There's Just Something About a Cowboy

Have you ever wondered where the expression “Cowboy up” came from? It means to throw on the cowboy boots and hat and step up to whatever happens to be needed. Riding the range, the dust on the hat and the almost irritatingly catchy country music all have a romanticism about them that is undeniable. There’s just something stable, something strong, and something sexy about a cowboy. Now that you know the meaning of “cowboy up” there are a few other cowboy facts that you might not be aware of because it’s not just about the two-step and the western clothing.

Take, for instance, the quality and style of traditional western clothing. It’s not a brand name fixation that makes them so popular it’s how they’re made.  If you check out a regular pair of fashion or designer jeans and compare them to a western style, you’ll notice a very subtle yet very important difference.  The inside seam on the legs of regular jeans is doubled while the outside seam is smooth. On jeans made for farming those seams are inverted. It seems like a small thing but if you’re in the saddle all day long the last thing you want is a thick double seam rubbing against the inside of your thigh for eight hours. And what about cowboy boots? What makes them so special? Believe it or not the most important feature on a cowboy boot is the heel. They’re designed to slide snuggly into a saddle stirrup which gives the rider the ability to stand, shift weight with the movement of the horse, and keep control under high speed. The length of a cowboy boot also saves the riders legs and ankles from painful chafing against the saddle straps.

So now that the western clothing makes sense, what about the actual term “cowboy” verses the less often heard term of a “wrangler”? That one is the easiest yet least known of all.

A cowboy works with cows while a wrangler works with horses.

Huh. Who would have thought that the legendary romance of a cowboy would have such design logic behind it?