Cowboy
A mounted cattle herder of the North American West.
Also: cowhand, cowpoke, buckaroo, cowgirl
A cowboy works cattle on horseback on the ranches of the American West and Canada. The craft came from the Mexican vaquero, and much of its gear and language did too: lariat, lasso, rodeo, chaps and buckaroo all come from Spanish. The classic age of the cowboy was the trail drives and open range of about 1866 to 1890, but cowboys and cowgirls still work ranches today, alongside trucks and helicopters. Many early cowboys were Mexican, Black or Native American. The figure became central to American stories, songs and films, and to rodeo, which grew from ranch skills.