My cowboy hat gets complimented so frequently that it does not surprise me anymore, but a little girl in a café, maybe three years old, saw me and asked her mother if she could talk to the cowboy. I heard her question and I stopped and introduced myself. Of all the things a three-year-old might ask about, she wanted to know why the heels on my boots were so slanted. I answered her question and we went on to talk about cowboy stuff from a three-year-old’s viewpoint.

This all reminded me of a picture of me at about age 2, sitting on my dad’s saddle in a driveway. I have my dad’s hat and boots on and his rope in my hand. Those boots came up to my hips and the hat fell over my face, but I was so proud to be part of who my father was, and his gear, and how he thought about life, it all became part me as I grew up.

When I was working on ranches, some of the most important gear you could own were a Porter or Mueller saddle, a yellow rain slicker, a saddle rope from King ropes, and Blucher boots. Perhaps I should point out I grew up in Wyoming because cowboys from South of Utah, or California, might have a different view point.

A King rope was important and they were usually made from Maguey or Hemp. Hemp did not get as stiff in the rain and have to be re-stretched like Maguey, and it was a little easier on the hands. Occasionally a Cowboy from Texas might show up with a real 60 foot long Reata made from bull hide. Those things required real expertise as you could not tie hard and fast, or even take a tight dally, because it might break the rope. Nylon ropes were just starting and they were not yet popular.

If you worked all summer and then got an over winter cattle feeding job, you might be able to afford to buy a good Stetson hat in the spring. They might look like hell after a few years but they would hold up and shade your eyes from the sun and keep the rain off your neck for a long time. Most of the guys I knew were wearing Baileys or John Deer or King Rope promotional hats, and hoping one day to have a Stetson.

Then there was the most important thing working cowboys could own, and that would be his saddle. I will not get into all of the variations at this point but every cowboy knows how he likes his saddle to feel, and he knows what every piece of it is for. My dad gave me my first Porter saddle and told me that when a man arrives at a ranch for work, with his own saddle, people take him more seriously. I still have that saddle and it is now over 80 years old. It has been reworked twice during its lifetime, to replace worn out rigging, and every scrape and cut on that saddle has a story to tell.

Every profession has its own gear and the people who use that gear all have their own stories. So if you’re fortunate enough to have a three-year-old want to ask questions about what you’re wearing, open your mind and take the time to just listen and share stories with a three-year-old. It will enrich both of your lives, and maybe help all of us understand each other better.