Style
How to Make Rodeos Safer Without Ditching the Cowboy Hat
Riders are setting down cowboy hats in favor of helmets when they hop on horses. What's a hatmaker to do?
Cowboy hats are lasting emblems of the American West. Though the ranks of ranchers and cattlemen have fizzled, frontier style lives on in rodeos and horseback riding trails everywhere. Yet even at the core of cowboy culture, the Western hat is fading.
Safety concerns are pushing riders from wide, curved-brim hats to wearing helmets. As with other dangerous sports such as football, the threat of concussions looms. It's a long way from saddle to ground, whether you're racing around barrels or chasing down a calf. Sure, the Western hat remains prominent among the throngs of spectators, but some worry that the on-stage look is becoming compromised.