Table of Contents
In older sections of towns and cities, we sometimes encounter
isolated
hitching posts, mounting blocks, or water troughs, symbols of the bygone
era of the city horse. The splendid carriage houses now serve as
fashionable apartment houses of homes; the less splendid are garages or have
been demolished. In the late 1800s the horse was a central element in urban
life. It hauled goods, pulled omnibuses and cabs, and spirited people about
in elegant carriages. The increasing prosperity of the urban population
created a huge new market for horses. In return, carriage makers,
wheelwrights, harness makers, and feed merchants prospered because of the
horse's increased prominence in everyday life.
The versatile horse was the farmers main asset
The exploration and the subsequent settlement of new land in America created
the enormous need for the horse. Man saw the horse as a means of expansion
and as power for taming the wilderness and cultivating the virgin soil. The
sluggish but easily maintained ox had previously fulfilled the needs of the
farmer. But the versatility of the horse made it a valuable asset to the
farmer of the 1800s. The horse plowed his fields, pulled his wagons and
carriages, and became an essential part of the rural economy. The loss of
a small farmer's horse frequently meant his ruin. The horse population grew
immensely during the 1800s. In 1867, the rural horse population in America
was estimated at nearly eight million, while the number of farm workers was
well under seven million.
America Turns to the Draft Horse
The new and improved farm
equipment, developed between 1820 and 1870, resulted in larger and more
productive farms and created a demand for larger and stronger horses.
With the McCormick reaper, one man could do the work of thirty. Also,
new steel plows, double-width harrows, seed drills, mowers, etc.,
decreased the need for manpower, but increased the demand for larger
horses to power the new equipment. Where the average American farm in
1790 was 100 acres, the agricultural revolution allowed the average acreage
to more than double over the next 60 years. Improved rail and steamship
transportation opened new markets in the fast-growing cities of both
America and Europe. The result was the first importation of European
draft stock to America in 1839, followed by massive importation and
domestic breeding after the Civil War. By 1900 there were over 27,000
pure bred draft horses in the US., and the average horse's size had
increased to between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds.
For more information, see our special exhibit, The Draft Horse in America.
The original cowboys were Mexican Indians, enslaved by Spanish conquerors
who put them to work tending herds on their vast "rancheros."
They wore broad sombreros to protect them from the burning sun and chaparjos
(chaps) to protect their legs against cactus and mesquite. Their saddles
were fashioned after the "medieval" Spanish saddle with high
pommels and cantles. The vaquero's life was one of isolation, with only a
rawhide shelter to protect them from the elements, and a diet consisting
primarily of corn mush and any game they could kill with a bow and arrow.
The Hard Life of the Cowhand
The cowboy's life was often lonely,
with only his sturdy mustang pony for
companionship. The ranges were not fenced, and the cattle had to be watched
constantly for fear they might stampede during a thunder storm or
when threatened by a predator. Regular chores included cutting out calves
for branding and in the earlier days of the range, fighting off the Indians
who were protecting their hunting grounds from the white man's invasion.
The Round-Up
In the fall of each
year the cattle were rounded up in preparation for the
drive to market. The riding and roping skills of the cowboy and the agility
and "cow sense" of his horse were especially important in the
round-up.
The Trail Drive to Market
The pioneer cattleman, Charles Goodnight, was one of the first men to
organize the cattle drive. He also invented the chuckwagon which served
as the cowboy's trail kitchen. Camp life on the trail was often strictly
regulated by the ranch owners. Charles Goodnight did not allow his cowboys
to gamble, drink liquor, curse, or even play mumbletypeg on the drive.
Little wonder that when the cowboy reached the end of the cattle drive and
was paid, he often went wild and would squeeze six month's fun into a few
days.
To learn more about the saddles used by the cowboy, visit a special exhibit, "The Western Stock Saddle," provided by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
To learn more about the development of one of the largest and most sucessful ranches in the American West, visit a special exhibit, "The Four Sixes Ranch", provided by the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center and Museum.
July 4, 1886 - Informal Sport of Cowboys Soon Became A Grand Event
Rodeo (Spanish for "cattle ring") began as an
amusement among cowboys who had reached the end of the long cattle-drive and
had to remain with their herds until they were sold. Given a few days of
freedom, it was not long before an empty cattle pen was appropriated and one
cowhand challenged another to a calf-roping contest, or dared him to ride
"the meanest horse between here and the Rio Grande." The
popularity of these informal sports grew until the first rodeo with paid
attendance was held in Prescott, Arizona, on July 4, 1886. At the turn of the century,
rodeos combined with the popular "Wild West" show. These events
became extravaganzas, including wagon races, bull-riding and steer-wrestling.
The Wild West Show soon fell from popularity, but its influences remained in
the rodeo, which steadily grew in popularity throughout the western United
States and Canada. In more elaborate rodeos, even the cooks got into the act
by racing their chuckwagons. One of the most exciting events in the rodeo,
bull dogging, was reputedly invented by a black cowboy named Bill Pickett.
Pickett became enraged at a bull which refused to enter a corral. He
jumped on the bull from his horse, grabbed its horns and gripped its upper
lip in his teeth, bringing it to the ground like a "bulldog."
Today, there are more than 800 formal rodeos held anually.
Rodeo Events
There are eight major events in a rodeo, including bareback bronco riding,
steer roping, calf roping, bull-riding, team roping, and barrel racing.
In the riding contests, competitors must remain on the animal 8 to 10
seconds. In roping and racing events, competitors work against the clock
for the lowest time. Today rodeo professionals follow the circuit,
competing at such major events as the Calgary Stampede (in Canada), Cheyenne
Frontier Days, and the Pendleton Round-up.
To learn more about the history and evolution of the rodeo, visit a special exhibit, "The Rodeo: From Cowboy Fun to Big Business," provided by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.