The Southern French Cowboy

A young cowboy-in-training, dressed in his Provençal shirt &
holding his trident, which is used to help herd the bulls

Welcome to southern france.
where the cowboys rustle up their cattle riding atop their white camargue horses,
while the children look on, waiting for their day in the sun.

All Cowboys Are Not the Same

No matter where in the world you live, cultures will always have their famous herd rustlers to help tend to the cattle. And just like other aspects of global life, these cowhands will look differently around the world.

Having grown up in the U.S. and owning horses of my own, I am quite aware of what it takes to tend to the animals well. I am all too familiar with

the smells,
the sore muscles,
the paraphernalia that comes with needing to care for the horses and cattle,
as well as, the rhythms of life that are involved.

But depending on where in the world you are living, the cowboy life doesn’t always look the same from country to country. People tend to do life as their forefathers before them … and not much really changes.

Southern France Gardians

So let me introduce you to a small section of ranch life here in southern France:

Where the cowboys are called Gardians;
The Gardians only ride their white Camargue horses for their work – a breed which has been raised here on the marshes for centuries;
And the cattle that they herd is an all-black bull. These “les taureaux” are as fierce as they come.

Welcome to the world of the southern French Gardian