Spurs and the Great West

[nrobertb]

I’ve always thought that spurs are a great American art form. I’m not a collector but I’ve had a few pairs over the years. The first pair I owned were these made by Texan Oscar Crockett, a blacksmith who started making spurs commercially in 1916.
I bought them in an antique store in Utah for $20 and eventually sold them for $340.
I’ll bet some of you westerners have a pair hanging up somewhere.

[nrobertb]

These are gen-u-wine M-1911 U.S. Army cavalry spurs made by the August Buermann Mfg. Co. I bought them in an army surplus store in Colorado Springs in 1963. Eventually I sold them to Buermann's granddaughter, who wanted something to remember him by.

[Rapidrob]

My Dad was in the Calvary in the early 30's. My sister had his spurs just like the one's you posted. He traded in his horse "Chowhound" for a tank.

[nrobertb]

These are show spurs by Garcia. Don't own them but wish I did. They are a great example of how a relatively simple design can be drop dead gorgeous.

[ffuries]

These are show spurs by Garcia. Don't own them but wish I did. They are a great example of how a relatively simple design can be drop dead gorgeous.

Amazing how something so simple and utilitarian can be a work of art!

[nrobertb]

these are the Buermann "horsehead" spurs. He was working in what he called "Hercules bronze". I have a modern copy of these.

[OLDGUNNER]

I was in an RCMP office one time in St. Johns, Newfoundland and a RCMP officer came to work riding his motor bike, in full Red Dress Uniform. He came in the door and took off his spurs and hung them on a coat-rack...just like the ones pictured with the rounded short bar. Now that is pride in work, or is it not.

[nrobertb]

The award or presentation spurs are always interesting. These were awarded at the Southern Colorado Regional Rodeo for the best working cow horse in 1998.

[OLDGUNNER]

When I was about 10 my dad bought a horse and said here it’s yours to take care of, just to help me learn responsibility. And I never had a saddle or spurs. At the time Tandy Leather sold Saddle Kits for $35, but I didn’t have the $35. Heck, probable no more than a buck and a half.

[nrobertb]

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries prisons in at least three states had machine shops they allowed prisoners to use. This is an example of prison made spurs

[nrobertb]

These are typical Mexican spurs. They favor wide heel bands and long spiky rowels. The small hole is to insert a pin if you don't want the rowel to rotate. OUCH!

[nrobertb]

Here is a pair of rodeo bull riding spurs.

[nrobertb]

Blanchard spurs are recognizable by wide heel bands and relatively thin and sometimes short shanks. It looks like this cowboy rode for the 7L Ranch, a division of the Boyt Ranch in Texas, started in 1904..

[nrobertb]

Some spurs, like this Buermann pair, have heel chains to keep them from riding up. Other cowboys used leather thongs or even baling wire.

[nrobertb]

"Gal leg" spurs were popular with old time cowboys. That's probably as close as a lot of them ever got to a woman's leg.