In America, cowboys have a modern image: They drive pick-up trucks, work on ranches with ATVs, ride in the rodeo, wear cool shirts and they listen to country music that rocks! In short: Cowboys are cool! In Germany however it all looks very different!
Here cowboys are connected only to the "wild west" - and that of course makes them old fashioned and out-dated! Cowboys in Germany (or Europe for that matter) hold a completely wrong image because of that!Sure, cowboys existed in the "wild west" - but so did police officers and sol
diers (just to name two professions). But why are those not connected to the "wild west"? Especially when many western movies do not even portrait cowboys but law enforcement officers (Marshall, Sheriff) and soldiers (cavalry). Yet nobody today connects a police officer and a soldier to the "wild west"! It is no wonder that the cowboy lifestyle is not very popular over here! Who wants to be considered an extinct and out-datedperson?!? I certainly don`t! Nobody in the USA would dress up like in the "wild west" to go to a country music con- cert? And why should they? We live in the 21st century, not the "wild west". Yes, there are clubs in the USA that emrace the "wild west" culture. But those are historicclubs and they have them in Germany too, don`t they!?! Cause what about people at Medieval Festivals (Ritterspiele or Mittelaltermarkt) or similar events? There is nothing wrong with that at all! But people don`t confuse "Medieval Festivals" with todays life in Germany! So why do they confuse todays cowboy with the "wild west"?!?
Cowboy Party in Germany
Cowboy Party in Germany
There are lots and lots of Cowboys in todays world! Beef is the most popular meat in the USA - no other meat comes even close! The market share of beef is around 50 percent! There are about 15.000.000 head of cattle in the typical cowboy States alone. And that figure does not include dairy cattle. So there are many cowboys out there tendingto the herds of the big ranches. So how is it even possible that some people think there are no more cowboys?!?
Ranch-Life in Cowboy Country
Like I mentioned before: Times have changed and so have the cowboys. So the huge ranches still exist today! What has changed since "wild west times" though is the work of the cowboys: More and more horses are replaced by ATVs . Horses are still needed if the terrain does not allow ATVs though. The typical vehicle of a cowboy is the pick up truck. It is not only a "status symbol" it is also functional as food and tools can easily be put on the truck bed. Countless country songs sing about trucks... And when Americans talk about a truck it usually is a pick up truck! People in Germany have their own ideas about ranch-work in the USA... Some think it very romantic to push doggies at dawn and sit on the porch and enjoy a nice sunset while the cattle grazes on the pastures nearby! Others say that ranchwork is no fun at all - just hard work and low pay... I speak from experience when I say that the truth probably lies in the middle... and of course there are differences from ranch to ranch...but ain`t that the case in every line of work? The ranch I worked on in Oklahoma paid alright and the work-hours were ok as well...from 7 or 8 am to 5 pm and no work on Sundays. The ranch I worked on in Colorado however was a lot different and work till 9 pm was sometimes required...the reason for that was because the ranch offered roping practice on weeknights...
Rodeo - The Sport of the Cowboys & Cowgirls
Rodeo is not just a show, it is a sport - the tough sport of the cowgirls and cowboys. The sport is devided into two events, timed ecvents and rough stock events. Usually every rodeo consists of the following timed events: Tie-down or break away calf roping, steer wrestlind and woman`s barrel racing. Roughstock events are bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. You can read a lot more about rodeo in the USA and in Germany in the section "bull riding".
Country Music
It is widely known that cowboys love country music! However the term "country music" also has a different meaning to the average European than it has to the average American! In Germany "country music" is mostly associated with antiquated, old fashioned music. But that is not true! Today`s country music is "young and cool" just like pop, rock or rap music is! A lot of young people in the USA love country music! Country music "began" in the 1920`s when guitars, fiddles and banjos weremixed together for the first time. This "string band sound" was first called "hillbilly music" or "mountain music". Later the name was changed to "country music". Todays country has evolved to a modern sound - just like "rock music" or other forms of music have. Because of modern instrumentation like base and drums or electric guitars "country music" today sounds as cool as rock, pop or rap while keeping the sound of it`s string band roots
Cowboy Ministries
Christianity is rooted deep in the American cowboy culture. Many cowgirls and cowboys in the U.S. confess to be Christians. Every rodeo has a cowboy church service on sundays. And rodeos are usually opened with a prayer in the name of Jesus. But not only that: There are many Cowboy Churches in the USA. Those are church congregations for and within the cowboy lifestyle. Many Cowboy churches have their own rodeo arena and rode practice is part of their ministry. And they worship the Lord with country music!!!
My dream came true at Rodeo Cologne and we put on our very first cowboy church when I was still riding bulls. After my retirement from riding I am now starting a cowboy ministry in Europe. Plese check out the section "Jesus" for more
Cowboys in Germany
Thankfully there are cowboys in Germany who celebrate the lifestyle in American fashion! Below are a couple of photos from our cowboy get togethers in Germany! There are also Rodeos over here - please see the section bull riding for more info and photos from the rodeos...
