Another blogger, Mommy in Spurs, got me to thinkin' the other day. She was discussing the definition of a cowgirl. So I started ponderin', what makes me a cowgirl? Then as I sat there and thought about it, I really couldn't tell you. So I asked the husband and his response, "I don't know. That's a hard question. Let me think about it." Seriously?! I thought he would be able to spout something right out.
So I went to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame to see what they believe exemplifies a cowgirl. It states "it honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire." Wow, well I know I'm not hall of fame material so I better lower my standards!
Here is a list, that I finally came up with, of why I think I'm a cowgirl:
*I was born with cowboy/cowgirl genes. thanks mom and dad
*Started riding horses before I could crawl.
*Dipped snuff at the age of 5 (and quit shortly thereafter).
*Entered a beauty pageant as a teen and wore rocky mountain jeans as my formal wear.
*Can mend a fence.
*Can't live anywhere but in the country with my animals.
*Would rather wear a cap/hat than fix my hair.
*Can sort cattle horseback or a foot.
*Don't mind gettin' dirty. Was working cattle, got crap slung all over. Took my shirt off, wiped my mouth clean and kept working in my bra till the job was done.
*Would rather be in my boots than any other shoes.
*Enjoy the simple way of life.
*I'm a strong independant woman.
The deadline to enter will be Sunday, 08/16/09, at 7pm central time. I can't wait to read your comments!
26 comments:
What an interesting question.
A cowgirl is someone who isn't afraid of hard work or getting dirty.
Her favorite smell is a horse.
She can break her own horses to ride, better than most men.
She knows what her mount is thinking before it happens.
She can run tractors, repair fences, and muck stalls.
She doesn't see her scars from broken bones & surgery as ugly. She sees them as memories.
She can raise 2 kids, on her own, supporting them by training horses.
But, it's not me....it's my stepmom.
The wife didn't mention that she is the "bull whisperer".
She can sort cattle and handle them better than most. Even the bulls..
She can doctor cattle and horses like a pro.
Unload tons of feed like its nothing.
Can rope and ride horses and even bucking stock as a youngster.
She ain't scared of nothing..
I feel that being a cowgirl/cowboy is a way of life.
Attitude, Values, and Actions.
Some just talk the talk but,
The Wife actually walks the walk.
She is definitely a True Cowgirl!!!
That's a tough one that I've wrestled with plenty myself. I'm not the definition of what most people think of a cowgirl. Sure I clean up manure, I mend some fences, I haul feed and hay and whatever else needs to be moved around. But my horses have never seen cattle. And I didn't start riding until I was 26, and I started out with dressage.
But as my son put it, "Mom, you get knocked down a lot, but you always get back up." True. So maybe that makes me a cowgirl.
Well I am just like you...And I have had cow sh#%! kicked in my mouth! ruined a perfectly good tank top too! It was everywhere! blech! Opening chutes? Who knew... Hey "husband" how the heck are you...I think I need to come for a visit. You know so my sister doesn't need to do all that cowgirlin by herself. (wink) AND no one has mentioned ridin with a camera?? That is some riding skills right there. As well as all the action shots we take of all our handsome cowboys, that make us all weak in the knees... I wanna be a cowgirl...and you can be my cowboy....
What makes me a cowgirl? Gosh I never really thought of this one.
Never afraid to ride a horse, or a heifer, or a sheep or anything that runs on four legs and just might trample her in the process. They may or may not be trained but it is all the same dirt (or cow pies) that break her fall. She sure will just get up, wipe herself off, laugh and try and ride em again.
She can unload a whole wagon of hay by herself in half the time four men in the loft can stack it. She will also get called back first when the next cutting of hay needs to be put in the loft. Then they call the boys.
She can get cocobutted in the head by a horse, snap her disfigured nose back into place and work for another 7 hours. ;)
She can also go back the next day and make the horse that hurt her lead like a little lady.
She can make or fix just about anything with some baling twine.
She can shovel 10 or more times her weight in manure each day and still have time to train a horse or two.
She can drive a stick shift, big tractor OR a carriage better than any man around. In fact she just might be "the man"
She can mend a fence, doctor a horse, build a barn or do any repairs when the &#@(^&%!! horses break something else. Did I mention these are all without men?
Bruises are a work of art and so are scars. Most of them are guaranteed to come from something around the farm.
She is kind to animals and people alike no matter their disabilities or past.
