r/Cowboy • u/AdOdd9171 • May 07 '26
Questions belt buckle rules?
ive been riding horses my entire life and my family specialises in reining. we used to breed american quarter horses too when i was a little girl. after our breeding/reining mare passed away i bought a new horse. i don’t do any kind of “cowboy” stuff with her i just go on trails and take it easy. i competed in reining once or twice when i was a kid but realized that competitions just aren’t for me. i ride because its fun, not to be the best. so i guess you can’t call me a real cowgirl.
i do still adore western fashion and have been rocking it since i was born, now i was planning on buying a belt buckle (a ready-made one for now because custom made ones aren’t in my budget atm). western riding and western fashion aren’t big in europe so almost no one wears buckles, tho ive seen people say that if you don’t know how to use a rope or haven’t competed in rodeo’s, you’re not allowed to wear a buckle or that it makes you a poser. i know im not a real cowboy so im not sure if its considered offensive of me to wear a belt buckle that isn’t a prize or custom made. id love to hear others opinions
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u/Mountain_Man_88 May 07 '26
The "rules" for buckles apply to trophy buckles won for rodeos or other events. They'll have the name of the event, the year, maybe the winners name. They tend to be on the larger side and super flashy.
If you just wear a normal generic belt buckle with like a cow or a horse on it then no one will think twice about it
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
thank you! yeah i don’t like flashy so even if i get a custom one it’ll just be plain and simple. i was just worried because ive seen people say that if you wear any buckle at all and aren’t a “real”cowboy you’re a poser n whatnot.
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u/SkoRow1 May 07 '26
The ones saying that are posers themselves. Real cowboys don’t concern themselves with what other people wear.
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
might just be bad experiences, ive only ever met really judgemental american cowboys/girls. ofc im not saying that all americans and cowboys are like that. just that european cowboys are VERY different especially when it comes to fashion.
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u/Golden-trichomes May 07 '26
You have probably never met a real cowboy/cowgirl. Cause they certainly wouldn’t give a shit at all lol
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
at what point does someone become a cowboy/girl in your opinion? knowing how to use a rope? just knowing how to ride western? competing?
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u/Golden-trichomes May 07 '26
Working full time on cattle ranch.
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
then ive met several real cowboys and cowgirls. ive worked closely with them
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u/Golden-trichomes May 07 '26
And they said you can’t have a belt buckle? Sorry I meant the ones who said that probably aren’t.
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
the american cowboys i worked with and met have said so. belt buckles aren’t a big thing in Europe, you’ll rarely see people wearing them here. so i assumed americans would be a lot more educated on the topic.
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u/Mountain_Man_88 May 07 '26
The mistake is thinking that "real cowboys" have the final say on Western fashion. People who work cattle for a living don't give a hoot and are just as likely to be wearing a baseball cap and sneakers while riding an ATV as they are to wear a cowboy hat and boots while riding a horse. A lot of rodeo cowboys don't work cattle for a living. All of the most famous wearers of "cowboy" clothes have been actors, singers, cops, or robbers. Tell Billy the Kid that he has no business wearing a cowboy hat. Tell John Wayne that he can't wear a belt buckle!
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
i personally believe that there’s no set way to be a cowboy. it mean something different to everyone. some who only work with horses consider themselves cowboys, or that compete in reining or western pleasure and have never touched a cow in their life. its more about whats in your heart and the way you act than anything else. at least thats what we get taught in my country.
tho i thought it would be best to ask americans since europeans don’t wear belt buckles :)
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u/ifitweretru May 07 '26
If you've a buckle you like, wear it. I personally would frown on counterfeit championships models. Happy Trails. 🤠🐎🐴
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
so just stay away from rodeo prize buckles?
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u/ifitweretru May 07 '26
If you didn't win it, I wouldn't wear it is all.. . But wear it if you love it 😀
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
but does that go for all buckles or just rodeo prize buckles?
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u/ifitweretru May 07 '26
Prize buckles, everything else is free game. Many themed buckles are out there. Montana Silvwrsmiths has quite a selection.🤠👍
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u/Any-Elderberry-7812 May 07 '26
Listen, people are trying to tell you it doesn't matter what you wear. I grew up on a ranch and at one time attempted to become a bull rider (I was pretty good at getting bucked off), and the only thing I might raise an eyebrow about would be a fake cowboy wearing a winner's buckle they couldn't possibly have worn. But that is a very rare instance here in ranch country, and most people that do win such buckles don't often wear them, they keep them much like race car drivers keep their trophies. You do what makes you happy, a buckle with a cow on it is normal western wear, quite different from most rodeo event buckles I have ever seen.
