A couple of days ago, I re-discovered why you should wear western wear when riding a horse.

I was riding a big gelding into a round pen and when I ducked to clear the archway, he spooked to the left and snagged my lower leg on the gate latch.

I wound up with one heck of a contusion and a swollen lower leg, but without the protection of the cowboy boot, I would probably lost a big chunk of leg and would have had to make a trip to the ER.

Western wear is 100% functional, believe it!

BH63

This is doubly true if you ride into wilderness areas where broken sharp tree branches can impale you.

As long as you buy quality pants, boots, and other such 'cow-poke' gear, you should be okay.

Best to avoid frilly shirts, overly tight pants, and what the old timers used to call 'Dandy Boots.'

That way, you won't look like a faggy cross-dresser or, worse, a former member of the Village People trying to make a comeback ...

... which is actually pretty scary when you think about it.

Are there other types of clothes???

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
A couple of days ago, I re-discovered why you should wear western wear when riding a horse.

I was riding a big gelding into a round pen and when I ducked to clear the archway, he spooked to the left and snagged my lower leg on the gate latch.

I wound up with one heck of a contusion and a swollen lower leg, but without the protection of the cowboy boot, I would probably lost a big chunk of leg and would have had to make a trip to the ER.

Western wear is 100% functional, believe it!

BH63

I like cowboy boots but they are incredibly uncomfortable to me. I hate slide in boots.

The Australian version are more comfortable for me

https://intl.rmwilliams.com/men/footwear/boots

I buy cheaper knock offs st academy.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
A couple of days ago, I re-discovered why you should wear western wear when riding a horse.

I was riding a big gelding into a round pen and when I ducked to clear the archway, he spooked to the left and snagged my lower leg on the gate latch.

I wound up with one heck of a contusion and a swollen lower leg, but without the protection of the cowboy boot, I would probably lost a big chunk of leg and would have had to make a trip to the ER.

Western wear is 100% functional, believe it!

BH63

I like cowboy boots but they are incredibly uncomfortable to me. I hate slide in boots.

The Australian version are more comfortable for me

https://intl.rmwilliams.com/men/footwear/boots

I buy cheaper knock offs st academy.

Mike

Some cowboy boots are more comfortable than others. Unless you are working cattle every day or are involved in roping competition, stay away from extreme heels and hard leather soles.

I get nonslip soles on my boots because I (unfortunately) spend more time on the ground then on a horse.


BH63

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
A couple of days ago, I re-discovered why you should wear western wear when riding a horse.

I was riding a big gelding into a round pen and when I ducked to clear the archway, he spooked to the left and snagged my lower leg on the gate latch.

I wound up with one heck of a contusion and a swollen lower leg, but without the protection of the cowboy boot, I would probably lost a big chunk of leg and would have had to make a trip to the ER.

Western wear is 100% functional, believe it!

BH63

I like cowboy boots but they are incredibly uncomfortable to me. I hate slide in boots.

The Australian version are more comfortable for me

https://intl.rmwilliams.com/men/footwear/boots

I buy cheaper knock offs st academy.

Mike

Some cowboy boots are more comfortable than others. Unless you are working cattle every day or are involved in roping competition, stay away from extreme heels and hard leather soles.

Those are what the old-timers called 'Dandy Boots.' Newbies from back east (who they referred to as 'Dandys') visiting Western 'cowboy' states thought prettified hard-leather boots were what the 'real' cowboys wore.

Not very practical for ranch work or everyday wear, unless you're some sort of Village People groupie.

quote:

I get nonslip soles on my boots because I (unfortunately) spend more time on the ground then on a horse.

Now that's a very practical feature to add.

If you're working the ranch on horseback a lot, what you really need are spikey spurs attached to the boot heels. They keep the horse in check and let it know who the frickin' boss is.

Tall boots and spurs

Little over a year ago I had a foot injury and which led to orthotics and needing shoes with good support. I gave this lace up a try for riding and work and like it. Sole is rubber but doesn't have a heavy tread so it works well with stirrups.

https://www.ariat.com/TERRAIN_...=US¤cyCode=USD

Every woman in Florida who owns a horse or seen a horse wears those boots. Even some guys wear them. Ariat/China must be making a fortune off of those machine made boots. I bought the wife and daughter a couple pairs. I hate to admit they love them.

They have a spur shelf and straight heel front to fit flat against the bottom of a stirrup. Clever design.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Tall boots and spurs

Are those Paul Bonds? I think we got the same pair! Funny because I custom orders mine. I’ve had them rebuilt once.



