What Makes a Real Texas Cowboy?

“Don’t call him a cowboy until you’ve seen him ride…” These were the lyrics to the refrain of a Conway Twitty country song that actually rings true for many a listener (innuendo excluded). The truth is that anyone can put on a cowboy hat and boots and call themselves a Texas cowboy. But what do you feel truly makes a real one? And alternatively, what makes up a real Texas cowgirl? This is a loaded question because ultimately it will boil down to the thinker or the reader’s concept of the definition, and not some paragraph of traits that are predetermined and can be found in Webster’s Dictionary. Each of us may have had dreams at one point in our younger lives of actually being a cowboy/girl. When we look back to those times, there were some integral components to it, which if you didn’t have, you just couldn’t be the epitome of. So when we look at some modern-day samples of the walking, talking, working cowboy/girl, do you feel they must have some of these same requirements?

Is it An Air of Ruggedness?

Photo: Flickr/David

Okay, so Stetson commercials aside, a Texas cowboy generally is portrayed in modern day media as someone who lives a rugged life, or at the very least has rugged appeal. So what does that mean as a qualifier? If you work cattle but drive a Ford Fiesta, are you out of the game? Or what if you have a five-o’ clock shadow. Does that guy (okay ladies, this clearly doesn’t count for you) automatically get considered rugged? Just something to think about when we’re categorizing people and traits.

Is it Working on a Ranch/Farm?

Photo: Pixabay

Can you still be a real Texas cowboy or girl if you don’t necessarily work on a ranch or a farm? What lends true meaning to being the part and not just acting the part? And if you want to act the part, is that such a bad thing (as long as you’re not duping people for money, of course)? After all, there is such a thing as an “urban” cowboy. And they can be just as down-to-earth and hard-working as rural folks, but their circumstances may necessitate that they live in the city to keep their jobs and feed their families. Does that make them any less cowboy-ish?

Is it the Style of Hat or Cowboy Boot?

Photo: Pixabay

If you wear a certain brand or style of hat or cowboy boot, but you don’t have a horse, or maybe have never ridden one, are you less of a Texas cowboy or girl? Where do these lines get blurred? What if you’re just learning how to ride and rope? What if you work on a construction site by day, and when you get home and get showered, you put on your “cowboy clothes”? These are all quite debatable questions, with no real merit other than bragging rights per se. But when it gets right down to brass tacks, some are in it for the show. And according to Conway, “…a Stetson hat and them fancy boots don’t tell you what’s inside…” What do you think?