Just got my new tulip boots in the mail today, from J B Hill Boots.

They're a variation of the Tom Mix tulip boot design originally made by the Blucher Boot Co. in the 1920's, at the time located in nearby Olathe, Kansas.

Hyer Boot Co. of Olathe and what followed as Olathe Boot Co. are also gone, with Olathe Boots existing in name only and marketed by Rios of Mercedes/Anderson Bean Boots. Nothing in Olathe even resembles cowboy boots anymore.

Interestingly though, the Olathe Boot brand still has a tulip boot design, for kids, after all these years, but they're made down in Leon, Mexico. The guys in Leon do a good job of making boots, including the Rod Patrick and Cinch brand boots.

Anyway, here they are. A little distorted by the goofy phone camera.

I love them.

But that's me!

No Elephant hide? I am shocked.

Nice.

Those are awesome, and if I might suggest; look even better with sky blue/ powder blue pants- assuming you don't have two ranches?

I assume that you wear pant legs on the outside of the boots not inside?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Norseman:
I assume that you wear pant legs on the outside of the boots not inside?[/QUOTE

Heavens no. I wear my jeans inside my boots that have tall tops.

Never could figure out why people have fancy stitched and inlaid boots then wear them inside their jeans.

Lisa Sorrell, the queen of female cowboy boot makers, says something to the effect that her fancy top boots are like fancy lingerie, you love them but few get to see them.

Personally, I think she's nuts!

Sometimes I like to wear tall top boots, riding or on foot, and always with my jeans tucked in. And if they happen to have fancy tops, so much the better.

Dammit, I never thought I'd see my good friend Bill tip toeing through the tulips! Its a changing world...I have a call into Duck Dynasty on this one, I need advise!

One reason for the stitching is to support the leather. If there is no stitching the tops will sag. At least that is what an old boot maker told me.

10 to 20 rows of stitching is what the old timers and a few of young hunks look for in a custom made boot..

quote:

Originally posted by rabbithabit:
One reason for the stitching is to support the leather. If there is no stitching the tops will sag. At least that is what an old boot maker told me.

It stands to reason that stitching will help firm up boots tops, without making the tops too heavy and stiff by themselves. When stitching of boot tops started I wish I knew. And the thin leather lining helps to firm up the relatively thin leather typically used for the tops.

The Blucher Boot Co. of the first half of the 1900's was making fancy stitched boot tops in the teens and twenties. Most of them as fancy or fancier than you can get today.

Rod Patrick Boots makes 10 rows of stitching on most of their boots, but it is all computerized these days. Then some of the stitching is a single stitch of crisscrossed design (usually called a "quilt design"). The quilt design is just a cheap way to produce a stitch pattern, no matter how much some makers try to glorify it!

The custom boot makers that I am aware of still stitch tops a single row at a time by hand on the sewing machine. The results are near perfect by some makers and some not, but it is a lot of handwork and time and they squeal (and charge) for anything more than the most basic of stitch patterns.

The tulip boots above were stitched by hand on a non-computerized sewing machine. I can tell because the stitching is not perfect, but for hand manipulated stitching, one row at a time, on a sewing machine it is near perfect. If nothing else, stitching that falls just slightly short of perfection is a telltale sign of old-timey handwork.

Blucher Boot began in Wyoming, reportedly where the first tulip stitch patterned boots were made in 1915, then moved to Olathe, Kansas, were it dissolved in the 50's (??). Later it was absorbed by the Griffith-Blucher Boot in Fairfax, Oklahoma. After it rode off into the sunset, one of its employees, James Smith, obtained the old lasts and records of the old Blucher company and is presently located in Beggs, Oklahoma.

Got a pair of Blucher tulip boots ordered. I'll post a pic next year when they're suppose to be completed!

BTW, just for grins, here is a pic of an original pair of 1920's Blucher tulip boots worn by Tom Mix (Tom Mix museum, Dewey, Oklahoma).

quote:

Originally posted by Norseman:
I assume that you wear pant legs on the outside of the boots not inside?

As for me yes Norseman, pantlegs out seems easier, also stuff like dirt and water mostly stays out. If I had fancy stitched boots no sense to cover them up.

Someone commented about my pantlegs out meaning I had two ranches? Maybe meaning you must not be working for a living, if you expose your pantlegs to the briars/ thorns?

