Cowboys, they are the epitome of the Wild West. The image that pops up in our heads is that of a lonely and tough rider roaming through the endless prairie to take care of his animals. We picture a dangerous life full of hardship.
The profession of the cowboy rose in importance around the 1850ies when large cow herds had to be led across the country. When the entire agrarian sector underwent the influences of industrialization, farmers started to breed cows in farms, causing the need for cowboys to decrease. However, they still exist. And it seems as if the profession of the cowboy remained hard and full of deprivation, although they do make use of modern inventions. Mobile phones, headsets, helicopters and other modern gadgets and vehicles are used to drive the cattle towards the right destination and to communicate with each other. Despite the comfortableness of modern technologies and the chance to lead a life a life full of convenience, passionate cowboys still choose a life surrounded by nature over a job in the office.
Living between two worlds, they treat their resources respectfully and with care, some of them still sleep in the open underneath the sky and ride horses. However, it is truly more convenient to drive an all-terrain vehicle to get from A to B on the ranch. Although the job is hard, many of them barely make enough money to live a proper life which is why they additionally work on tourist ranches or participate in dangerous rodeo shows.
Indeed, the life of a cowboy is undergoing unavoidable changes just like everything else in this world. Nevertheless, modern cowboys still stick to the principles and values that have always defined this profession. They are still clinging to a life based on freedom and the proximity to nature.