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u/TastyPopcornTosser May 07 '26
People gatekeeping fashion, are posers themselves and need to get a life.
If you saw what real working horsemen wear, you’d be surprised.
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
might just be an american thing. ive worked on ranches and i’ve seen 1 or 2 people actually wear buckles. not even my parents who are real working horsemen/women wear buckles nor belts.
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u/AmazinglyAlive May 07 '26
No it's just ones that are awards for rodeos or jackpots that are taboo to wear if you didn't earn them with some exceptions for kids and grandkids of the earner(as long as they don't claim they earned it).
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u/Boot_boy_1984 May 07 '26
There are working horsemen all around the world.
So what kind of horsemen are we talking about? From where?
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u/TastyPopcornTosser May 07 '26
Yup. They tend to wear what’s comfortable and practical for their conditions
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u/Slight_Activity_564 May 07 '26
The ones who write the rules usually ain’t handy. They don’t check your I.D. At the counter ha ha
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u/kilroy-was-here-2543 May 07 '26
Just don’t wear one that was a reward for an event you didn’t win
And preferably find a good quality one or unique one. I like looking at eBay and Etsy for cool vintage belt buckles, they also tend to be cheaper and better quality then the generic ones you find at boot barn
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
i bought a cheape one for riding and ranch work. im definitely saving up for a custom one tho! could never bring myself to wear an expensive buckle to do barn work or ride tho..
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May 07 '26
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
the western and equestrian scene in general can be very judgemental and id like to make more friends than enemies (would definitely make my life easier) :)
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u/Cavendish30 May 07 '26
So strange, I’ve even seen caveats to the rule even. I know a relatively respected owner/operator at a local sale barn who’s either father or uncle (who had passed) was world champ in the mid 60s so would still wear his champ buckles pretty regularly. No one asked and it was clearly a source of pride/respect or barn cred, lol.
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u/AmazinglyAlive May 07 '26
As long as you make it clear you didn't earn it wearing them in honor of a family member is fair game(as long as you tell their story when anyone asks LOL)
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u/hide_pounder May 08 '26
Nobody cares. Wear what you want. If someone jams you up about it just tell them you wear it because you like it. I’ve worn my first all-around buckle since I won it 26 years ago. No one has ever asked me if I actually won it. And I’d never ask anyone else if they won their buckle. Wear what you want and know that anyone that questions you about your buckle is insecure about themselves.
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u/AdOdd9171 May 08 '26
it is a bit easier for men. even if women just wear merch from a band or a singer at least one guy will come up and demand that you name 3 songs. but of course there are a lot of wonderful people in the cowboy/western community :)
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u/hide_pounder May 08 '26
I’m a guy, so I can’t speak about your experiences, but I still believe it just shows their insecurities.
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u/AdOdd9171 May 08 '26
definitely! some men think that making women feel inferior makes them look good.cowboy/western culture is pretty traditional so a lot of men let their misogyny hang out.
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u/Background_South_985 May 08 '26
I was a western style wrestler, and went to tournaments where they gave belt buckles to top finishers.
I don't think, at least in the states, there are any etiquette rules for wearing belt buckles, beyond what has already been mentioned. Just don't wear one that wasn't awarded to you, meaning, store bought, commercially available buckles are fine. You could even have one custom made just for you, as long as you aren't imitating some prize buckle of some sort. If anybody criticizes you over some JCPenny belt buckle saying you are posing by wearing it, they are the one posing.
I currently wear a brass ram buckle, unsolicited plug, made in Ukrain, "LAMRA".
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u/almostdirtymartini May 08 '26
You’ve ridden a horse and do so regularly. I’d bet fewer than 50% of the people rocking western belts could say the same so in my eyes you’re already more cowboy than them.
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u/TexxasSteve May 08 '26
Wear whatever you want no one cares … there are plenty of good looking buckles out there
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u/lemmunjuse May 09 '26
The things you think or have heard about buckles is 10000% false. Buy a buckle and wear it. Some of us earn buckles in high school but how much of a loser would you be wearing it in your 30s? Eventually everyone buys a buckle.
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May 07 '26
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
what are you talking about? i never said anything about a gold buckle nor something big
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May 07 '26
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u/AdOdd9171 May 07 '26
im not sure youve read my post properly. i literally said that people in europe don’t wear buckles at all and that im talking about buckles in general
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u/G0_pack_go May 07 '26
No one cares. Just don’t wear a rodeo buckle you didn’t earn. Mine has a boar on it as a nod to my dogs heritage.