You talking about boots gave me a few laughs - I wore Combat Boots for 25 years. Ha! And your talk about Fairport took me back to days gone by, when I was with Webster Lodge No. 538 (worked at Xerox 1977- 2005). It's a Small World.
I think of the Doc Marten boots when you say combat boots. Docs are also now worn in formal attire and are also pretty much non-gender like the cowboy boot.
I’ve had the same pair of cowboy boots for over 40 years. I don’t wear them as often anymore but I still break them out from time to time. They’re like wearing slippers. I would add if you’re going to wear a cowboy hat to a black tie affair you should probably have a quality black felt hat. You’re spot on about wearing a cowboy hat in professional settings. You’re ok if you’ve earned it, but otherwise you’re “All hat and no cattle”. I’ve known a sheriff or two that fall into that category. 🤠
I agree, at a black tie event, it needs to be a quality felt hat (fur, not wool.) And black is spot on. Silverbelly is also an appropriate color for formal wear, in my view, but those are the only acceptable colors. Shape is important for that too, the shape needs to be clean looking, not all dented and scrunched up like something people would wear to a festival.
>>>“All hat and no cattle”
I've had that saying in mind for a lot of years, because my youth and younger adulthood was spent with cattle and horses. Our farm is large by Western Washington standards, and populated by cattle, the other side of the family raised truly excellent beef, but treated their herd more like pets than livestock, and my dad did competitive roping before an injury destroyed that passion. One can only jump off running horses so many times in one's life I suppose! I always had cowboy hats, and I've spent a lot of time caring for cattle, but I very rarely wore cowboy hats. Having heard that saying quite a bit, I used to figure I was 'All cattle, no hat.'
Now that I haven't worked on the farm or with livestock for probably 20 years or better I find myself wearing the hats.
So I'm not sure where I fit into the cattle/hat equation!
I would say you more than qualify. I’ve never worked livestock and riding my grandfather’s ponies don’t count as riding horses. I have a really nice brown fur hat that I bought in Jackson Hole 20 years ago. I really like it and I’ll get it out if I’m going to the rodeo. I picked up a very nice black Stetson that I wore when I was Master. I’m certainly all hat and no cattle, but I know that and don’t pretend to be someone I’m not. I wear a very inexpensive straw hat as a sun shield and to protect my noggin from sharp things.
I don't know that my experiences with horses qualify as 'riding.' More like 'this guy shouldn't be anywhere near a horse' combined with the occasional getting thrown off the horse.
My dad and grandfather were exceptional horsemen though, as is one of my daughters.
I love brown hats, and wear one most often, and of course black Stetsons are superb!
I don't know. All I know is that the traditional features were all designed for riding horses. The pointed toe to more easily slip the foot into a stirrup. The high heel to hold the foot in the stirrup by pressing forward against it, and the leather sole to easily slip out of the stirrup backwards if falling off said horse.
Having spent a fair amount of time falling off of horses as a young person, I suppose that the last bit works as I never got a foot stuck. One thing I can honestly say about myself is that I was always god-awful-bad at horsemanship. I just never enjoyed it, and never got good at it.
Now my two brothers who still work our farm do so from the back of ATV's. But my sister-in-law still keeps some horses around for pleasure riding.
1. Tony Lama cowboy boots in black, pointed toe, standard high heel. They are a good looking boot and go well with a suit. I find that after wearing them for awhile, my feet get tired. The high heel is not what I am used to, after wearing flat shoes/sneakers for so long. I wear them many time to try to get used to them. These I picked up at Beth West on Highway 9 in Snohomish. Great selection of boots there.
I also notice that I need a boot sock without the seam at the front to avoid having that small seam bunch, just by the knuckle of the big toe, press against the boot and be pushed back into my toe.
2. Tecovas in the roper style, tan colored, in Ostrich. Lower top and shorter heel. They are quite comfortable. I have not tried to wear them with a suit yet as my suits are all dark and these are quite a bit lighter. I do get lots of compliments when I wear them, (compliments for the boots, not me).
3. Ariat, square toe, Patriot model in brown. High shaft, but short heel. These are really comfortable and I wear them almost as daily footwear. I would not wear them in a suit as they are not truly "dressy".
