Cowboys’ spurs were both practical, dressy »
By Old Hoppy Oct 2, 2009 in Cowboys, Horses | 0 Comments
Cowboys’ spurs were both practical and dressy. They helped the working cowboy control his horse, and they often were made of beautiful combinations of silver and iron — showing off the cowboy’s dressy side and reflecting something of his material success.
According to his fascinating book “Cowboy Culture,” writer David Dary says spurs were first used in the Old West by Mexican vaqueros. Dary also says a primitive type of spur has been traced by some historians back to 700 B.C. By the 1400s A.D., he says, “spurs were a mark of rank for old World cavaliers, knights, and caballeros; the right to wear spurs was then awarded only by a feudal lord or king.”
