Download top and best high-quality free Cowboy PNG Transparent Images backgrounds available in various sizes. To view the full PNG size resolution click on any of the below image thumbnail.

License Info: Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC

A cowboy is an animal herder who, typically on horseback, tends cattle on ranches in North America and often does various other ranch-related activities. The late-nineteenth-century American cowboy developed from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a legendary character. A wrangler is a person who is responsible for the horses used to work cattle. Some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos in addition to ranch labour. Cowgirls, initially classified as such in the late 1800s, have a less well-documented historical function. Still, they do similar responsibilities in the current world and have earned great recognition for their accomplishments. Cattle handlers in many other regions, including South America and Australia, do comparable duties to the cowboy.

The cowboy’s origins may be traced all the way back to Spain and the first European inhabitants in the Americas. Differences in topography and temperature and the impact of cattle-handling traditions from other civilizations have resulted in numerous unique kinds of equipment, dress, and animal management over the ages. The ever-practical cowboy updated his equipment and tactics to the modern environment, while many old traditions were retained.

During the American Revolution, the term “cowboy” was used to designate American fighters who resisted the struggle for independence. Claudius Smith, a Loyalist criminal known as the “Cow-boy of the Ramapos” for stealing oxen, cattle, and horses from colonists and bringing them to the British, was known as the “Cow-boy of the Ramapos.” During this time, a number of guerrilla bands operated in Westchester County, which served as a border between British and American soldiers. Local farmhands formed these organisations, who would ambush convoys and carry out attacks on both sides. The “skinners” fought for the pro-independence side, while the “cowboys” fought for the British.

During the 1880s, the phrase “cowboy” or “cow-boy” was used derogatorily to characterise individuals who had been accused of different crimes in the Tombstone, Arizona, region. Smuggling livestock, wine, and tobacco across the US”Mexico border was profitable for one loosely organised organisation known as “The Cowboys.” “Cowboys the most irresponsible kind of bandits in that vast region… much worse than the usual robber,” the San Francisco Examiner said in an editorial. Calling someone a “cowboy” became an insult in the area since it implied he was a horse thief, robber, or criminal. Cattlemen were commonly referred to as herders or ranchers. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the subsequent Earp Vendetta Ride put a stop to the Cowboys’ operations.

The origins of the cowboy culture may be traced back to mediaeval Spain’s hacienda system. This cattle ranching method expanded throughout most of the Iberian peninsula and was subsequently introduced to the Americas. Because both locations had a dry environment and scarce grass, big herds of cattle needed a lot of space to have enough feed. The need to cover distances greater than a person on foot could manage gave rise to the development of the horseback-mounted vaquero.

Download Cowboy PNG images transparent gallery.