With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s great time to honor all the exceptional fathers in our lives. Be it for a dad who’s passionate about BBQs, adventurous in the great outdoors, or a devoted music lover, our comprehensive Father’s Day Gift Guide has something for everyone. We’ve curated an assortment of presents, from event tickets to unique gear, guaranteed to delight and bring joy to him on his special day. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through one of the links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost ..read more

Illustration by MCKIBILLO If a horse’s date of birth is unknown, take a look at his teeth for clues on how old he is. Aging a horse this way isn’t 100% accurate, but it will give you an approximate age range. The younger a horse is, the more accurate the approximation will be. Here are four characteristics to look for to determine the age of a horse by its teeth. Permanent Teeth Horses have two sets of teeth: temporary teeth called “baby” or “milk” teeth, and permanent teeth. In a 1-year-old horse, all the temporary teeth have erupted. By 3 years old, most horses will have permanent center tee ..read more

For much of my adult life, I’ve struggled with cowboy pride. Not in terms of acting on an overabundance of it—although I’ve got my fair share—but understanding how the concept fits what I think a cowboy is and what a person ought to be. At its worst, cowboy pride is the feeling of superiority that folks wearing spurs and a hat acquire from their profession and skills. At its best, cowboy pride is that force that gets a cowboy up before dawn and keeps him out long after dusk, working with the gumption to do what’s right no matter the obstacles. First, the bad. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting c ..read more

The Cowboy Way of Life Let me tell you about this place—it’s 135,000 acres of grass and trees and rocks and wind between Grass Range and Roundup, Mont., in the central part of the state. I manage this ranch for the largest private landowners in Montana. I live here with my wife and three young sons, as well as with two cowboys who work for me and their small families, and an older bachelor who chain smokes Marlboro cigarettes as he checks water for the cows. The wind and the sun are harsh and the isolation can be challenging. But cattle thrive. And men, though they are tested, do well, too. Th ..read more

This article was written in 2017. So while some of the statistics are dated, we still believe the takeaways are more relevant than ever.  As technology marches forward, farms become more efficient, and more and more young people move to town, seeking a brighter future than the farm could afford. But as writer and former American Editor editor Bob Welch asks, what are we really leaving behind? A Decreasing Population Growing up on a ranch, I knew when I left home for college, a chapter in my life was closing. Like any 18-year-old leaving home, I would begin learning to stand on my own two ..read more

“But science and formulas can’t explain all of the magic that surrounds us here on the ranch. The beauty and the wonder and the overwhelming feeling that there is something more at work here.” “Now that you’ve learned by rote, you are ready to learn by magic.” This was the greeting my new boss gave me when—after growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduating from college—I packed up my car and drove to Colorado, to the new job I found at a horse stable in Breckenridge. In the 25 years since, I moved to Montana, got married, and had kids. I worked at a number of ranches around the state ..read more

Growing Up Rural Evelyn Mantle My mother, Evelyn Fuller, was 14 years old in 1921 when her family arrived in Colorado. Originally from a suburb of Syracuse, New York, the family had migrated west for better opportunities and, after stops in Nebraska and Arizona, took advantage of the Homestead Act to settle on Blue Mountain. The Fuller homestead was 100 miles west of Craig, Colorado, and 40 miles east of the tiny town of Jensen, Utah. Most people got their mail in Jensen but had to travel 20 miles further yet to get groceries and supplies in Vernal, Utah. Only a few people had cars, and nearly ..read more

Old-time cowboys weren’t all hard-living, tough-as-rawhide loners. A strict code of ethics and etiquette underscored the Way of the West. Cowboy Etiquette Rule #1: Hats off Hats are removed to eat, enter a home or private office, and to address the flag during the National Anthem. When being introduced to a lady, remove or tip your hat—but never to a man. (That’s an insult.) Keep your hat on at the bar, in public buildings, and at the theater, unless it’s blocking someone’s view. Many rodeo cowboys believe it’s bad luck to lay their hat on a bed. Cowboy Etiquette Rule #2: Gate keeper Always le ..read more

When this publication was founded, it was done so in lockstep with an effort to create a nationally recognized holiday celebrating one of America’s most dearly held icons: The cowboy. Between then and now, there’s developed a debate over ownership of such a feat and what it should rightly be called. We’re not interested in such debates. Rather, our interests remain true to their roots and to the tradition set forth by the first congressional bill (2006 Sen. Res. 371) designating the American cowboy be honored on the fourth Saturday in July. In 2022, the United States Senate again unanimously v ..read more

Wyoming’s venerable Cheyenne Frontier Days—the largest outdoor rodeo in the world—has been captivating rodeo fans since 1897. For four years, Christy Wilder took in the event from a unique vantage point: the photographer’s pit. The West Virginia native first trained her camera lens on the cowboy way of life when she moved to Cheyenne in 2003. 8 Open Gallery 8 Images “I’d never lived in a place that was as Western as it is in Wyoming,” she laughs. “The physician I was working with at the time was also a rancher and invited me to Warren Ranch. I spent the day out there while they ..read more