Top Cowboy Moments

There are plenty of ways to celebrate National Day of the Cowboy. Us? We chose to mosey through 10 great moments in Western cinema.

Every day is a good day to celebrate these horseback heroes, but the fourth Saturday in July is a formal excuse to tip our hats. National Day of the Cowboy celebrates the culture, history, and legacy of the American West.

So tell Cookie to put on a pot and hold your spurs while we define what it means to be a cowboy, as demonstrated by some of our favorites to don a six-shooter.

1. Living By a Code of Honor in The Shootist 

He said what he said, and it can’t be said more clearly than that. First and foremost, a cowboy lives by a code of conduct. This personal honor system acts as their North Star, helping to navigate life's challenges with integrity, courage, and a steadfast sense of right and wrong. John Wayne's J.B. Brooks is a prime example. Take notes accordingly.

2. Showing Tough Love in Hondo

Tough love can hurt. It can also, as our fathers and grandfathers used to say, add the proverbial hair to our chests. A cowboy doesn’t always want to be the one to teach you the lesson; that’s life’s job. Sometimes you’ve just gotta jump in headfirst and make it work, pun intended. No one demonstrates that better than John Wayne's Hondo Lane.

3. Keeping Your Promise in Crossfire Trail

A man is only as good as his word. Break your promise, and you're about as useful as a leaky canteen. In a Western world built on verbal contracts, it’s the tie that binds. Rafe Covington, brought to life by Tom Selleck, reminds us exactly why a promise matters. We’ll still give Convington credit for his half promise, though.

4. Taking Care of Others (Including the Animals) in Open Range

A cowboy’s not all rough and tumble. They have a gentler side, too, even if they don’t like to show it. The code dictates protection for all, and when it comes to our four-legged friends, stand back. Nothin’s gonna happen to Fido. Robert Duvall's Boss Spearman takes that responsibility seriously.

5. Protecting the Innocent in Far Haven

If there’s one thing a cowboy won’t stand for, it’s the suffering of others. Sensing a theme here?

It’s not because they want to be the hero. It’s because the driving force inside of them is the hero. Badge or no badge, you’re responsible for stepping in to help when you can. If you don’t, you’re back to lookin’ like that leaky canteen.

6. Being the Bigger Man in The Shadow Riders

The journey along the “moral high road” starts with ego and ends with emotional maturity. While a cowboy may not always back down from a fight, he certainly knows how to end one. Walking away from useless trouble takes real guts. Sam Elliott's Dal Traven proves that strength isn't always about throwing the last punch.

7. Doing What’s Right in Big Jake

Sure, Jacob McCandles could have kept on his merry way without interfering, but that moral compass led him right where he was needed. He saw a wrong that needed righting and stepped in, so justice was served fairly. Spoiler: the bad guys didn’t win. John Wayne's Jacob McCandles remains a classic example of doing what's right simply because it's right.

8. Being Direct and Honoring Your Spouse in The Quick and the Dead

 You don’t mess with a marriage.

(How’s that for being direct?)

Sam Elliott's Con Vallain doesn’t waste many words, but he’s crystal clear on where his loyalties belong.

9. Never Backing Down in The Warrant: Breaker’s Law

Far be it from us to deny the majestic Bruce Boxleitner a moment of awesomeness. A cowboy doesn’t turn his back on danger. He pairs it with courage and faces it head-on. 

10. Standing Up to Bullies in The Virginian

 A cowboy has no use for men who pick on those who can’t fight back. Or in this case, take on a defenseless opponent. That just ain’t fair. Best to lay him out and let him learn his lesson. James Drury's Virginian always stood for fairness.