The Compton Cowboys are a group of friends from childhood who use horseback riding and equestrian culture to provide a positive influence on inner-city youth, and to combat negative stereotypes about African-Americans in the Los Angeles-area city of Compton.
This close group of friends first met each other in the late 1990s through the Compton Jr. Posse, a non-profit organization in Richland Farms. The Jr. Posse introduced the group to the equestrian lifestyle and horseback riding. The Jr. Posse was founded in Compton by Mayisha Akbar in a semi-rural area of the city, where the organization has been home to African-American horseback riders since the 1980s. [1] [2]
Many of the members of the Compton Cowboys found their way into the Jr. Posse through information and encouragement from friends and family members, and through interacting with horse-riders they had seen in their neighborhoods.
Compton was a rough neighborhood, and they found horse riding to be a positive alternative to other paths common in the area. Gang violence and drugs were not an uncommon route for kids to find themselves in. The Cowboys found an interest and lifestyle that had a positive effect on them and others in the community they came across. [1] [2]
The Compton Cowboys provide a collective effort to maintain and take care of the horses. Typical work days include cleaning the stables, getting fresh feed to the horses, riding and training, and other types of labor and care.
The group also competes in different types of events. One of their goals and hopes is to break into the rodeo circuits and create an African American presence among the predominantly white competition participants. [3] The Cowboys continue to compete in events and also are invited to perform in parades in the Los Angeles area. Members of the group have been known to excel in events such as bull riding and English Hunter-Jumper. [2]
The group relies on donations from sponsors and alumni, support from the local community, and government grants. These resources help support the cost of the horses on the ranch. Maintaining an equestrian organization can be very expensive. Typical horses used for what the Cowboys do cost from $10,000 to $50,000, but they sometimes rely on auctioned horses that cost around $200. These horses have often been victims of abuse and neglect. [4]
Members have sufficient riding gear and equipment but can often be seen riding their horses bareback in the community. They say like many other equestrians do, that riding bareback builds a strong bond with the horse. The Cowboys have integrated this into part of their unique style. [2] [5]
The Compton Cowboys' motto is "the streets raised us, the horses saved us." [6] The team works to provide an alternative route and positive role models to inner-city youth. This effort helps give youth a path away from gangs and crime. As alumni of the youth program, they work closely with the Compton Junior Equestrians to provide positive influence and mentorship through horseback riding and equestrian culture. [7]
The group also leads efforts to combat stereotypes of African Americans through their media presence. They represent past African Americans and a growing number of African Americans today who have been underrepresented in the rodeo and cowboy world, and they combat other ways African Americans have been misrepresented in the media and in popular culture. [2] The 2020 documentary film Fire on the Hill tells the story of three South Central Los Angeles urban cowboys, including members of Compton Cowboys, and their struggle to preserve a threatened culture by rebuilding their community stable, "The Hill," after a mysterious fire burnt it down. [8] [9]
The Cowboys work to create a presence that challenges African-American stereotypes. These efforts include combating stereotypes associated with gang violence and other harmful but common portrayals. [10] [11]
The media rarely portrays cowboys as African Americans. But after the American Civil War, there were an estimated 5,000-8,000 African American cowboys. Cowboys are a central part of American history and culture. Combating this stereotype a goal of the Compton Cowboys because doing so reflects and uncovers an unrealized and underrepresented core of American history and culture. [12] By some estimates, in the 19th century one in four cowboys was of African-American descent. [13]
Equestrianism, commonly known as horse riding or horseback riding, includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises, and competitive sport.
Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, Steer roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called a wrangler, specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos. Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less-well documented historical role, but in the modern world work at identical tasks and have obtained considerable respect for their achievements. Cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and stockmen and jackaroos in Australia, perform work similar to the cowboy.
The vaquero is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to the Americas from Spain. The vaquero became the foundation for the North American cowboy, in Northern Mexico, Southwestern United States, and Western Canada.
Bronc riding, either bareback bronc or saddle bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding a bucking horse that attempts to throw or buck off the rider. Originally based on the necessary buck breaking skills of a working cowboy, the event is now a highly stylized competition that utilizes horses that often are specially bred for strength, agility, and bucking ability. It is recognized by the main rodeo organizations such as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA).
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back up the natural aids. The spur is used in many equestrian disciplines. Most equestrian organizations have rules covering spur design and use, as well as penalties for using spurs in any manner that constitutes animal abuse.
Chaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather or a leather-like material. Their name is a shortened version of the Spanish word chaparajos. Chaparajos were named after the chaparral, from which they were designed to protect the legs while riding on horseback. Like much of western American horse culture, the origin of chaparajos was in the south of Spain, from which it then passed on to the part of New Spain that later became Mexico, and has been assimilated into cowboy culture of the American West. They are a protective garment to be used when riding a horse through brushy terrain. In the modern world, they are worn for both practical work purposes and for exhibition or show use. Chaps have also been adopted for use on motorcycles, particularly by cruiser-style motorcycle riders.
Rodeos have long been a popular competitor and spectator sport in Australia, but were not run on an organised basis until the 1880s.
The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money winners in the season for each event.
Earl Wesley Bascom was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying and rodeoing across the American and Canadian West. Bascom was awarded the Pioneer Award by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2016 and inducted into several halls of fame including the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1984. Bascom was called the "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists," the "Dean of Rodeo Cowboy Sculpture" and the "Father of Modern Rodeo." He was a participant member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill.
A riding horse or a saddle horse is a horse used by mounted horse riders for recreation or transportation.
Cowboy polo is a variation of polo played mostly in the western United States. Like regular polo, it is played in chukkas (periods) with two teams on horses who use mallets to hit a ball through a goal. It differs from traditional polo in that five riders make up a team instead of four, western saddles and equipment are used, and the playing field is usually a simple rodeo arena or other enclosed dirt area, indoors or out. Also, instead of the small ball used in traditional polo, the players use a large red rubber medicine ball and use mallets with long fiberglass shafts and hard rubber heads.
The Fletcher Street Riding Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to inner-city horsemanship in north Philadelphia.
The New York City Federation of Black Cowboys (FBC) is an organization dedicated to horsemanship training, children's education, and keeping alive the traditions of African-American cowboys from the Old West. It is located in The Hole, a low-lying neighborhood on the border of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. The FBC participates in educational tours, youth horseback riding training, and public events such as riding horseback for 8 hours "from one end of Brooklyn to the other."
The history of African Americans in Los Angeles includes participation in the culture, education, and politics of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States.
The Thomas Equestrian Center is a program area on the Boy Scout Camp, "Camp Cedars," in Saunders County, Nebraska. The program was started by Walter Thomas in 1998 with only four horses. Today, the Thomas Equestrian Center is no longer run by Walter Thomas due to differences among the council leadership but previously was Home to a miniature horse, two miniature donkeys, two ponies, and twenty-two other horses.
Black cowboys in the American West accounted for up to an estimated 25% of cowboys "who went up the trail" from the 1860s to 1880s and substantial but unknown percentage in the rest of the ranching industry, estimated to be at least 5,000 workers according to recent research.
Mayisha Akbar established the Compton Junior Posse Youth Equestrian Program, an after-school program for inner-city children in Los Angeles, California.
Fire on the Hill is a 2020 documentary film directed by Brett Fallentine. It tells the story of three South Central Los Angeles urban cowboys and their struggle to preserve a threatened culture by rebuilding their community stable, "The Hill," after a mysterious fire burnt it down. The film premiered at the LA Film Festival where it won the "LA Muse Award," and went on to receive other awards, including the "Artistic Vision Award" at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and the "Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award" at the Heartland International Film Festival.