Hollywood vs real life

The Hollywood cowboy wasn't that far off from the real life, hard-working cowboy. To name a few things Hollywood did do right was the clothing that the cowboys wore. All of the cowboy’s cloths had a purpose for wearing them. The cowboys’ undershirt was usually cotton for comfortability. The shirt didn't have pockets so they usually wore vests so that they could hold small items in pockets. They had hats and jackets to protect them from the rough elements of the country life. High leather boots protected the cowboys’ feet and ankles from the brush. The cowboys’ boots were also pointed so that they could easily fit their feet into stirrups of an animal. The high arch and big heel of the boot also made it harder for the cowboys’ foot to slip out.

One cowboy that was really good at documenting all of this was Erwin E. Smith. He took a lot of pictures of the cowboys’ life. He lived the cowboy life and loved sharing it with everyone.

Another thing Hollywood did correctly was the cowboy's equipment. Ranching started in Spain so most of the equipment such a saddles, bridles, ropes, and bedrolls had a lot of characteristics of the Spaniards. The cowboys most valuable equipment was his trusty steed; the horse. Ever Since the 1500s people have been herding animals from one place to another they have had a horse. These horses came from Mexico because the Spanish brought them over. The sad fact is that most of the horses did escape. These horses were named "mustangs" a word that comes from the Spanish word mestaños which means "wild horse". The cowboys used horses because they could sprint at very high speeds for over 1/4 of a mile. There strong hind legs and broad shoulder also made is easy for them to carry a high enough of stuff. 

At the ranches there were plenty of jobs to do. There usually was one ranch boss a couple of wranglers and a cook. At the top of the chain were the ranch bosses. He told everyone what the hell to do. Wranglers would be the people that would herd the animals to specific locations. They would also have to "rope" any animal that would try to get away. This means they would make a lasso and through it over the animals neck. Then with a pull would make the animal topple over. After that they would lead the animal over to the rest of the heard. In addition to that, if they wanted that specific animal for dinner they would bring it over to the house and butcher it. This usually wasn't that clean. The ranch boss usually took the good meat to do whatever he wanted to do with it and gave the wrangles the bad meat to eat off.

Just like how there is seasonal work in agriculture; there is seasonal work in ranching. There are four cycles just like how there are four cycles in agriculture. These cycles are back-breaking and are called the spring roundup, the trail drive, the fall roundup, and winter work. 

Now it seems that a cowboy only did hard work but that isn't true. At the end of the day the cowboy was tired and hungry but for fun they usually played card games, sung, dance, and had a good time. The cowboys must fun tie was at night at the campfire. This is where the cowboys told stories to one another. These stories were usually about adventure and romance.

In conclusion Hollywood did tell a good amount about a cowboys life but they missed a lot of the life at the ranch.