Spur Straps

The spur and its strap were and still are essentials tools of the cowboy. While there are many, many shapes & styles of spur straps, there are really only a handful of types. They are:
 
Dove Wing: This is likely the earliest and simplest of the cowboy spur straps. It is made from a single piece of leather with holes for the spur buttons.
 
Old Style Strap & Bib: This is also called a “buckle-over”. In this older style, the billet comes straight over the instep (it contours naturally to the top of the foot as it is worn) and falls over the “rosette” of the strap. It is rarely seen today.
 
Modern Style Strap & Bib: As Hollywood gained ground over the authentic west, it added more flash to the spur strap. This strap was designed with the billet angled to one side so that a buckle set and a concho could simultaneously be shown to best effect.
 
Buckle-Through: This is probably the most common type of spur strap seen today. It consists of a tab for the buckle and a strap which is integral to the body of the spur strap. This type of spur strap is sometimes called a “Texas Swell”.
 
Halfbreed: This type of strap gained some favor on the Northern Plains. Essentially, it is a buckle-through combined with the strap of a strap & bib type. Unlike the strap and bib, the billet rather than the buckle is fixed in place.

B’Ville Bandit’s Spur Straps

Black

Old Style Strap & Bib

Old Style Strap & Bib

Ocean Wave. Spur strap is pinked and decorated with bright nickel spots.

Buckaroo Berry Concho

Carolina Kid’s Spur Strap

Dark Mahogany

Buckle Through

Main & Winchester

Old California

Doubled Repeating 9’s

Chris’ Spur Strap

Cognac with black background & black lace

Modern Strap & Bib

Classic Hollywood

Elko Leaf

Cactus Flower

The “bib” of this spur strap is full double loop laced with black kangaroo. The buckle is sterling silver custom fabricated by AK.

Collin’s Brothers

British Tan

Halfbreed

Collins Brothers (If you are a movie buff, you will recognize this style to be similar to the one Tom Selleck wore in “Quigley Down Under”

Hamley

6-petal Flower

Drover Spur Strap

Antique Brown

Dove Wing

Dakota Territory

Hamley with Backfire border

Buckaroo Berry Concho

GB’s Spur Strap

Chocolate with black lace

Modern Strap & Bib

Daniel’s Spur Strap

Scroll

Initials “GB” in script lettering

The bib of this strap was laced with black kangaroo lace. The buckle is a custom sterling 3 piece tip set by DA Harris

Jeff’s Spur Strap

Golden Oak with White Rawhide Lace

Modern Strap & Bib

Burbank

Running “S” with “shell” border

Texas Ranger Concho over “spider web” tooling

Bib is whiplaced with white goat rawhide lace.

Running “S” Spur Strap

Black

Strap & Bib

Strap & Bib

Running “S”

Texas Ranger Concho

Spiked Swell Spur Strap

Brown

Buckle-Through

Spiked Swell

Bull Durham border

6-petal flower

Texas Swell Spur Strap

Brown

Buckle Through

Texas Swell

Running “S” with Beehive & Half Berry Border

6-petal flower

Tyrel’s Spur Strap

Natural Oak with Dark Brown Background

Modern Strap & Bib

Burbank

Mixed California Floral
All Contents Copyrighted 2005 • All Photos Courtesy Don "Oso" Contreras