The American Cowboy

By Tanya Hamner

A faint cry over howling winds wakes me at 2:00 a.m. Boots, coat, and hat on, I grab my lantern and head out in a blizzard to the barn to mount my horse and search for the source of the cry: a newborn calf under a fresh blanket of snow.

The cowboy's way of life embraces hard work, trust, and respect in the service of a greater purpose: community service, stewardship, and faith. It's called riding for the brand. The pay is modest; the toll on the body hard and the reward great. Hours on a horse, tending fences under wide-open sky as a hawk circles overhead, calves born under starry nights that finish with conversation around a campfire, the ole cook singing while making grub-- this is my "office." I have been asked many times why we cowboys ride for our money and rope for short pay. I can't imagine any other way.

My photos are a testament to the cowboy life, defined by hard work in God's glorious country. Gold- and blue-hour light convey that glory and the long hours. This is who we are. Our handshake is a promise, our word is all you need, and living for the greater good is our way of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9781662429118

Book preview

The American Cowboy

Tanya Hamner

Copyright © 2023 Tanya Hamner

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

Artwork titles for this book have been substituted with captions for enhanced reader information and appreciation.

ISBN 978-1-6624-2910-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-2911-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

About the Author

To the American cowboy and the ranches of Wyoming

Acknowledgments

Growing up in Wyoming, I learned the importance of your handshake and your word. Coming from a small community known as the Bridger Valley, I learned what it meant to have a community that helps one another out. Living on a small sheep ranch and being heavily involved with the FFA, it became very important to me to