Anyone who has seen a cowboy movie cannot forget the outfits – the hat, the boots, the shirts and the jacket. Many Hollywood blockbusters like For A Few Dollars More (1965) and Mackenna’s Gold (1969) have left a lasting impression in people’s minds about the stereotypical cowboy look.
A cowboy is a person who tends cattle and horses on a ranch. In the early 16th century, some Spanish settlers migrated to the Americas (now Mexico) along with their cattle and horses. The cattle needed vast stretches of land to graze on and it was impossible to cover such long distances on foot. Thus, the horse-back mounted cowboy arrived in America. As the work undertaken was so tough, the cowboy had to be suitably attired to withstand the stress. Therefore a cowboy’s clothing made his job easier – all-weather enduring jeans, a wide-brimmed hat to keep out the sun, crisp white shirts to stay cool in the heat, long cowboy boots with spurs, a bandanna, a vest, and a rope to lasso the animals. There were also ranch coats to withstand tough weather conditions, barn jackets to keep the cold out, ponchos for the rain, and wool caps and gloves for the hard winters.
The cowboy had lots of strenuous work on the ranch – patrolling the range, gathering the cattle, taking the cattle to graze, mending broken fences, checking for water problems and ensuring no predators were around. The cowboy had to feed the livestock, brand and earmark the cattle (sometimes even the horses), and also tend to the animals.
With the ranch work being so tough, cowboys discovered new ways to keep themselves entertained as well as to stay fit. This gave rise to the rodeo, and gradually, it was used to help cowboys perform and earn a living. Most rodeo cowboys had experience working at ranches. Some, however, trained especially for the rodeo.
With the enduring appeal of Westerns, the cowboy style of clothing has caught on in fashion too. Popular cowboy clothing includes cowboy shirts, cowboy vests, cowboy hats and cowboy jackets.