I really want to be able to wear the Tony Lamas more often but I need to get my feet used to that high heel. Any tips other than "Just wear them to get used to them"?
>>>I really want to be able to wear the Tony Lamas more often but I need to get my feet used >>>to that high heel. Any tips other than "Just wear them to get used to them"?
I'm sorry, I don't have any tips for this. And I've experienced it myself.
Some years ago, I injured a foot. Badly enough that I could barely stand. That put me in Birkenstocks for healing. So, I went from cowboy boots to hippy shoes overnight. And for a long time that's all I could wear.
Maybe three years ago I started slowly re-introducing the boots, and it has taken about that much time to feel confident that I can wear them all day & night.
What is amazing to me about all of this is how much slower I heal from injury now that I'm an old fart! When I was a kid I used to get hurt and be better in no time at all.
Tony Lamas were my very first pair of high quality boots, probably 40 years ago. I loved those things! And I agree, Beth West is a really excellent place to buy western boots. I used to shop there when they were located in Mill Creek.
My father was raised in Canada. In a small town about 45 minutes outside of Edmonton. His family owned a general store and dealt in husbandry and farriery. When he was 18 they moved to Spokane and bought to grocery stores and continued with the horse business. So he was from the other side of the mountains. That’s my visual of the state of Washington. Cowboys and ranches.
I didn't know that you had a connection to Spokane, that's cool!
Washington is so amazingly diverse. My two favorite places are the rain forests and ocean beaches on the Olympic Peninsula. The rain forest is truly amazing, and the ocean beaches on the northern coast are almost completely undeveloped as they are included as a part of the National Park.
The other place I really love is North Central Washington. An arid climate, but lots of pine trees, cattle, and horses. Quite beautiful in a really different way.
Neither of these places get too many visitors, because they are both well off the beaten path.
You talking about boots gave me a few laughs - I wore Combat Boots for 25 years. Ha! And your talk about Fairport took me back to days gone by, when I was with Webster Lodge No. 538 (worked at Xerox 1977- 2005). It's a Small World.
I think of the Doc Marten boots when you say combat boots. Docs are also now worn in formal attire and are also pretty much non-gender like the cowboy boot.
I'm glad you had fun with the post! I fear that lace up boots aren't for me. I'm just too damn lazy for all those laces!
I’ve had the same pair of cowboy boots for over 40 years. I don’t wear them as often anymore but I still break them out from time to time. They’re like wearing slippers. I would add if you’re going to wear a cowboy hat to a black tie affair you should probably have a quality black felt hat. You’re spot on about wearing a cowboy hat in professional settings. You’re ok if you’ve earned it, but otherwise you’re “All hat and no cattle”. I’ve known a sheriff or two that fall into that category. 🤠
I agree, at a black tie event, it needs to be a quality felt hat (fur, not wool.) And black is spot on. Silverbelly is also an appropriate color for formal wear, in my view, but those are the only acceptable colors. Shape is important for that too, the shape needs to be clean looking, not all dented and scrunched up like something people would wear to a festival.
>>>“All hat and no cattle”
I've had that saying in mind for a lot of years, because my youth and younger adulthood was spent with cattle and horses. Our farm is large by Western Washington standards, and populated by cattle, the other side of the family raised truly excellent beef, but treated their herd more like pets than livestock, and my dad did competitive roping before an injury destroyed that passion. One can only jump off running horses so many times in one's life I suppose! I always had cowboy hats, and I've spent a lot of time caring for cattle, but I very rarely wore cowboy hats. Having heard that saying quite a bit, I used to figure I was 'All cattle, no hat.'
Now that I haven't worked on the farm or with livestock for probably 20 years or better I find myself wearing the hats.
So I'm not sure where I fit into the cattle/hat equation!
I would say you more than qualify. I’ve never worked livestock and riding my grandfather’s ponies don’t count as riding horses. I have a really nice brown fur hat that I bought in Jackson Hole 20 years ago. I really like it and I’ll get it out if I’m going to the rodeo. I picked up a very nice black Stetson that I wore when I was Master. I’m certainly all hat and no cattle, but I know that and don’t pretend to be someone I’m not. I wear a very inexpensive straw hat as a sun shield and to protect my noggin from sharp things.
