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The Cowboy's Costume

A cowboy might spend lavishly when he bought a hat, but he really “spread himself” where boots were concerned. Price was no object. Boots were often "custom-mades," the cowboy with pride having little use for the ready-made variety. These boots had vamps of the finest quality of pliable, thin leather. They fitted tightly around the instep. The legs, of finest kid, were loose and came to the knee. Boots with flapping "pull on" straps at the tops were called "mule ears." Features of a pair of riding boots included high tops, high heels, sharp toes, thin soles and fancy stitching—and there was a reason for each.

The high tops prevented brush and gravel from working into the boot, and their looseness allowed the air to circulate and prevented sweating. Later, the "peewee," a short and dressier boot with less weight, became stylish, but the cowman shunned low-topped boots. When riding, he pressed his heels downward, and the top of a low boot soon worked below the bottom of his pants in the rear. This created a funnel to trap gravel and twigs that the horse kicked up. With high-topped boots there was no space to act as a "ketch-all," and, too, they could be worn inside or outside the pant legs. High tops were also a protection against stirrup leathers, bumps and brush.

High heels were an important factor. They kept the rider's foot from slipping through the stirrup and hanging; they let him dig in when roping on foot and gave a secure footing in all ground work. There were many times when he could not afford to slip when handling a plunging bronc.

The heels were not only high, but narrow, set under the foot and sloped from behind. With the heel under his foot, the rider's stirrup was held securely under the arch. This gave the cowboy a firm, but easy long-legged seat. Riding was less tiring than when the weight was on the toes or ball of the foot. This narrow, undersloped heel could also prevent a thrown rider from being "hung up"—hanging from the stirrup by one foot—and dragged to death.

With a western saddle, a thrown rider might carry the long stirrup over the seat and, if he fell with his back to the horse, a square boot heel would tend to hold him to the side of the frantic animal. A heel with an underslope would permit him to slip to the ground.

The cowboy wanted the toes of his boots to be pointed, because sharp toes made it easier to pick up the near stirrup on a wheeling or prancing horse, as well as to find the right-hand stirrup after he hit the saddle. A thin sole let the feel of the stirrup come through; a soft vamp gave more comfort.

Fancy stitching was not just for decoration. It had practical value. Stitching stiffened the leather so that the tops would not break down and become sloppy; it prevented wrinkling at the ankles where the boot contacted the stirrups; it preserved the tops and kept them together when the leather wore thin.

Stitching, too, served another purpose. A cowboy took pride in having small feet. He wanted his boots to fit tightly and appear as though his feet had been poured into them. The fancy toe-stitching made his foot look shorter. Toe stitching also made the boot more comfortable by keeping the lining close to the outside leather. Ideally fitted for work in the saddle, the cowboy's boots were plainly not made for walking. In fact, so used they were crippling. But no cowboy ever planned to walk.

To a city-bred man the cowboy's jingling spur rowels might appear to be pure affectation, but the spurs to which they were attached were a very necessary part of his equipment. Not that the cowboy didn't relish the jingle. Indeed, he often fastened little pear-shaped pendants to the axle of the spur rowel, called "danglers" or "jingle-bobs." Their sole function was to jingle-jangle. Spurs were known variously as "hooks," "guthooks," "galves," "grappling irons," "can openers" and "pet-makers." An inferior spur was a "tin belly," the huge Mexican spurs, "Chihuahuas."

A cowhand did not buckle on a pair of spurs until he had filed the sharp rowels to make them blunt. Sharp rowels made a horse nervous and he would not give of his best. Spurs were used to signal quick action, not for cruel gigging. Sometimes a motion of the leg was all that was necessary, and usually a mere touch was all a well-trained cow horse needed.

Big-roweled spurs were usually preferred. The larger the rowel the more points it had and those many points did not dig so deeply into a horse's flanks as the few points on a small rowel. Popular styles of spur were the "gooseneck" with "Texas-star rowel"; the "flower rowel," shaped like the petals of a daisy; and the "sunset rowel," a large spur with many points set close together and giving a minimum of punishment. The spurs were kept in place on the foot by a broad, crescent-shaped shield of leather laid over the instep. Sometimes twin chains also passed under the boot in front of the heel to anchor the spurs, but if well-balanced these were unnecessary.

