Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

I see by your hat…

By Julie Carter

Extreme weather is and always has been a noted feature offered up by, but not exclusive to, the Texas panhandle.

There are more stories about the “extremes” of hot and cold in that area than there are cattle in the feedlots. It is not uncommon to have someone tell you about their kin that moved to Amarillo, Texas from Fairbanks, Alaska and promptly moved back to Fairbanks after declaring it was “too damn cold” in Amarillo.

Blizzards, both sand and snow, are a common occurrence and you just about have to be from there to like being there. But the close proximity to feed and cattle keep the feed yards in business and the cowboys employed.

Men from the smaller backyard cattle growing region of the southeast will come in with a woods colt, an old saddle, and pointed-toe boots common to that region. With an excited attitude, they perceive this feedlot cowboy job to be a great adventure. 

The climate and severe working conditions of the feed yards often rapidly disillusion them. They often have a job back home to return to and do; resuming previously thought mundane careers of driving a truck hauling lumber or cattle. They take with them their tales of working in the big country and how cold and miserable it was.

The homegrown Panhandle ranch cowboys will have handmade tall-top boots with several rows of stitching, under slung heels to prevent stirrup hang ups. They bring handmade Western working saddles, traditional style, double rigged with a breast collar. Their saddles are adorned with one to a dozen piggin’ strings (small ropes) as well as hobbles and medicine bags.

Their custom spurs will have hinged buttons and their spur and headstall buckles will be rust colored with silver brands or initials. Some will have spurs that sport pizza cutter rowels and jingle bobs that make the expected signature noise.  

Panhandle punchers will, almost to a man, wear black well-worn hats. These make an unspoken statement “I’m here now, move it on over.” For the most part, that is not brag -- just fact.

Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado cowboys all have variations in their style depending on the regions. The northern boys will have leggings for chaps as will those that ride the dense mesquite and cactus covered regions. The high desert areas prefer the shorter versioned chink and tall top boots. New Mexico seems to favor a variety of cowboy garb that allows them to blend across the borders in any direction.

There are a few idiosyncrasies in cowboy gear that each generation hopes will pass without becoming history. One of those is the “taco hat” which is a straw cowboy hat with an extremely wide brim folded up to resemble a taco shell. I’ve heard it referred to as the “no mirror” style of hat, meaning if a cowboy looked in the mirror and saw how goofy he looked, he’d take it off and stomp on it.

That particular hat style appears to have originated in the Texas Panhandle but quickly migrated West. It was followed by a more recent style of hat shaping that looks like it was shaped around a shoe box.

While the Texas Panhandle cowboys will lay claim to being the punchiest bunch of punchers ever, the title will always be challenged by cowboys from elsewhere. If a cowboy is nothing else, he is a walking, talking package of pride in who he is and what he does -- no matter where he does it.

Julie can be reached for comment at jcarternm@gmail.com