I don't know that my experiences with horses qualify as 'riding.' More like 'this guy shouldn't be anywhere near a horse' combined with the occasional getting thrown off the horse.
My dad and grandfather were exceptional horsemen though, as is one of my daughters.
I love brown hats, and wear one most often, and of course black Stetsons are superb!
I taught a class in McAllen TX a few months back and wanted a token of my first ever trip to Texas.
So I bought an original Stetson 6X while there, in black.
I love the hat and on the way home, I had compliments on it in the airport and on the airplane.
Yep, black Stetson 6X would be a beautiful hat! Certainly appropriate for any occasion.
who "invented" cowboy boots?
I don't know. All I know is that the traditional features were all designed for riding horses. The pointed toe to more easily slip the foot into a stirrup. The high heel to hold the foot in the stirrup by pressing forward against it, and the leather sole to easily slip out of the stirrup backwards if falling off said horse.
Having spent a fair amount of time falling off of horses as a young person, I suppose that the last bit works as I never got a foot stuck. One thing I can honestly say about myself is that I was always god-awful-bad at horsemanship. I just never enjoyed it, and never got good at it.
Now my two brothers who still work our farm do so from the back of ATV's. But my sister-in-law still keeps some horses around for pleasure riding.
I have three pair currently.
1. Tony Lama cowboy boots in black, pointed toe, standard high heel. They are a good looking boot and go well with a suit. I find that after wearing them for awhile, my feet get tired. The high heel is not what I am used to, after wearing flat shoes/sneakers for so long. I wear them many time to try to get used to them. These I picked up at Beth West on Highway 9 in Snohomish. Great selection of boots there.
I also notice that I need a boot sock without the seam at the front to avoid having that small seam bunch, just by the knuckle of the big toe, press against the boot and be pushed back into my toe.
2. Tecovas in the roper style, tan colored, in Ostrich. Lower top and shorter heel. They are quite comfortable. I have not tried to wear them with a suit yet as my suits are all dark and these are quite a bit lighter. I do get lots of compliments when I wear them, (compliments for the boots, not me).
3. Ariat, square toe, Patriot model in brown. High shaft, but short heel. These are really comfortable and I wear them almost as daily footwear. I would not wear them in a suit as they are not truly "dressy".
I really want to be able to wear the Tony Lamas more often but I need to get my feet used to that high heel. Any tips other than "Just wear them to get used to them"?
>>>I really want to be able to wear the Tony Lamas more often but I need to get my feet used >>>to that high heel. Any tips other than "Just wear them to get used to them"?
I'm sorry, I don't have any tips for this. And I've experienced it myself.
Some years ago, I injured a foot. Badly enough that I could barely stand. That put me in Birkenstocks for healing. So, I went from cowboy boots to hippy shoes overnight. And for a long time that's all I could wear.
Maybe three years ago I started slowly re-introducing the boots, and it has taken about that much time to feel confident that I can wear them all day & night.
What is amazing to me about all of this is how much slower I heal from injury now that I'm an old fart! When I was a kid I used to get hurt and be better in no time at all.
Tony Lamas were my very first pair of high quality boots, probably 40 years ago. I loved those things! And I agree, Beth West is a really excellent place to buy western boots. I used to shop there when they were located in Mill Creek.
I think, it is likely just a matter of wearing them more often to eventually adjust.
My father was raised in Canada. In a small town about 45 minutes outside of Edmonton. His family owned a general store and dealt in husbandry and farriery. When he was 18 they moved to Spokane and bought to grocery stores and continued with the horse business. So he was from the other side of the mountains. That’s my visual of the state of Washington. Cowboys and ranches.
I didn't know that you had a connection to Spokane, that's cool!
Washington is so amazingly diverse. My two favorite places are the rain forests and ocean beaches on the Olympic Peninsula. The rain forest is truly amazing, and the ocean beaches on the northern coast are almost completely undeveloped as they are included as a part of the National Park.
The other place I really love is North Central Washington. An arid climate, but lots of pine trees, cattle, and horses. Quite beautiful in a really different way.
Neither of these places get too many visitors, because they are both well off the beaten path.