Cowboy spurs were usually made in one of three patterns: the upturned, straight or drop shank. These styles might carry any one of a dozen types and sizes of rowels. Spurs with drop shanks often permitted a big rowel to drag when a rider stood on the ground, but when he mounted they gave him a firm hold under a horse's belly. The straight or upturned shank never gave a rider this tong-grip on a horse but proved much more practical when a man dismounted to lead his horse.

The "buck hook" was a blunt-nosed, uncurved piece added to the frame of the spur and used to hook into the cinch or into the side of a bucking horse. The shank of most spurs turned downward to allow this hook to catch without interference by rowels.

A conspicuous part of the cowboy's costume were his chaps, derived from the Spanish chaparreras. Another corruption was chaparejos. These were the leather overalls that shielded his legs from thorny brush. Chaps were essential in the brasado country — southern Texas — where hundreds of square miles of range were thickly clothed with prickly pear, almost impenetrable thickets of mesquite and a dozen other thorny growths. Without them, a cowboy's pants and legs would have been speedily ripped into shreds.

In addition to fending off brush and cactus, chaps might protect a rider's legs from injury when he was thrown or when a horse fell on him, pushed him against a fence or attempted to bite him. Movies to the contrary, the cowboy shed his chaps when he dismounted for ground work because they were hot, cumbersome and uncomfortable to walk in. When he rode to town, he left his chaps in the bunkhouse.

There were several styles of chaps, all developed from the armitas, a kind of loose riding apron, which was tied around the waist and knees with thongs. The name is derived from arma, Spanish for defensive weapon or shield. The arma of the early-day vaquero was made of cowhides fastened together beneath the neck of the horse to protect his breast as well as the legs of the rider. When this was reduced in size to cover only the horseman's legs, the name was changed to the Spanish diminutive, armitas.

With the passing of the old-time Spanish range customs in the West, armitas were replaced by the snugger-fitting chaparreras. The first of these to be developed in Texas were "shotgun chaps," so called because the outside seams were sewed together all the way down the leg, which gave some resemblance to the twin barrels of a shotgun. These usually carried a leather fringe down the sides and were pulled over the boots.

On the northern ranges chaps were often made from the skins of goat, bear and other animals, worn hair-side out. Called "hair pants," they were warmer in winter, but in snow or rain they became heavy and soggy, were uncomfortable and smelled to high heaven.

Then "batwing" chaps were developed. These were made of leather, with wide, flapping wings. They immediately became popular, because they snapped on, and a cowboy did not have to pull off his spurs to shed them. A type developed later in Wyoming was called the "Cheyenne leg" or "Cheyenne cut." The wing was narrow and straight, the underpart of the leg being cut back to the knees, with no snaps below that point. The Texas brush hand wore plain chaps without flapping wings or ornaments. The less surface he gave the brush to grab, the better.

There were other kinds of chaps, but the average cowboy had little use for them. One was the "rodeo chap" used by the professional rodeo rider. Strong enough to protect a rider's legs from chute fences, bull horns and hoofs, the rodeo chap included fancy inland decorations and monograms designed to gratify the wearer's egotistical showmanship. Still others, made for display only, known as "parade chaps," were useless for anything but looks. The man wearing shabby chaps was the real cowboy—he had no use for fancy rigging.

The old-time cowboy was never without that old "fish," a yellow oilskin slicker rolled and tied behind the cantle of his saddle. Manufacturers made a special pommel-slicker full enough to cover the horn and wide enough in the rear to go over the cantle when a man was in the saddle. A green horse often shied at the sight of his own master wearing this brilliant rustling garment, and was difficult to mount. Modern cowboys seldom carry these waterproofs, but the old-timer was never without one.