Of course I guess those are “dandy boots” with their high heels and leather soles.

Yep, Paul Bond. Just between me and you I can hardly walk in them with those tall, undercut heels. But I'm keeping that a secret.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Yep, Paul Bond. Just between me and you I can hardly walk in them with those tall, undercut heels. But I'm keeping that a secret.

Those damn sure aren’t meant for walking!! However I’ve never had anything that came close to them in the stirrups. 22 years of making a living on the back of a horse and counting!!

Those boots certainly have a good spur ledge around the heels!

BH63

If a spur is properly made and fitted you don't need a spur ridge, it will never move. There are a lot of great spur and bit makers out there today..I like Bouilett boots out of Canada for every day wear..and Mercer boots out of San Angelo Texas, Mercers are costly but will wear for ions. My favorite spur and bit maker is Tom Balding..This stuff is expensive but last a dozen life times..For those who just want a inexpensive work boot give Anderson Bean a try, buy the cheaper boot, they wear well and last...I like the big wide square toe that's popular with working cowboys today, sometime you have to walk home when the PU fails or a horse gets loose and that square toe got popular again for that very reason...The only good thing about the pointed toed boots was killing cockroaches in the cornor of the bedroom.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
If a spur is properly made and fitted you don't need a spur ridge, it will never move. There are a lot of great spur and bit makers out there today..I like Bouilett boots out of Canada for every day wear..and Mercer boots out of San Angelo Texas, Mercers are costly but will wear for ions. My favorite spur and bit maker is Tom Balding..This stuff is expensive but last a dozen life times..For those who just want a inexpensive work boot give Anderson Bean a try, buy the cheaper boot, they wear well and last...I like the big wide square toe that's popular with working cowboys today, sometime you have to walk home when the PU fails or a horse gets loose and that square toe got popular again for that very reason...The only good thing about the pointed toed boots was killing cockroaches in the cornor of the bedroom.

Pointy, sharp-toed boots are a characteristic of what the Old-Timers used to call 'Dandy Boots.' Those were highly favored by the more 'swishy' followers of the Village People back in the day.

Nowadays they're often seen worn by attendees at Gay Pride Rallies and other venues (New Agers) where the alt-life style is celebrated.

Well,I ain't no fruit but I've been wearing them all my life.Besides in my English vocabulary gay means happy,nothing else. The ones that I don't care for now (being the current craze) is the shovel toes. Also anytime you go to the western wear stores they seem to be catering to the mexicans w/ flowery shirts w/ fighting roosters,etc.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
* * * Also anytime you go to the western wear stores they seem to be catering to the mexicans w/ flowery shirts w/ fighting roosters,etc.

That's true.

For some reason our Mexican locals (the 'legal' ones) seem to think it's 1952, and they dress for it. It's like they're stuck in one of those low-budget Sci-Fi time-warp flics.

The gay blades in this video dress similarly, and check out the boot-age:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw

Maybe you need to change Western Stores..Try NRS (National Ropers Supply) Or Smith Brothers in Texas..Both have a nice catalog. Both are cowboy stores and rodeo supply stores. Carry a good line of boots and saddle gear..

We all wore those pointy toed boots for years, but that era has come and gone, they never did work well for the working cowboy. A working cowboy walks a lot in his daily chores, shoeing horses, building fence, working on windmills, chopping sotol in drouth conditions to fee cattle, hoeing out loco weed, and not unheard of to get bucked off and have to walk 10 miles to the house. Square toes and walking heels, even lace up brogans come into play on a real cow outfit, that's always been a part of my life.

Norman,
Unfortunatly you live in Austin, Texas, the liberal capital of the world!

I never cared for the pointy toed boots, and never bought a pair (or the square toed ones for that matter).

I always get the rounded toes. I also stay away from shirts with embroidered red roses and such. Just not my style.

But as they say "Degustibus, non disputandem" (a matter of taste, not judgement).

BH63

I like the round toed boots, but the wide square toe is in style with working cowboys and rodeo hands, and I really like the wide square toe for comfort...Most folks that don't live the cowboy way of life daily are not too concerned about the up to date cowboy style, cowboys and rancher pretty much fall into line on design of boots. saddle gear and clothes...Cinches are in, Wranglers are falling by the wayside, button shirts as opposed to snap shirts come and go..I wear what I have until its worn out regardless of style..Still proper dress is a way of life that set the real cowboy apart, I can tell by his boots, crease in his hat etc. if he is the real deal or a wannabe...

