Where can I find a cowboy?

[CalFran]

He'd have to be a fairly mature one since I am fairly mature myself (age wise that is). And I'm slightly scared of horses but I guess there will be occasions when the horse isn't present.

So where do I look?

On a trip to the Grand Canyon in the hotel bar I met a man named Dustin (handsome, drunk) who did competitive calf roping in rodeos. He gave me a lariat which he pointed out still had cow hair on it.
We sat out on the lawn just feet from the edge of the canyon in complete darkness and watched a meteor shower.

So many useful tips, thank you!

I don't think a dude ranch is for me sadly. I'm not really an outdoorsy type. I mean, I could become one for the right cowboy, but if I could meet one in a bar that would be much easier.

I don't know where to go first now - USA, Australia, Canada, Argentina. Maybe all 4 if I can fit them in with my annual leave.

I haven't seen Yellowstone but it sounds like I should.

@smokingcarriageonly how did your wonderful evening with Dustin end?!

Lol I see now I failed to mention this all took place some time around 1992 and he was working at the GC. He invited me to a 'party' which was just heroic drinking with his colleagues in the staff quarters and we went back to his squalid little cell where we mostly chatted and rolled around a bit.

He said he might visit me in Flagstaff where I was headed next, walked me back to my room at dawn with my lariat and I never saw him again.

I don't know what it's like now but at the time it was a great place to rock up and get a job, it was staffed by young people from all over the Southwest and beyond. I was very tempted to stay, it was such a lovely atmosphere.

Are you looking for seasonal work OP? You could nab yourself a cowboy tout de suite!

You definitely should watch Yellowstone, although I’m sort to tell you and @Netaporter that RIP Wheeler is MINE!

I’m in Western Canada and spotted one just today. He lined up behind me at the grocery check out. Handsome young man very well dressed. Impressive hat, all I could muster was a strange Happy New Year.

You'd have to be good around the ranch, you couldn't just sit around doing face masks and reading MN

I met one on a dude ranch but he was about 80 yrs old and had absolutely no teeth at all. Horse had kicked him in the face many years prior to our visit (seeing how he treated his horses I quickly understood why), then his dentures had been broken a few days before we arrived.

I met much more comely specimens in Fort Worth, young handsome and friendly, Stetsons all round. However they didn’t read any books at all except for the Bible. Were amazed that I read for the entire two hour flight. Strange but nice people.

You’ll get some great ones in Montana too, but you’ll have to cover more ground to find them (all spread out over vast terrains). Better treatment of horses in Montana though. If you become a good cowgirl yourself this will matter a lot…

I met a lot of guys in nashville wearing the boots and the hats. Maybe you need a city guy with cowboy roots

I met one in New York. I went to the hotel bar to wait for my colleagues (I was there with work), and got chatting to one and the bartender. He had the southern drawl and said he was in the music business but his parents had a ranch 'back home'

I thought my colleagues were pulling a prank as he was wearing a Stetson, shirt, jeans and cowboy boots and very easy on the eye someone called him on his mobile and I looked down and the name was Missy - at that point I really did think someone was taking the piss so excused myself and went and sat elsewhere.

My colleagues swear blind it wasn't a set up and I've been gutted for years

This thread makes me feel I have utterly wasted my youth. Why did I never think to go to America and chase cowboys?

Can you send me a link? It’s for, aherm, a friend

Surely the ONLY opening line recognised by real cowboys is "Howdy pardner".

Are you sure it's a cowboy you need OP? If you have 120 milkers or some beefstock, it's a cowman you need surely?

Try and ad in the Farmers Weekly?

You need Willie Nelson

This thread makes me feel I have utterly wasted my youth. Why did I never think to go to America and chase cowboys?

Absolutely feel the same! If you do it OP, please keep us all updated

I remember seeing some in New Mexico once🤷‍♀️

I heard they get bad haemorrhoids due to all the time riding.

Highly recommend Argentina, super welcoming friendy people, lots of scenery and lots of guachos. (Once out of the city).

@CalFran when you plan your trips please can you blog them and share so I can follow your travels. I'd like to see you go to each country and trying several different versions of cowboys before deciding where to settle. In fact this feels like a Bravo show.....I might pitch it to them - if your up for it. 'Calfran does Cowboys' or is that a bit risqué.

According to my somewhat obsessive viewing of The Pioneer Woman, there are plenty in Oklahoma.

I had an encounter with a cowboy, well 3 encounters because I had to be absolutely sure that he really was A a cowboy and B was ineffective in the bedroom and the first time around wasn't a fluke. He was very handsome, lovely southern drawl but appalling in the bedroom, a cross between very bad porn and cow wrangling, he also had lots of dead animal heads on his walls and a bed made out of rustic wood with the American flag pinned to the wall behind.

In my defence I was much younger far too busy having fun and over imbibed often.

Yes, I don't see her catching many cowboys with a cuppa and a packet of digestives.

My DH has cowboy boots and a hat. He wears the boots regularly butI dont think that qualifies him as a proper cowboy. We dont live on a ranch or own any cows (or other animals) Apparently cowboy boots can be either City Slickers and worn in town for nights out, or Shit Kickers and worn when riding and mucking out. So OP maybe you need to look for a cowboy who wears his city slicker boots regularly

Having spent my youth reading my mums collection of Mills and Boons, I feel I should be an expert in such matters, also finding tragic widowed conductors, brusque, steely eyed but lonely surgeons, inexplicably still single heads of business(usually Spanish or Italian with fiery exes) and reclusive authors/film directors/actors. However, as I was neither a feisty PA, a ridiculously over qualified nanny, or companion to an older but still spritely grandmother I therefore never found one of these paragons I’m not sure I can help.