The cowboy seldom wore a coat. Not only did it restrict his freedom of action but the horn worked its way under the front buttons and pulled them off. A vest, however, "filled the bill." It was comfortable; when unbuttoned it was cool; buttoned, it was a shield against cold winds. Most important, its pockets were just right for storage purposes—they carried a sack of Bull Durham, book of papers and matches, also the "book." These "books," distributed by commission firms at stockyards and shipping points, were made to fit into a vest pocket. In them a cowboy would record his "time," brands he had seen or wanted to remember, and other memoranda.

In the Texas brush country, where thorn scrub could scratch the shirt off a rider, cowboys wore heavy duck vests or boleros, with sleeves. Similar jackets in the Northwest were sometimes made of denim, as coarse as Levi Straus overalls. Others were of lighter, cooler cotton twill. Called a wampus, or wamus, a jumper was essential in cedar country where a branch was sure to split a shirt from collar to belt the first time a rider lay flat on his horse to dart under a low tree.

A useful part of the cowboy's costume was his neckerchief, or "wipes" as he called it. Neckerchiefs were usually red or blue, like the old bandana of the South, or black silk which did not show the dirt. The rodeo rider of modern days goes in for bright colors. Rangemen usually wished to avoid colors which attracted attention. An inconspicuous rider was more apt to catch a rustler.

Usually the cowboy wore his neck scarf draped loosely over his chest with the knot in the back. If the sun shone on his back he reversed the scarf to protect his neck. When riding in the drag of a herd he pulled it up over mouth and nose to keep out the dust. In winter he might pull it over his eyes to prevent snow blindness or to protect his face from icy winds and stinging sleet. He could also use it to tie down his hat, to serve as an ear muff in cold weather, or to keep his head cool on a blazing summer day by wearing it, wet, under his hat.

When he washed his face in the morning, an ever-ready towel was hanging from his neck. In his work he had this handy mop to wipe the sweat off his face. He could use it for holding the handle of a hot branding iron, for a blindfold on a snaky horse, or as a "pigging string," that is, as a string for tying a roped animal by all four feet the way a hog is tied. Likewise the neckerchief could be used as a makeshift hobble for his horse, a tourniquet a sling for a broken arm, or a bandage.

The cowboy's bed was usually a waterproof tarp enclosing a couple of quilts, or "soogans." These "soogans," of which there were usually two, were heavy cotton or wool batting quilted between covers of patched pants, coats and overcoats. The bed might also contain a blanket or two. The whole thing was easily "spooled"—rolled up and lashed—to be thrown into a wagon bed or lashed on a pack pony. It was known also as a "lay," "hot roll," "velvet couch," "shakedown," "crumb incubator" or "flea-trap." Into the cowboy's bed went his "war sack," his life savings. It was his safety deposit box, and a man caught prowling through another's bedroll was looking for a fight.

When in bed on the roundup, if it rained, a cowboy pulled up the canvas flaps and remained as dry and snug "as a bug in a rug." The tarp also kept out snow, sleet and wind. Sometimes, when the cowboy awoke to find the weather freezing outside, he dressed a la Pullman berth without quitting his warm blankets.

On the trail, or on roundup, the first thing a cowhand did after rising was to roll his bed and lash it. Then he took it over to the wagon and dumped it where it would be handy for loading. To leave it unrolled was a serious breach of etiquette, and a cowboy who did so might learn at the next camp that the bed wagon had arrived without his bed.

For the cowhand, roping ability was a "must," but few really mastered the art. Essentials for good roping were an ability to judge distance and a perfect sense of timing. Calculating the speed of a running steer and that of his horse, the roper had to judge the amount of rope to span the distance between them. Top ropers seemed to know by intuition the proper time to throw and place the loop under the cow's feet at the split second they came off the ground. Even with this intuition, the roper needed constant practice to coordinate his judgment of time and distance.

There were many kinds of loops, each with its own name and function. Some ropers used a small "dog loop," while others favored a large "Blocker loop," which turned over just before reaching its mark. This loop was named for John Blocker, a famous Texas cattleman. The size and manner of throwing a loop depended upon what was to be caught and whether the roper was on foot or in the saddle.

