We’ve all seen movies that showcase cowboys being the leaders of justice and saving a whole town from falling victim to multiple bad guys. However, what if we tell you this is not true at all? There have been no cowboys who were shooting down bad guys on a daily basis and having brawls with anyone they could find. They were well-mannered gentlemen who were following laws just like the rest of us. The image displayed in the media is entirely false, and the most prominent things were not followed in the cowboy culture.

On the other hand, many cowboys shown in movies have faces covered in dirt, poor hygiene, and multiple other traits, which would lead you to believe that money and baths were hard to come by in the Old West or that some were less than reputable.

They Did Not Carry Guns All The Time

Shocker, isn’t it? Well, it is very true that cowboys did not carry guns all the time and still do not. There were laws that made them check their guns in when they first entered the town, and they were expected to oblige with the enforcement just like other people did.

They were allowed to have personal guns in their possessions when they were not inside towns and had to cattle drive or something of the sort. 

They Did Not Get Into Fights

Nobody picks random fights with people, and neither did the cowboys. No one was going around punching and pointing guns at each other. These people lived in harmony and had to get along with one another. Accurate reports on this matter have said that such areas had fewer bank robberies in a decade than modern-day Dayton did in a year.

People also claim that notorious cowboys who are given an extremely criminal look were not as criminal at all. There were many people who simply spent their time ranching cows and living life than they did fighting one another.

No Riding Involved

Cowboys, other than those that ranched, did not really have an obligation to ride their horses on a daily basis. There were no major chores that demanded they do this. There were times when the cowboys had to make sure they were keeping their cattle close to their homes and were not involved in riding the plain for sheer fun. Many were stuck tending to their cattle and making sure that the area around was in good shape.

If you want to know about the experience of riding a horse in those times, then you should read into the book The Four Steps. Though fictional, it shows one how a city born girl gets more out of life through ranching and living in the countryside. Her passion for rodeo leads her to the love of her life and the career she wants to follow.