$10 Horse, $40 Saddle: Cowboy Clothing, Arms, Tools and Horse Gear of the 1880’s

The cowboy of the open western range flourished from 1865 to about 1885. Despite his brief heyday he made a permanent impression that has been perpetuated by dime novels wild west shows and horse operas. But the picture portrayed in popular media is often historically incorrect. Don Rickey Jr. relied on the last of the real cowboysold-time rawhiders who scoffed at the phoniness of their media imageto put the record straight. $10 Horse $40 Saddle based on the authors personal acquaintance with cowboys describes “the clothes they wore the gear they used the arms they carried and the trappings and tools of their calling.” The book provides a wealth of information about cowpoke dress from Stetsons and unfancy dark shirts to boots and underwear. It includes illustrations of the guns ropes and saddles that enabled cowboys to do their unromantic work. Rickey never stints on detail even noting how the men rid their blankets of