo athletes, and amateurs alike. This saddle has a horn and the bow at the back is high – such a saddle is comfortable for both the rider and the horse, which can walk under it all day long with little or no fatigue.

Rodeo – a sport for the brave

Rodeo includes several types of competition. These are both races on the wild bull, and catching a bull with a lasso, and the race on the saddled or unsaddled horse, which is forced to stand on the hoof. On such a “wild” horse a cowboy must hold out for 8 seconds. It is a very popular sport in the United States: the Professional Rodeo Association has about 5,000 members and organizes about 650 competitions every year.