Historically, a pants leg, not tucked into the boot but the inside cuff in the inside of the boot meant that you had cattle, a symbol of a cattleman....In the 1950s The cuffs tucked into the inside of both boots meant you were a rough stock rider.

Many cowboys that put in long days horseback wore 16" tops, tucked their pants into both boots for protection from saddle sore legs..and they also gave some protection from brush and cactus. This practice has been mostly among those cowboys who wear the short chinks. Even today where the short chink is popular you will see this...The chink is mostly prevelent in the North or Pacific NW..Texas has remained true to the bat wing and higher top boots mostly because all that grows there will stick you, but even there the chink is making head way and the higher top boot is coming back into style along with the broad square toe. That toe adds comfort and if you have to walk 10 miles to the house because your mule ran off, you won't have hurting feet! It is the most popular boot out there today, but styles change in boots about like womens clothing.

Lisa makes some great boots.

She'd better for 5 g's.

But very meticulous and detailed work. Nice boots.

So Ray, and anyone else, even though I haven't thrown too many loops it's not going to be that tough to catch one of those little roping steers, given enough steers!!, and a good horse, a fast enough horse anyway, which he reportedly is.

So what's the likelihood of me losing fingers when I try to dally? I'm right handed at the moment and prefer to stay that way!

I assume a bicycle inner tube is going to be better than the mule hide on the Wade horn.

I figger one successful dally on one steer is good enough background that I can say I did it. And a source of a bunch made up stories about my years as a team roper.

Cactus Nitro SS or XS head rope?

I sure like the Nitro, but for a begining header I would suggest a extra soft Mach 111 to start with.

Dallying ain't nothing to fool around with, get with a pro and learn to Dalley...Lots of good roping schools out there and they come to your town from time to time or get with a pro and learn the ropes..

There is a lot to heading other than catching a steer and dallying thats the easy part, learning how to handle cattle so that your heeler has a chance is a long term proposition..

Keep in mind that in the sport of team roping you have to have a situation where 2 horses, 2 ropers and a steer all have to be on the same track at the same moment and thats what makes it such a wonderful challanging sport.

Your horse has to be capable of moving side ways with the touch of a heel, he has to be soft in the ribs and hip so that he can position you and then hold that position..

It's definatly a challange and the more you get into it the more complicated it gets..A good finished team roping horse will fetch you at least $8,000 to $10,000 as a rule, and a pro quality team roping horse could bring over $100,000...

So, thats just the tip of the ice berg..Learn to Dally and keep your fingers, lots of quick learners are missing digets..

At your age I would suggest that you be a heeler, its easier on the old body, you can tie on with a break away at your age I think..I do but I'm definatly old enough at 79, I think the rules in Wrangler are 55 years old to be a tie on heeler, and that will simplify your life, but the horse is still 60 to 80% of success, if he can't position you, your lost...He must be good in the box, run to the rib cage, hold that position until the steer makes the corner and then he must go to a certain spot and hold that position no matter what the steer or header does, then rate back so that you can rope the steer going away from you, not you going to the steer, then slam to a stop so you can get the slack out of the loop...but first you have to do your part and thats catch the heels as they are in the back position, by that I mean as the steer hops because the header is creating those hops, and the steer rear legs go forward and back, so you have to develope timing on the hops and rope them in the high of the hop with the legs extending back, you cannot heel a steer with his legs forward as the loop cannot pass through, sounds easy? NOT for a beginner and even the pros miss....have a good day my friend..

If things get too bad, wait til it warms up and invite me to your abode and load up old Tater and we'll teach you the basics for a week, but ya gotta feed me make me comfortable at my age! after that you will need pro help.. In the meantime send your horse to the best of trainers for 6 months and Ok. is full of them and good ropers, then your on track, and you will forever be addicted and you will live longer, be in better shape and love life, and I will still have at least one of my old grouch bastard friends around to rope with, I'm tired of whipping up on these local pros and young guns! ...

The worst to deal with is those damn 10 and 12 year olds that started playing with a rope at 3 years old and are now winning $50,000 or more..

It's really pretty simple. If you work stock or hang around the barn or corral, you wear you pants tucked in. So you're not having to constantly look down and skitter from side to side to avoid the shit. And to keep it off the cuffs of your pants. On the porch of most old homes you'd find a boot puller and you'd pull your boots off before coming inside the house.
If you're a townie, you wear your pants outside.
The old time cowboys, when they went to town would "let their pants down".