How was the life and work of cowboys on the Great Plains?

My father had 2 great uncles who herded cattle from Wyoming to Northern Texas in the mid to late 1800's.  The winter snows provided prime grazing for the cattle in Wyoming while Northern Texas provided the market to sell their livestock.  The life of these pioneers was hard.  The unpredictable weather was a big factor because the cattle were not able to go to markets and stock sales until mid summer through the fall. The ranchers usually would only be able to sell the cattle that were born in the previous spring.  The changes in the seasons often brought thunderstorms which could be fierce at times.   River crossings would cause obstacles for the drives because of these storms and flash floods were very common.  The cowboys might not even see a storm, but the flat land would funnel the runoff their way without warning. 

The cowboys were paid on their successful delivery of the cattle to market.  For this reason, they took extra care in their livestock so the majority would make it to the sale.  They usually recieved a percentage of the total profits.  Since there were so many cattle, it benefited the cowboys to look after one another so all the cattle would survive the drive. 

Common illnesses took a toll on cowboys.  They were far from doctors, usually more than a day or so.  The common cold could turn into Pneumonia or some type of infection and the cowboys would be forced to find another hired hand from a nearby town to finish the job.  The rancher usually did not know everyone who was driving his cattle to market.  He had only a couple of his "trusted" hands on the trip.  These trusted hands were usually his sons or other family. 

Thiefs would become more prevelant the closer to the market they traveled.  The herds were so large that it would be quite easy for someone to steal several head of cattle.  For this reason, half of the cowboys would keep watch at night and shoot anyone who they viewed as a thief or threat.  The laws of the "old west" applied.  It would be easy for thiefs to steal some cattle and sell them at market to give themselves a profit. 

Cowboys were ruff and rugged.  They had many obstacles to overcome.  Most were single, young men who had no other way to make a few bucks or they just wanted the adventure.  Cowboys could make a name for themselves on the great plains and this news got around.  A name as a cowboy could get them more work as a possible drive boss.  Drive bosses recieved a bigger percentage of the sale and more prestige. 

I hope this helps.