A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called a wrangler, specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos. Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less-well documented historical role, but in the modern world have established the ability to work at virtually identical tasks and obtained considerable respect for their achievements. There are also cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and Australia, who perform work similar to the cowboy in their respective nations.

The cowboy has deep historic roots tracing back to Spain and the earliest European settlers of the Americas. Over the centuries, differences in terrain, climate and the influence of cattle-handling traditions from multiple cultures created several distinct styles of equipment, clothing and animal handling. As the ever-practical cowboy adapted to the modern world, the cowboy's equipment and techniques also adapted to some degree, though many classic traditions are still preserved today.

Proper noun

The West

the West

1. The Western world; the regions, primarily situated in the Western Hemisphere, whose culture is derived from Europe.
2. The Western bloc; the countries of Western Europe.
3. (US) The Western United States in the 19th century era of terrestrial expansion; the Wild West.
4. The western states of the United States.
5. The western part of any region.
6. The European Union a Western Region that is primarily an economic and political Bloc that covers 27 Member States from Western Europe to Eastern Europe

Proper noun

West

1. A surname for a newcomer from the west, or someone who lived to the west of a village.

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• Cowboys 'n Cowgirls
  cowboys-n-cowgirls.com
  Perspective of the cowboy way of life with poetry, photos, graphics, music and links.
• Cowboy Boots
  dimlights.com
  A tribute to the culture and craft of western cowboy bootmaking and bootmakers. Includes message board, legend and lore, boot gallery, and a directory of boot makers.
• Partners Of the Prairie
  angelfire.com
  Cowboy poets and balladeers who travel the Midwest. Illustrated biographies of Allen D. Bailey, Keith Downer, Don Eves, Randy Fisher and Leonard Hitz.