If we rode beside him and watched his
seat in the big cow saddle we found that his high and narrow
heels prevented the slipping forward of the foot in the stirrup,
into which he jammed his feet nearly full length. If there was a
fall, the cowboy's foot never hung in the stirrup. In the corral
roping, afoot, his heels anchored him. So he found his little
boots not so unserviceable and retained them as a matter of
pride. Boots made for the cowboy trade sometimes had fancy tops
of bright-colored leather. The Lone Star of Texas was not
infrequent in their ornamentation.
The curious pride of the horseman extended also to his gloves.
The cowboy was very careful in the selection of his gloves. They
were made of the finest buckskin, which could not be injured by
wetting. Generally they were tanned white and cut with a deep
cuff or gauntlet from which hung a little fringe to flutter in
the wind when he rode at full speed on horseback.
The cowboy's hat was one of the typical and striking features of
his costumes. It was a heavy, wide, white felt hat with a heavy
leather band buckled about it.
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