Playing Cowboy For Real

Ever dream of escaping the hustle and bustle of the big city for a slower paced life? Sometimes the pressures of our lives make us look to the easier times of the past. A great way to really relax and rejuvenate is heading out west – for real.

Grab your favorite broken in jeans, a soft flannel shirt and of course your cowboy hat. Horse, saddle and cowboy boots will be provided for you. The willingness to turn off your electronics and technology is a must.

People are drawn to the Western frontier lifestyle for the many things it has to offer. Any day could give you a quiet calm, a days hard work and a relaxing evening around a campfire sharing stories with friends and family. Who doesn’t like spending an evening with their cowboy boots propped up and enjoying the night stars on the open range?

Dude ranches are a great way to experience this way of life. Even though it might be temporary, the escape exists if you want to give it a try. You can go anywhere from a long weekend to a month or more with the new title of “ranch cowhand.”

Playing cowboy for real gives you the chance to escape reality and go back in time. Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah are only some of the states that offer this on dude ranches. A quick search on-line can bring up dozens of establishments waiting for give you the experience of a lifetime.

You need to decide if you want to play cowboy on a working ranch or if you are expecting more of a relaxing fantasy vacation. Guest ranches are for families, but more and more programs are being offered for adults only to enjoy downtime. It is a growing trend on the ranch vacation front.

Many of the ranches offer an assortment of classes, such as roping or horsemanship. If you choose a ranch where you will be riding a lot, you might consider buying your own pair of cowboy boots. Be sure to properly break in the boots prior to your arrival so they feel comfortable.

Fall is the ideal season to head out to a ranch since all the summer crowds are gone. Dude ranches pricing often includes lodging, meals, horseback riding lessons and trail riding. The priceless items you will take away are a sense of adventure and relaxation.

Mexican Cowboy Boots

There are many different cowboy boots that a person can choose from. One nice cowboy boot style is the Mexican cowboy boots. Their history started in the 19th Century, and they continue to be a popular choice today.

Mexican boots were worn by cowboys in Mexico in the early 1800s. They were once flat-heeled boots, and were quite short. Mexican cowboys later replaced the lower, flat heeled boots with high heeled ones.

Mexican cowboy boots are not usually made out of leather, like normal boots. They usually use exotic animal skins. Some examples of materials they are made from include bull, lizard, armadillo, and ostrich.

Mexican boots can be made to be both flat-heeled or high-heeled. They can also vary in length, to be short or tall boots. Mexican boots also come in normal widths, and wide width sizes.

Mexican boots can be worn by anyone. Men, women, and children enjoy the style and fun that Mexican boots can provide. Since the boots normally come in a variety of color combinations, they are a popular choice for children.

Shorter Mexican boots usually come with flat toe caps, though some boots have silver pointed toes. High heeled boots normally tend to have pointed toes. These types of boots are usually made for horse-riding cowboys because of their need for pointed toes for their saddles.

Mexican boots are handcrafted. Each stitch can be made with elaborate designs and delicate details. Mexican boots can be designed with themes, such as musical or horse themes.

Mexican cowboy boots do not use laces, but they do have lace-like trimming. Because of their unique designs, Mexican boots are still being used by many people today. They tend to be a little more expensive, but price depends on the animal skin that is used. If you like very unique designs and styles, Mexican boots may be the right choice for you.

How to fit a Western Boot:

To fit a boot, you want to use a foot measure. They come in Men's, Women's, and Kid's sizes. This allows you to find out what size your foot is and your foot’s width. You need to make sure that you stand on the measure with you heel all the way to the back of it because your foot will spread when there is weight on it. You can measure your left foot or your right. Men are most commonly a size 10 with a "D" width.

The foot measure can also measure the length of your arch or instep. Do note that every brand of boot will fit differently. Also everyone has one foot that is smaller than the other. Make sure that you try on both pairs of boots to get the best fit.

Different Parts of Cowboy Boots

If you have had the time or desire to stare at someone’s boots, you would have noticed that there are many parts to one. Each part has a purpose for the person wearing them. I will not bore you with the details of every boot part there is, but I will show what some are and their significance.

The shaft is a long, cylindrical part that goes up the leg. Shafts come in many heights and can be very decorative. They can have colored stitch patterns and embroidery, or tooling by hand or machine. If you can think it, someone can make it and put it on a shaft. This allows the owner to personalize their boots if they want to.

