These Boots are Made for What?

For you Texans who were born here and raised here, wearing cowboy boots probably seems natural. I, on the other hand, am transplanted from Ohio. When I see a person wearing cowboy boots somewhere besides the Rodeo, it jars my sensibilities of decorum. I admit that when I was 4 years old, I was photographed on a horse, but this was Cincinnati. I am sure I wore no cowboy boots then.

I recently attended a Bar Mitzvah at a local synagogue. Most men nowadays do not wear a tie, but I am old- fashioned enough to wear my usual bow tie. I sat down with my wife as the service began, and I glanced across the aisle and noticed a 70ish year-old man wearing black cowboy boots. His pants legs were pulled up enough so that I could see these boots were made of alligator leather. There was an intricate logo sewn onto the upper side of the boot. The boot wearer complemented his outfit with a kippah (skull cap) emblazoned with a Texas A&M logo. Later, when he stood up, I saw that he also wore a sport jacket with a Western cut. OK, I thought, this is Texas after all. 

It got me wondering about cowboy boots. They are specifically designed for riding a horse. The heel is elevated and designed to hold the rider’s foot in a stirrup. I read that this heel was created only in the last 200 years or so. Before that, I guess, riders had trouble keeping their feet firmly in a stirrup. 

So why are these boots made of such weird stuff? Plain old cow leather is certainly the most common material for cowboy boots, but I am aware that in addition to the alligator leather I observed at the synagogue, there are also boots made from ostrich, elephant, python, bison, goat, kangaroo, stingray, and who knows what else. 

My 15-year-old granddaughter was visiting from California recently. She went to a Western store with my wife and her mother, and she came home with a dainty and pretty pair of boots. There was a floral design, and the boots had a kind of whitewash over the leather. I admit that when wearing them with some blue jean shorts, she did look pretty cute. But that is my granddaughter, not some gray-haired elderly man at a Bar Mitzvah.

I have an old pair of boots that I bought in 1976 when I went with my wife and then 3-year-old daughter to a dude ranch in Colorado. The ranch did not insist that you have boots, but they recommended it. Those boots are leather but have no design. The heel is only elevated a little, and I have used them over the years for other occasions when I have had a horse experience. The boots have been through mud and gravel and piles of branches. They are scratched up some, but after all these years they are quite functional.

However, I have been here in Texas long enough that I felt I should have some real, authentic cowboy boots. After more than 50 years in Houston, you would think that I ought to wear cowboy boots sometimes. Also, I have an orthopedist friend who always wears cowboy boots when he is not in the operating room. I had a backache a few years ago, and he advised me to wear cowboy boots. He said the elevated heel would relieve some pressure on my back. Now that was a good excuse to buy some cowboy boots. 

I went to the store. I admit that I had a gift certificate from something I cannot remember, but the money from it was the stimulus to acquire boots. I went with my wife, and she helped pick out boots that she felt were good-looking. I tried on several, and they felt awful. I was about to give up when I put on boots that fit perfectly. Sold! I put my shoes in the box the boots came in, and I wore my new boots home.

When I got home, I experienced the struggle that probably most cowboy-boot wearers have experienced: taking them off. I finally accomplished that, and I glanced inside the boot to note that my genuine cowboy boots were made in China. Oh well. Probably most of my bow ties are made in China, too.