The cowboy "code" is a mixture of principle and honor that can be found in literature dating from medieval times. The “code” is a descendent of the chivalry practiced by the Knights of the Round Table which still stands as a standard for good behavior.During the cattle drive period in American history, the “code” was a necessary and guiding rule for cowboys. These were men who more often than not worked in isolated and dangerous conditions. The “code” guaranteed help and protection to any cowboy riding for a brand who was of a need. Unfortunately, during the rise of the cowboy and those early cattle towns, the “code” also protected bad behavior. A cowboy’s first obligation was to his fellow cowboy, no matter that cowboy’s disposition to his own desires and no matter the rules of conventional society.
In 2005, authors, James P. Owen and David R. Stoecklein wrote, Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West. Some of the “code” rules to live by listed in the book are: (1) Be tough, but fair. (2) Ride for the brand. And (3) Do what has to be done.
Today, many ranches in the West still practice the “code”. Code cowboys of the twenty-first century still work cattle as their predecessors did in the nineteenth century, from rounding up cattle on horseback, to the use of lariats and branding irons in the field.
Mike Kearby's Texas copyright 2010