On roundups the top roper of an outfit was usually chosen to catch each man's horse in the improvised rope corral. He used a fast loop, one strictly for a head catch, called the "hooleyann." This, instead of settling like a hoop over the marked animal's head, flipped into place at the last moment, making it harder even for the wisest horse to dodge it.

During branding season it was the roper's job to heel the calves from horseback and drag them to the branding fire. He quietly walked his pony among the calves and their mothers and threw his rope with a quick cast which did not disturb the herd. This was very different from rodeo calf roping, where calves were chased and wrestled down for a hogtie. On the open range where cattle could run, a "heel catch" was difficult. Calves scampering after their mothers usually had to be roped around the neck—an easier target than a pair of flying heels.

The roper whirled his lariat above his head when roping a large animal from horseback on the run. This kept the loop open and gave momentum for a long cast. The beginner usually whirled his arm off, but the expert whirled very little. The whirl was never used for roping in a corral, as it would excite the animals.

To rope and throw grown cattle, two men usually worked together. One roped the horns and held the animal, while the second man threw his loop around the heels. Then the two men rode in opposite directions stretching out the animal. A horn catch was better than a neck catch for stretching out a "critter" because it did not choke the animal and gave more leverage for throwing it on its side.

The most spectacular of all throws was called "going over the hump." With this catch a man on horseback could topple a full-grown steer. The trick was to cast a Blocker loop in such a way that it curled over a running steer's back and circled clown just above the ground, where on the next bound both front feet would be thrust through it. Caught in this manner, the animal would somersault and lie breathless and prostrate.

When making this catch it was important to throw "over the hump" or withers, and snare the feet on the off-side. A near-side catch, although easier, gave a direct pull on the rope-horse, which sometimes upset him. "Over the hump," the direct pull and shock came against the steer's own body. Expert ropers enjoyed demonstrating their skill with this throw. Ranchers disapproved, because the violent roll-over sometimes crippled valuable beef.

Two methods were used to attach the lasso (from the Spanish el Lazo — rope or snare) or lariat (Spanish la reata — rope) to the saddle horn. One was called the "dally," the other the "tie." The term "dally" came from the Spanish dar la vuelta (to give it a turn). American cowboys corrupted this to "dolly welter," which was soon shortened to "dally."

A dally-man took an encircling hitch around the saddle horn with the rope after the catch was made. The loose end was held in the roper's hand so that he could let it slip in case of emergency, or take it up shorter. This required a longer rope than that required by the tie- man, who made his throw after the rope had been tied to the horn.

For generations the argument as to the respective merits of tying and dallying has raged. As a rule, cowhands east of the Rockies were tie-men, while those west of the mountains dallied. Texans—tie men—would claim that they were no quitters. When they roped anything they figured to hang on to it. The Californian, a dally-man, could release a critter if it proved too much to handle. Another argument against dallying was the danger to a man's hand. When wrapping around the horn, fingers have been caught and snapped off when a big steer hit the other end of the rope.

The rope, dubbed by the cowboy his "line," "string," "hemp," "manila," "whale line," "lass rope," "catgut," "twine" or "hard-twist," was made of various materials. West of the Rockies, the sixty-foot rawhide reata was favored. In Texas, a thirty-five foot length of "manila" supplanted the rawhide. The Mexican "maguey" was made from the fiber of the century plant. It was a good rope, but too stiff for many ropers. A "hair rope" was never used as a reata. It kinked too easily and was too light to throw.

Rope lengths varied from twenty-five feet to sixty feet, the short rope being favored for steer-roping, calf-roping and corral work, and the longer rope for outside work. Thickness ran from three-eighths to seven-sixteenths of an inch. Until they were stretched or suppled, ropes were too stiff. Once rendered supple a rope flowed with a hissing sound through the hondo (loop) and was said to "sing." When wet the best lariat became stiff as wire and could not be thrown.

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