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Western Spurs

A Western-style of spur (aka, the type of spur with a rowel) are believed by most historians to have originated in France or Spain in the 10th Century AD.

However, roweled spurs, for whatever reason, did not come into wide use until the 14th Century. You can find out more about the history of Western spurs a little lower on this page, underneath the spurs for sale.

Below: A Western spur on a cowboy.

Western spurs on a working cowboy

Below: A classic Western spur with antique finish and German silver. From Amazon.

Antique finish and German siler on Western spurs
Western Spurs With Antiqued Finish and Engraved German Silver


From eBay and Amazon

See more Western spurs on eBay

See more Western spurs on Amazon

 


Items On (Some) Western Spurs

Some Western spurs have chap guards and/or jingle bobs. So, what are those?

Below: The blue arrow is pointing to a chap guard. The yellow arrow is pointing to jingle bobs.

Close up of Western spurs and jingle bobs


A Brief History of Western Spurs

While there is much speculation about the earliest forms of spurs, a great deal is not actually known. Many historians believe there were very early forms of spurs made from wood and/or bone.

It was not until spurs were made of metal that their history became somewhat easier to trace. Metal spurs were believed to have been used by the Roman Legions of Julius Caesar (who lived from 100 BC to 44 BC), and spurs from the 2nd Century BC have been found in the famous Etruscan tombs of Northern Italy.

Early spurs did not have rowels like the most well-recognized Western spurs do today. Instead, they simply had one prong and little or no neck. Spurs with rowels are believed by most historians to have originated in France or Spain in the 10th Century AD, but roweled spurs, for whatever reason, did not come into wide use until the 14th Century.

Spurs came to the Americas with the Spanish, dating back to the conquistadores arriving in the 1500's. In those days, the spurs that would eventually evolve into the modern Western spur worn by cowboys had a rowel that was 6 to 8 inches around. Appropriately enough, it was called "The Espuela Grande" which means "The Great Spur."

Over time, spurs made their way to what is now Mexico and the United States and became more refined for the newly emerging lifestyle of the Vaquero, and a little later the cowboy.

The modern Western spurs worn by cowboys and cowgirls have been used as much for displaying artistry and fine craftsmanship as they have been for a riding aid. Western spurs are frequently decorated with names, brands, initials, a wide range of symbols, engraving, inlays, or other ornamentation. They can come in colors, with large rowels, small rowels, and no rowels at all, or in virtually any other variation the rider would like.

A customized Western spur with the name "Levi."

A customized Western spur


Spurs - Fun Stuff To Know

During Medieval time spurs became a recognizable way of determining a man's rank or status.

 


Save The Spurs For Later

If you find a set of spurs you like on Amazon but you're not ready to purchase them right away, you can always add them to your shopping cart so they will be easy to find later.

Important: Putting items in your Amazon shopping cart or "Save for later" list does NOT reserve them! It just makes them easier to find if they're still in stock when you come back.

Below: Screenshot image showing the "delete" and "Save for later" links when an item is in the Amazon shopping cart.

Cowboy Amazon shopping cart

 








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