The shaft is also for the protection of the leg. Just like shin guards, chaps, and protective vests, this part of the boot offers the wearer protection against heat, cold, sharp objects, and prevents objects from entering the boot from the top and causing discomfort.

The shank is located between the midsole and outsole, and runs parallel with the foot between the ball of the foot and the heel. This significant part of the boot is commonly called the “arch support”.

Shanks are made from steel, carbon fiber, plastic, fiberglass, and even aluminum. They can be flat, forked, dished, and contoured. Have you ever discovered that some boots feel great on your feet, while others seem to cause pain in the arch of your foot, like you are standing on a shovel with bare feet? Frequently, this is caused by the shank not being the same shape as your foot.

The outsole receives the most amount of abuse, so it is, arguably, the most important part of the boot. Outsoles are made out of two main materials: leather and synthetic materials. Leather is a natural, breathable material that conforms nicely to your foot. It comes in many thicknesses to accommodate different needs. The only reason some steer away from leather soles is that they tend to wear out quickly when they are wet.

Synthetic soles offer greater durability in moisture and other liquids, but they come with one nasty side effect: heat. Leather allows heat to dissipate through the sole, but synthetic soles trap it. Synthetic soles usually offer greater longevity and can offer more slip and chemical resistance, but can you take the heat? For many, the answer is answered for them, due to the nature of where the boots are worn. Also, some prefer the cushion of a synthetic sole over a leather one.

Whatever your preferences may be or how you wear them, boots are worth staring at. Most boots are made by hand, so even in this age of mass production, no two pair are exactly, or fit exactly, alike. This makes each one unique, and an expression of the individual.

What Types of Cowboy Boots are Available?

I remember the days when you walked into your boot shop and you could find a few pair of boots to choose from. That is not the case anymore. There are many styles to choose from now, each with a purpose, and a look, in mind.

The good, old cowboy boot that most think of has a heel around 1.5 inches. It has a pointed toe and a 13 inch shaft. They usually have some stitching on the toe called a “toe bug”. These basic boots have been worn through the decades.

A cousin of these boots is the dress boot, usually made with an exotic leather such as alligator, ostrich, lizard, or many others. They look just like the good old cowboy boot mentioned above, only with that expensive, exotic hide on it.

The Roper has a one inch heel, round toe, and a shaft of about 11 inches. This boot has been a favorite of those who rope, hence the name.

The Stockman is a hybrid of two styles, the roper and the traditional cowboy boot. It has a 1 to 11/8 inch heel, round toe, and a shaft 11 to 12 inches tall. However, unlike the roper, it has a ¾ welt on the sole. This provides a different fit for those who need it.

The Buckaroo has heels up to 3 inches, round toes, with pull holes, mule ears, or pull straps at the top of the shaft. These boots are usually taller, starting at 13 and going up to 18 inches tall. These are usually worn by those who need good leg protection and a good heel to ride in.

Roughstock boots have heels around 2 inches, can have round or square toes, have tough heel counters for durability, and usually have leather soles. They are around 12 inches tall. These boots are made for riding bulls and broncs, or anyone who likes that look.

Fashion boots are in a class of their own. There are no rules these days for these boots, for they are as varied as the people on this planet. High, narrow heels are usually prominent, being 3-4 inches tall, but there are other styles that use designs and colors to set them apart from their competitors. In the western world, bling has come with hurricane force to stick to anything it can. Boots are no exception to this. Silver dots, brass dots, hair on hides, camo, and bling can be found almost anywhere.

Mules are a cousin to fashion boots with their colors and styles, only they have no shaft or heel. With jeans on, they like boots, so many women like to wear these for their comfort and looks.
In general, a boot is a boot. With a closer look, however, boots can give you a closer look at how someone sees the world, and how they perceive the world sees them. Boots are a standard, especially cowboy boots.

Ride on, for a West is still out there to be won.

The History of Justin Boots

The Justin Boots story began in 1879, when H.J. Justin left Lafayette, Indiana to start a new life in Spanish Fort, Texas. Initially a boot repairman, H.J. soon began his own boot company working out of his home.

When a railroad was built in Nocona, Texas in 1889, H.J. moved his family and business there to capitalize on the bigger market opportunity. Annie Justin, H.J.'s wife, developed a “fit kit” in the early 1890's, which included a tape measure and an instruction chart for the measuring a pair of custom fit boots. Cowboys who carried these fit kits on their journeys became Justin's first Traveling sales force.

