Ever Notice A Cowboy Boot On Top Of Someone's Fence Post? Here's Why It's There

Folk traditions are found around the globe, bringing richness and texture to our various cultures. They can be something exceedingly profound like Thanksgiving or harvest celebrations, and go all the way to quirky — like pie-eating contests and Groundhog Day. If you've ever noticed cowboy boots sitting atop of a fence post, you've been lucky enough to see one of America's regional folk traditions. It's common in Texas, but is also a practice found in many areas of the western United States. 

The question that certainly came to mind if you've seen this tradition is: why are the cowboy boots there? Much like why people put gnomes in gardens, it's a great question. The answer, as with many folk traditions, may vary with the region and the individual practicing it. One potential reason is that they represent a memorial: either to a lost family member, ranch hand, or a much-revered horse.  

Another theory is that they were a form of early communication. The rancher would put the boot on the fence post at the gate to their property. If they were home, the toe of the boot would point to the ranch house. If not, it pointed in the direction of where they were working. Another consideration is that the boot could prevent weathering on the end of the fence post.

Cowboy boots on a fence post may be simply an aesthetic choice. Showing off a well-worn boot may be a way of declaring that there is hard work being done at the ranch by the people who live there. In truth, whoever the first person who put a cowboy boot on a fence post was, and what they were trying to express, is lost in history. Like so many folk traditions — such as hanging a horseshoe — as it became more popular, the reasons behind it probably changed, and grew with the individuals and the era they were living through.

Dr. Eric Singleton, curator of ethnology at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, says the origins for cowboy boots on a fence post remain a mystery to him as well. "The reasons could be anything from a personal memorial to a prank on one cowboy by another. Making them walk in the rain and mud to retrieve it. It's unlikely we'll ever know," he said.

Folk traditions are ways that we make sense of the world and help us to meld together as a culture. As such, we should respect them. If you see a cowboy boot on a fence, enjoy the sight, take a picture, and leave it alone. If you have fence at home, however, it could be an interesting cowboy-themed decorating idea to add to your outside space.