Today I speak with someone who has managed to make a career out of studying cowboy culture. Dr. Richard Slatta is a professor at North Carolina State University who has lived all over the west and in Latin America. We talk about some of the earliest origins of what we know as the American Cowboy, what drives him to do what he does, and how he and the horse have worked together seamlessly throughout the years. We also talk about what Rich refers to as the "cowboy renaissance," which includes an upswing in the celebration of cowboy culture over the last decade.