Broncho Busting, Wyoming Territory, circa 1885

The Wyoming cattle boom began soon after the Civil War. Ranchers hired cowboys to tend the herds that roamed the open range. Cowboys needed good horses when they rounded up cattle and drove the herd to market. Wild horses unused to a saddle may buck, kick and refuse to be mounted. Broncho busting tamed unruly horses. It also became a sport among the hard-working cowboys.