WESTERN COWBOY SPURS
by Carol Fortner
Carol's Antiques, Port Sanilac

When you think about collecting Cowboy paraphernalia, one of the first items that come to mind is his spurs.

The Cowboy fundamental items were always the same: the saddle, bridle and bit and, depending on the horse he rode, sometimes a martingale was required.

But his own personal items were his unique hat, his chaps, a good roping rope, and of course, his boots: the spurs were a definite must. Usually the spurs never came off of his boots.

Most spurs were functional for daily use on the ranch, but there were also many types of dress spurs, and they were very fancy, sporting many different designs. These were on the fancy boots for dances and other dress occasions. There has been and will continue to be a real beauty to spurs.

Cowboys and all horse people have high regard for their spurs. Some of these spurs were custom made for certain boots and never removed. The jingle-bobs and rowels make sounds that identify a person as they walked, long before you saw the person.

And as one would expect, work boots and spurs were usually plain, while the dress boots, were very ornate with silver and brass overlay and fancy designs on them.

Spurs are so durable usually they would last a Cowboy a lifetime, unless they were damaged in an accident or somehow got removed from their boots and one got lost.

American spurs, such as the Texan or Californian type, had smaller rowels and were generally more refined than the Mexican spurs.

Mexican spurs most usually had very large rowels and because the California spur was a shoot-off of the Mexican spur, the Californian style resembles the Mexican more so than the Texan.

The ornate designs on many spurs reflect the very unique hand work of extraordinary artists. South American Cowboy spurs tend to be smaller and more delicate with intricate engraving. There has always been and will certainly continue to be a beauty and romance pertaining to Cowboys and their boots and spurs.

As collectors, some of us prefer to specialize in a certain type of spur and for the rest of us, just getting a pair of the large range of the different styles appeal. I find the history behind each pair intriguing and can never pass up any pair that I find. Prices vary depending on the style, engraving, overlay of silver and who they belonged to.

Some of the makers were Hitcock-Kelly Bros. and Crockett. Some books to identify spurs and other western items are Spur Marks by Natha Mitchell, Cowboy Culture by Michael Friedman and Bit and Spur Makers in the Vaquero Tradition by Ned and Jody Martin. There are many more books available. Have fun collecting.