The 2026 Day of the American Cowboy has come and gone. Our family was fortunate recently to take in one night of Nebraska’s Big Rodeo in Burwell, Nebraska.
I will start off by saying that I think most Americans believe that a cowboy in the United States today only exists at rodeos. The truth of the matter is that the cowboy spirit is alive and well across this great nation. The cowboy spirit is needed today in this society just as it was back in 1867 after the Civil War when the trail drives started to reconnect a war-torn nation of families.
I did get the opportunity to sit down with Burwell rodeo announcer Travis Schauda and talk about the interest in rodeo he sees today. For the first time in his 30-year career as an announcer, he has announced rodeos on six consecutive sold out Saturday night performances in Burwell. He also walked through the history of accelerated interest, which I find quite interesting. Obviously, he is speaking about what influenced this in our lifetime.
First, you had Urban Cowboy with John Travolta. Then you had Garth Brooks singing “Rodeo,” plus the movie about Lane Frost life in 8 Seconds, Of course today we have Yellowstone.
I will be the first to tell you that it is irritating to think that something that happens every day in this nation to feed people is only of concern when some media influence brings about a romantic version that is not based in reality. Schauda reminds me we can embrace the influence and try to educate while we have their attention or we miss the mark-out.
The history of rodeo is quite fascinating to me. Most people work all week then go do something “relaxing” on the weekend to wind down. The very first rodeo is said to be in Deer Trail, Colorado, to settle a dispute about which ranch had the best “hands” skilled at animal caretaking. Still today, particularly in ranch rodeos, cowboys work cattle all week then go on a weekend to compete in working cattle. That is amazing if you think about it.
It has been quite some time since I offered up my definition of a real cowboy. Back in the day, as I walked through airports, I would often be asked if I was a real cowboy? My response was:
“Well, it depends on your definition of ‘real cowboy.’ Mine is anyone who is willing to follow the spirit that resides within themselves to see a task to completion and then be willing to accept the responsibility for the end result. While I do not believe you need to wear a hat or boots to be a real cowboy, I challenge you to find one that does not. So if that is your definition of real cowboy then yes I qualify.”
The need for real cowboys has never been greater. Let’s just go back to the basics. We have Ten Commandments from God. We had the original 10 Bill of Rights and the 10 concepts to live by in the Code of the West.
1.Live each day with courage
2. Take pride in your work
3. Always finish what you start
4. Do what has to be done
5. Be tough, but fair
6. When you make a promise, keep it
7. Ride for the brand
8. Talk less and say more
9. Remember that some things aren’t for sale
10. Know where to draw the line
Perhaps it is time we all print these out and hang them where we can see them every day as a gentle reminder for how life should be handled. At the end of the day, these basic 10 principles solve nearly every problem we have in this world. That, my friends, is something we all need to live by seven days a week and not just on a sold-out Saturday night.
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the view of High Plains Journal. Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of agriculture. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com or email Trent at [email protected].
PHOTO: Young girl in western attire riding a horse around a barrel in a race during a rodeo. (iStock-#496662190 │ dgphotography)
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