Just like everything else, inspiration was needed to influence the making of the American Cowboy Boot. In this case, Spain can get credit for its vaquero-style boot brought to the Americas - A short, flat boots that often had spurs attached. But the major influencer was the riding boot that came from Europe. The high rise leather boot was very well known as a horse riding must; but it didn't quite fit the calls of the cowboy. After the Civil War was over in 1865, the cowboys who were driving cattle across the country discovered that they needed a different style of footwear. The ones that were worn during the war era didn't suit the long hours riding on the trails, blazing through the brush, splashing through creeks / rivers, and riding with their feet in stirrups for hours, if not days, at a time.
Around 1870 some ingenious cowboy (exact date and name can still be argued today) took his boots to a shoemaker and asked for a pointy toe - something he could get his foot into the stirrup more easily with; a taller shaft to protect his legs to the elements; and a bigger, thicker, underslung heel - something so his foot wouldn't come out of the stirrup during the rough rides over the trails. The design that came about was something to protect the legs from the thorns of mesquite trees, barbed wire, snakes, and other dangers. The boots were pulled on with mule-ear straps, but were loose enough on the top so that they could be wiggled and kicked out of easily if the rider was hung up in the stirrup and needed to get out in a hurry.
The design was made with tough leather for the cowboy boots would also protect the cowboy's ankles from being bruised by the wooden stirrups, and save his legs from rubbing against the stirrup leathers. The boots were then stitched on the outside to keep the leather from buckling and eventually after the many miles; rubbing against the cowboy's leg. The high, underslung heel of the cowboy boot also served to protect the cowboy; he could dig that heel into the ground when pulling a stubborn drive animal, or when leading his horse down a steep and rough trail. The heel also kept the foot from going all the way through the stirrup so that if the rider was thrown from his horse, he wouldn't get stuck in the stirrup and drug on the ground. And just like that, the first pair of cowboy boots was born. The first pairs of cowboy boots out there had very little style and were for working purposes only! They were a tool that helped keep the cowboy safe and quickly became a part of any cowboy's everyday life.
At first, cowboy boots were only custom made to fit each rider; A cowboy would have to go to a cobbler and they would make a pair of cowboy boots just for him. Later, the first mail-order and then the pre-made sized option boot companies came about. Cowboy boots began as a practical tool for the cowboy, but soon became a fashion statement. The stitching on the outside usually done in a plain black or brown soon gave way to more colorful thread, and designs and pictures were sewn into the boots. From there, boot makers began to experiment with inlays and overlays, and suddenly boot designs became limitless. The more extraordinary the cowboy boot could be, the better.
