Cowboy boots: several reason why you should buy, break in

Long ago days of martial law and saloons come to mind when someone mentions the word “cowboy.” Some gentleman on a horse wearing a cowboy hat with chaps is usually one imagines.

Although those days might be long gone, one item of his clothing that has stood the test of time is cowboy boots.

Cowboy boots—and cowgirl boots—have appealed to clothing markets, attracting a variety of people. For some reason, I don’t see a lot of people wearing cowboy boots.

Here’s a few reasons why you should buy a pair of cowboy boots.

• Ever had to throw away a pair of shoes because the soles wore out? Unlike most shoes, sandals and, the worst of all footwear, flip-flops, cowboy boots can be resoled. For those uneducated in the art of cobbling, resoling is the process of refinishing the bottoms of footwear, resulting in a prolonged life. Most of the time, cowboy boots can be resoled multiple times before ever having to purchase a new pair.

“But cowboy boots are expensive,” said the person that just spent $200 on a pair of basketball sneakers.

• Yes, cowboy boots usually are pricey. After a year, when that pair of $200 tennis shoes is thrown out, my pair of cowboy boots is just being broken in.

With proper maintenance, cleaning, oiling and love, there’s no limit on how long a pair of cowboy boots will last. After three years of drywall dust, concrete and mud, my $100 pair of cowboy boots are still going strong.

Why not get some footwear that’s going to stand out? Cowboy boots can be made out of a variety of materials—Ostrich, bull, alligator, lizard, snake, eel, shark, crocodile, pirarucu fish, boar and elephant to name a few.

Each one of these leathers has its own qualities and unique look. However, buyers must be careful who they buy from as to not purchase a pair of illegally made boots. Buyers should patronize reputable stores and only buy online from accredited sites.

I know what you’re thinking: It’s wrong to wear the skin of an animal. First off PETA, many of the animals mentioned above are killed legally for their meat, so why not use all parts of the animal? Secondly, there are alternatives to animal hides, such as synthetic leather made out of plastics and fabrics.

Cowboy boots are going to take some time to break in. However, what in life worth doing doesn’t take any time? Yes, breaking in cowboy boots hurts. I once bled through 60 individual bandages breaking in a pair of Anderson Bean bull hides. The end result is I now have a pair of cowboy boots that are molded to my feet.

With cowboy boots, if your feet aren’t bleeding, then they’re not made out of a quality leather.

Perhaps the best part of all is never having to tie a pair of shoes again. Cowboy boots, unlike laced tennis shoes, can be taken off with ease. If the shaft (the upper part of the cowboy boots) its low enough, some boots don’t even require one to reach very far to slip them on.

You don’t need a horse to own a pair of the greatest footwear to exist. Cowboy boots are a good fit for anyone. Wear them casually or wear them when you’re dressed up for a night on the town.

Regardless, cowboy boots have stood the test of time for good reason.

Josh Estabrook is a sophomore business administration major from Omaha, Neb.