I thought Wranglers were A Huge sponsor of rodeos and they were taking a big upsurge amongst especially rodeo cowboys.

Baggy Cinch jeans are worn by old guys for roping. Right, Ray?

Apparently snaps are two complicated for all the China made "cowboy" shirts. And those chinese cowboys make the ariat cowboy boots too. Real cowboy tradition.

Young men still wear the $19 13MWZ's. It's the old men that can afford to wear 70 dollar cinch jeans, and can't bend over in Wranglers!.

I like Duluth Trading denims as well as Carhartt.

Oh Will, I have a ton of worn out Wranglers and Cinches I wear them both, and I don't own a pair of those ill fitting loose jeans of any kind. Im to thin to that, in fact I wear the "Slims" or Regurlars in both, Ya gotta have a fat butt to wear the loose stuff..I even cowboy in lace up brogans shoes with spurs on em, sometimes, as Im a foot often doing "cowboy work" like patching pipe line fixing fence, doctoring cattle, sheep or goats! I hate straw hats, they come off in the wind and when I rope sometimes especially when I get tired heeling calve and dragging them to the branding fire as that causes me to drop my elbow and hurts my roping average and that pisses the boss off...so I wear a felt hat 98% of the time and sweat like a dog..And that, my friend, is the rest of the story!
My dad always said he could hire a cowboy for $2.00 a day, what he really needed was a mechanic, plumber, or carpenter! Amen to that brother!

Bottom line is I love the cowboy way of life, but it actually sucks!

It finally dawned on me that square toe shoes/boots are a holdover from the 1800's when there was no distinction between left and right hand shoes. But square toe boots are probably a good idea for the differences in shapes of feet and toes, as they probably accommodate most everyone.

But for all the cowboy boots I have, the most comfortable and universally useful are my pairs of Lucchese ropers.

Speaking of which. A couple of days ago. I went to a Boot Barn and they has a Stetson shirt reg price $74.99 on sale for $36.99.

I almost bought it but I was in a hurry and didn't.

The next day I went back and it was marked down to $24.99.

I tried it on and took it to the cashier. Turns out there was an additional 25% mark down.

Cost me about $19.00 before taxes.

BH63

As long as you ain't wearing a frilly shirt and faggy designer jeans, nor a pair of those prissy 'Dandy' boots that make you look like a Village-People wannabe, you should be fine.

Will,thanks to you I should not need to be buying any new boots (or wranglers for that matter) for quite some time;+ agree that the semi rounded toe of the Roper style is more comfortable than the pointed that we grew up with. I still wear those on occasion though,just because I can.

I don't do horses. Not a cowboy in any way. That said, I'll never be caught dead not owning a pickup. Preferably at least a 2500 in 4WD. Give me good old rock and roll or blues music and hold off on both the Country AND Western stuff.

But a good old pair of round toed roper boots is all I ever wear. It's a rare day indeed that you find me wearing anything else. Even when I was flying for the airlines, my uniform shoes were a nicely shined pair of round toe ropers in black. These with the slick leather soles which ain't so slick after a couple days of walking.

Just a little clean joke for you real cowboys out there:

If you dress for work on the ranch are you ... Ranch Dressing?

I like Ropers and I like the Cinch Roper shoes, they are comfortable, an have a spur ridge...

What I don't like is cockroach kickers and the old time square toes of the 40s and early 50s perhaps, they were neither fish nor fowl, well they were pretty foul!!!

On a cold snowy December day horse back in the high country I will probably be wearing Cowboy Whites packer style lace up boots, Coveralls over as much wool as I own, have my toe fenders on my saddle, a silk wild rag around my neck or over my nose. Over my ears a Elmer fudd hat of some kind with the ear flaps over my ears. All this topped of with a pair of chinks with extra long fringe over my coveralls.. I won't look like a cowboy, more like Sweede dairy farmer I suspect, but my horse and saddle gear will leave no doubt that their rides a real cowboy,at least to the experienced eye! I look pretty much the same at a Idaho roping when the temp is 5 below or more in a Idaho indoor arena..Idaho has yet to discover a heated barn, or the use of buzzards for roosters for that matter.

In the summer, well Im pretty much a dandy!

I did not hear one person mention chaps for brushy working conditions or the limbs someone mentioned early on.

I have a pair of chinks I sometimes wear to impress the young fillies if I'm working a horse for some new guests. LOL

They do protect your legs (and your $70.00 Cinch jeans) from wear and tear.

BH63

"Swede dairy farmer" ... Ray you're killing me!