Mar 04 2010
Cowboy Boots and its History
Riding boots or what we know today as cowboy boots have been part of equestrian life for hundreds of years. Cowboy boots were made individually before the industrial age and these handmade riding boots were done in different styles and designs depending on the culture of the area. Early designs were heavily influenced by the Spanish vaquero tradition dating back to as early as the 1500s. This tradition still continues in the west and in Mexico.
The industrial revolution paved the way for the mass-production of cowboy boots. At the time it was particularly produced for the military. Cowboy boots look like Hessian boots, a European style of boots used by the cavalry. However, there is no proof of where cowboy boots were from save for the vaquero tradition from Spain and Mexico.
The very first cowboy boots that was mass-produced was the Wellington boot. It was very popular in the USA in the early 17th century when cowboys were still underpaid but as times passed and cattle became more expensive, cowboys started investing on more portable boots that are made out of good quality leather. It is interesting to note that fashion magazines printed in the 1850s and 1860s showed cowboy boots with topstitching with underslung heel already in place. The manufacturing of cowboy boots advanced dramatically during this time thanks to the industrial revolution.
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