Becoming a cowboy is a great deal more work than many folks think. It takes quite a bit more than boots, a buckle, and a Stetson. You have to know about cattle, horses, and botany. You have to be a business man, or willing to become a business man as well. There are two basic steps to get all the knowledge you need to succeed.

Some folks dream of being a cowboy. The freedom, relaxation, and escape from modern life. Kids daydream during algebra about quitting school and being a cowboy. But a good cowboy needs a lot of knowledge and experience. Which means that, sorry to say kids, you're going to have to stay in school.

You're going to need to learn a lot about animals, plants, and the dirt they both live on and in. You will need to learn how to handle a business. And the best place to do this is in college. Major in Animal Husbandry, with a minor of Business Administration. A good cowboy learns everything he can about the animals being bred. And business education teaches you to manage everything from herd sizes and land management, to marketing and sales of your livestock. Secondary classes involving Veterinary Science and Botany help you keep your livestock healthy.

Yeah, there is no such thing. What you need here is experience. Get a job, possibly while in college, working on a ranch or dairy. This will get you closer to the animals, and learning from people who care for them every day. It will also give you experience using a shovel. Go ahead and get used to it. Go to rodeos, cattle auctions and other events and places where you can talk to people and get experience first hand. If needed, move out of the city and become a farmhand. Volunteer to learn and do the dirty jobs. Castration and Artificial Insemination may seem like a nasty thing to do for a living, but for a cowboy, this is every day.

Once you have your education and experience, you can start looking at starting a ranch of your own. Or maybe you prefer to work on the ranch and make your real living at Rodeos. No matter which way is chosen you will have a strong education and background in the cowboy ways - which makes it difficult to fail. But this is not all it takes to be a cowboy. To quote a little old man who used to be a Rodeo rider "If ya ain't workin, ya ain't a cowboy. You just have a Stetson and dung on your boots." Go find a job. Start mucking out a stable if you have to but you'll work your way up and eventually be running the place.