She can handle early mornings and late nights and not have to take a nap in the afternoon or complain about it.
She would rather wear boots than heels and jeans than a dress. Her favorite smell is horses and hay (and maybe leather, I do love the smell of leather, a lot!). Rolling in the dust is always better than putting on makeup. Hay must be part of her hairstyle and dirt under her nails is the new French manicure.
That is sure a cute sign. I have a bunch of stuff like that in my cowboy/cowgirl/horse room.
I love that sign even though I hate barbed wire. Hmmm now what would make me a cow girl? I can buck hay, pack feed and muck out with the best of them. Don't mind getting dirty at all. I didn't get my first horse until I was 23. Switched to riding and breeding donkeys when I was in my 40s. I hate to leave my hollow, my animals, my wildlife and will shamelessly take advantage of anyone asking "do you need anything from town?" I have kept the gambit of farm animals over the years and made money doing it. I used to castrate every piglet in 3 counties for people and butchered my own pigs, goats, chickens and turkeys by myself for years. I plowed and harrowed my garden with a big pony and also used him to skid my firewood down off the hill. That would be after I felled the trees. I stood my jack for 8 years and shipped semen all over the country which I collected and worked up by myself. Never worked cows but I'm a right smart hand at milking them. Now I'm semi-retired with some health problems but I still keep 4 retired donks for my soul and 10 goats to keep my hillside pastures clean.
I have cows. lol
I always said that I wasn't a cowgirl and I am not. I am a farm girl, I have raked, mowed and bailed hay, clean barn, I didn't have horses until I was 32, I have had cow $#%@%# in my mouth along with pig, and everything else in between. But hey I sure love my boots and hate to wear to much of anything else except for no shoes!! I DO take off my hat for you cowgirls though because I sure wish I was able to be one!!!
wow this reallly is a good question. Everyone has close to the same ideas but I think it is an attitude and a want to.
I grew up on a working sheep and cattle ranch. I have been on a horse all my life and I train my own. I rodeo and I can ride a cutter pretty dang well. But, I have friends that don't have the same opportunities that I do and I would call them a cowgirl. They are tough, the can ride a horse when they get the chance, they love with all their heart, they know the difference between a cowboy and a dime store cowboy (huge difference! haha), they got your back when nobody else does and they are not scared to get a little dirty. To me, that is a cowgirl.
What A great post! It's all been said but I'll had that cowgirls are born with a heart for it, it's as simple as that:) When something needs doing they find a way.
Great post!
Most all has been said, but I'll add that God, family and friends are foremost.
And as My Man says about me: "She may only be 5' 'n 105 pounds, but she's 10 foot tall and bullet proof when she needs to be."
You are definitely a cowgirl!
This is always a tough question for me. When someone ask me if I'm a cowgirl I always say no. Yes I can sort cattle, on or off horse, but I can't saddle or put a bridle on my own horse. People have always done it for me and I'm in the process of learning now and I'm pretty sure I could do it now, but I still won't go out by myself in case I have problems.
I don't mind getting dirty, but in reality I'd rather be in a pair shorts. You can't ride in shorts.
I've scooped my fair share of poop, mended my fair share of fences and done all the Man's work around here because the majority of the time I'm the only one around here, someone has to do it.
I have to fix my hair. Sorry I feel it's one of my good attributes.
So I say I'm a little country, but far from being a cowgirl. But I'm independent and resiliant and you can count on me in a tough spot. Then I'm going to go put on my shorts and flip flops!
BTW I was going to write you a note, but I wanted you to know I got the print and LOVE it! Thanks so much!
I guess I'm a cowgirl-wannabe. I wasn't born in the saddle but have truly found my passion with my small herd. And although I'm not real fond of cows, I do like to watch the calves. Horse related, I can handle about all those chores. I'm not the best/bravest/prettiest rider but definitely "participation ribbon" worthy!
A cowgirl for me is "state of mind" . Dealt a different deck of cards, I would love to be what I "ain't". But in my heart, I'm with you all!
From this post I have learned that I'm NOT a cowgirl. Horses are beautiful, but I'm a little scared of them...they are so darn big!
I can't mend a fence (but I can mend a hem in my skirt). I would never dream of entering a beauty pageant - and if I did, my formal wear would be a long sleeve dress in solid black.
I would love to live in the country and a have LOTS of dogs:-D
Ha-Ha, my verification word is hatdrop.
