The bulls and horses of the Camargue live in semi-liberty, usually in herds called "manades", guarded by "gardians" or cowboys on horseback.
The word "gardian" comes from the Provençal statement "gardo-besti", meaning cowherd.
The gardians assemble every year on May 1st for their Festival.
The Gardian Guild (Confrérie des Gardians), founded in 1512, is the oldest organization of this type still existing in France.
The Guild was founded for the purpose of providing assistance to old, poor or sick members. Saint George, the patron saint of the gardians whose picture appears on their banner, protects the cowboys. The first gardians had no special dress. When the Marquis de Baroncelli created the "Nacioun Gardiano" in 1909, he designed a costume for the men to give their guild an appearance of unity and style.