Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Employee handbook for the cowboy

by Julie Carter

We live in a time when rules and regulations are everywhere. If the government hasn't regulated it, we, the people have.

We write rules and pass out manuals with job descriptions. We have laws to abide by while on the job or as members of most organizations.

A cowboy's job is not just a career. It is a heritage that has evolved over more than a century of man working with bovines. With it comes a code that isn't written in a manual.

These rules aren't printed and handed out at the bunkhouse or posted on the saddle room door.

They have been passed from generation to generation among the cowboys themselves and between father and son. These are laws of respect and cowboy etiquette that are just part of the job.

The concepts are age-old but still hold true today. But because more and more cowboys are "found" and not raised, fewer and fewer are aware of the content of this unwritten manual.

Genuine legitimate indisputable cowboys have influenced my life. Over the years, I have asked them to tell me what it was a cowboy should know in order to live true to the code.

If the cowboy had an employee handbook, these men all agreed that these simple laws, no matter which outfit it was on, would be included:

• Never ride another cowboy's horse unless it's a matter of life and death.
• Never use another cowboy's equipment without permission.
• Never ride between another cowboy and the herd. Always ride behind him to get where you are going.
• Don't ride in front of the boss. He knows what he wants to do. He will let you know what he wants you to know. If he's tracking cattle, stay back or you'll mess up the tracks.
• Never ride into the herd if you haven't been asked to do so. If you are holding herd, hold the herd — period. Helping to cut cattle from the herd is not a volunteer option.
• Don't ask the boss what you are going to do the next day. Again, if he wants you to know, he'll tell you.
• Always take care of your horse before you take care of yourself.
• Always be on time. Nothing makes a cow boss quite as angry as having to wait on someone.
• Cowboy, take that hat off! If you are in the presence of a lady or if you go into someone's house, show your respect and hold that hat in your hand. Watch your language in mixed company. If you are sitting in a room and a lady enters, stand up.
• Always help the cook with wood and water and don't ever get into his grub unless he asks. Always put your plate and silverware in the roundup pan (dishpan) after you eat.
• Don't ever take a dog when you go to help another outfit. They may not like dogs. Never yell at another man's dog.
• Always roll your bedroll when you first get out of it. ALWAYS leave a clean camp.

The best advice my mentors could offer was to always be respectful, dependable and do your best at whatever it was you were asked to do. Manners count.

There is no one finer to be in the presence of than a gentleman cowboy.

Julie can be reached for comment at jcarternm@gmail.com