In 1908, John and Earl came to work for their father, and the company was renamed H.J. Justin and Sons. In 1910, Justin boots were sold in 26 states, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba for $11 a pair. John, Earl and Avis took over the business after their father's death in 1918. In 1925, the brothers moved the company headquarters to Fort Worth.

In 1948, John Justin, Jr. purchased controlling interest in the company. It wasn't long before H.J. Justin & Sons was growing again. In 1968, the company made a deal with Acme Brick, another Fort Worth company with pioneering roots, to form Justin Industries. Nocona Boot Company became part of Justin Industries when John Jr. purchased the controlling shares from his aunt, Enid Justin, in 1981. Three years later, Chippewa Shoe Company was added to the Justin family of brands. And in 1990, Justin Industries purchased competitor Tony Lama Boots after years of intense rivalry.

In August of 2000, Justin Boots was purchased by Berkshire Hathaway, managed by Warren Buffet. With strong financial backing, a lasting tradition of quality, and a talented management team, Justin Boots today is stronger than ever.

To get more detail of Justin's boot history check their web site: http://justinboots.com/en/heritage.html

Cowboy Boot Work:

>You have the pull on work boot that make it easy to take on and off by using the looped straps on the sides of the boot.

Then you have the lace style that are great for people you have high insteps or need more support. With the laces you are able to secure the boot to a comfortable fit.

Both styles of boots come with rubber soles to prevent slipping out in the work field.

Care for Cowboy Boots

Since cowboy boots are a big investment whether they cost $80.00 or $2000.00, the right care is the best way to protect your investment. It is not really all that hard to care for cowboy boots but important. You always want to wipe off any mud you may have on them immediately while the mud is fairly damp, and use a soft damp cloth to wipe off any dust that could be left on your boots. For boots that may be very dry, shoe cream or leather conditioner can be used and is preferred over saddle soap which could hurt the finish on the boot.

There are all sorts of different kinds of cowboy or cowgirl boots as in cowhide cowboy boots are very strong maybe the toughest of all the cowboy or cowgirl boots. Cowhide can be cleaned by brushing off any loose dirt & dust and then use approved leather conditioner to clean. You may want to use a matching shoe color cream, brushing into the leather and then use a soft clean cloth to buff the boot.

Some boots are durable but softer to touch as in rough out or suede cowboy boots. With this type of boot you want to avoid the mud, then clean with a nylon brush and you should treat with a stain protector fairly often.

Full quill ostrich cowboy boots have a very unique grain. The smooth ostrich leather is soft to the touch due to reduced indent contents. The ostrich cowboy or cowgirl boots are very strong and versatile. To care for the ostrich leather brush off any loose dirt with a brush or a soft cloth, apply Reptile Conditioner with a soft cloth and then let them dry followed by thin coats of conditioner as needed.

Cowboy boots made from snakeskin are smooth and very delicate to touch. To care for snakeskin cowboy or cowgirl boots wipe against the scales to remove dust and dirt. When applying matching cream polish make sure you polish with the grain of the scales. Yellowing of snakeskin is caused by the sun and cannot be reversed with cleaning products.


There are cowboy boots made from alligator and to keep them in good condition you simply brush off any loose dirt with a brush or a soft cloth. Apply Reptile Conditioner with a soft cloth and then let them dry. Buff the leather and apply thin coats of conditioner as needed.

There are other exotic cowboy or cowgirl boots like elephant & lizard to care for these types brush off loose dirt then clean with a leather conditioner. Then you would apply a thin coat of a matching wax polish and buff.

Some of the boot makers that would make these types of exotics, or cowhide would include Ariat, Lucchese , Justin, Tony Lama, Charlie 1 Horse, Olathe, Chippewa. Cowboy boots come in a wide range of sizes for any lifestyle. The exotics are generally the most expensive compared to cowhide or rough out leathers.

Ariat, Justin, and Lucchese Boots

Ariat has a new luxury collection of Horn back Caiman boots for men. Made from the exotic horn back caiman lizard on handcrafted leather soles.

Justin's bent Rail collection is made up of the cutting edge styles providing the new generation a hip collection with a broad range of innovative styles for men and women.

Lucchese Cowboy and Lucchese Cowgirl are unique for a few reasons. They share our exclusive channel insole with our Classics, but we've included a cushion leather sock lining. Performance heel counters, your choice of toe, heel and out sole for a tailored fit. Focusing on fit, quality and style. They listen to their customers.