"Cowgirl" for me has so many meanings; I am a hard working Ranch loving Wife and Mother. I take pride in living the Country Life that humbles me; the simple life, we love and raise Horses, Cows, even Pigs!! I too have mucked stalls, milked cows, cleaned the dairy cow holding shoot...One of my favorite jobs, nothing like knee high rubber boots and skidding down the slope in cow S**T LOL!!! I can wrestle pigs with the best of them and doctor them right up!! I train horses (not breaking, can't do that since the broken back LOL) and have spent many a days doctoring my horses!!
And I just gotta throw this out there...I love me some Country Music!! Just give me some Gerge and I'm a happy girl!!
i am not a cowgirl but i love your list!!!!!
and the sign is very cute!!!!!
Funny ,you are the bull whisperer ! My hubby calls me the cow whisperer.
What makes me a copwgirl? I don't know that I am .I can ride ,sort cows, I am the #1 calving girl here and in the comunity ,I work hard , can doctor just about any type of illness/injury that the cows and horses can come up with ,but I also cook &clean and I a m not a maid so . Am I a cowgirl? Don't know , but I do love this life whatever it is!
Whoo doggies! This is what blogging is all about!
I don't know exactly what makes me a cowgirl. It's just a feeling I get.
However, I have nursed a baby with my spurs on. I have fallen off, chased down my horse and gotten back on and then after riding for another 2 hours finally gone to the hospital to get my poor little wrist x-rayed. I have chased dogs, goats and children and horses down a country road when they escape, I can catch a loose chicken like no bodies business. And I think a man that knows how to ride a horse is like porn.
As our late great cowgirl idol Dale said, "it's an attitude". She is right I love going through life meeting cowgirls in unexpected places. It's the women that take their life head on and aren't afraid to do so. They can spit if they have to and be tough when the going gets rough. I see a cowgirl in a lot of women they just don't know to call themselves that. I also think it's universal for us cowgirls that we all hold Mother Nature near and dear to our hearts. We know how to respect the earth and treat all critters with love and affection. We can do a lot, inside and out, get dirty and sparkle but most of all we know how to laugh and love our lives.
Lil mama made me choke on my coke.
"And I think a man that knows how to ride a horse is like porn."
I have to agree with her on that one. hahaha
I don't know what makes a cowgirl, but I know spending time reading your blog... well, it always makes my day just that little bit better.
Nothin' to do with cows or horses, I know... but more to do with the caliber of the woman, I think!
;-)
And HEY! Guess what I got in the mail?
You could have buttered my butt and called me a biscuit, when the parcel post guy showed up!!!
I LOVE your sweet, sweet heart, girlie!!
xoxoxox
Hmmmm...I think I define myself more as a farmgirl with boots than a cowgirl--though I do many of the same things that cowgirls do. It's in your blood and in your heart...love of the land, animals and family. True to all that she loves- hard working-not afraid to get dirty--never gives up!
Stop by for a visit! :)
I've never owned a horse, always wanted to and rode every chance I had, was raised in the city and always wanted to live in the country. I can mend fence, shovel what has to be and rig most anything to get it to work until it can be fixed proper...
But I think being a cowgirl, besides all the above, is that it is flat in your heart and in your soul. You'd feel out of place in any other life style.
Believe me, I've felt out of place for 60+ years.
Helen
Great contest and great reading on the comments.
Hmm I definitely think I am more farm girl than cowgirl. Then again, how many cowgirls are there REALLY in NY?
But I think either way you have to love the land and animals as much as if they were your family, because they really are. Not minding that middle of the night call to say the stock are out and wandering down the main road or getting up at 2 am to go check that super fancy cow that is carrying the calf that could "put you on the map". Being willing to work hard all day even when the heat or cold makes you want to just curl up on the couch with a good book. Definitely gotta wear boots and at least know how to drive a truck. For myself I prefer the company of my cows, dog, and before he passed my gelding to just about any person on the planet, though they really need to be better about holding up their end of the conversation. And walking fences with a herd of heifers tagging along to keep me company is one of the best ways to pass an hour or two in the world (so long as it isnt 90+ like today, it isnt so fun then!) And the best "kisses" in the world come from my big cows when they just reach those huge ole tongues out and sand paper my cheek! That's when you know you really are "one of them" in their minds :)
OH and I definitely believe in the "scars are tattoos with better stories"
Wow, I love definition of the "Cowgirl Hall of Fame"! I say having your heart in ... All of the Above! Life doesn't get any better than that!
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