Cowboy Hat Myths, Superstitions, and Popular Beliefs

Cowboys have always been superstitious. From treating their hats with reverence to nailing horseshoes to their houses to ward off bad luck, they certainly have some superstitious tricks up their sleeves.

Where did these superstitions come from, and how much of these superstitions are based on fact?

Do modern cowboys go along with these myths as well?

Keep reading to find out all about the mysterious cowboy hat myths, superstitions, and beliefs.

1. What is a cowboy hat?

A cowboy hat is the most prominent part of a cowboy’s outfit. These wide-brimmed, high-crowned hats were a favorite since the 1800s. 

John B. Stetson made the first cowboy hats with felt. Then straw hats also became popular, but today cowboy hats come in all sorts of materials and colors. 

The design and durability of cowboy hats made them an instant success. The large brims protected the wearer from harsh sunlight and were ideal for the extreme weather conditions of the Western US.

Even today, cowboy hats are popular, and some of the superstitions associated with the hats still exist.

2. Main cowboy hat superstitions

Cowboys always believed in good luck and bad luck. Most of their hat superstitions are also based on receiving good luck and keeping off bad luck. Here are some well-known cowboy hat superstitions.

Keeping your cowboy hat on the bed brings bad luck

The most popular superstition about hats is that laying them on your bed will bring bad luck to the household, and this myth applies to all hats, not just cowboy hats.

In ancient days, people believed that evil spirits lurked in their hair, and leaving a hat on the bed would allow these spirits to transfer to their beds. What these people meant by evil spirits is probably the static electricity build-up in hair from wearing a hat all day and then taking it off.

However, this superstition exists even today. Some cultures even believe that leaving a hat on the bed invites death, and a household member would die. This belief comes from the fact people used to place a dead person’s hat on his casket. 

Some thought there were rituals to reverse the consequences of leaving your hat on the bed. The so-called rituals included spitting in the hat, throwing the hat on the ground, and then stomping on it. This ritual is supposed to ward off the bad mojo. But all it does is damage a quite expensive cowboy hat.

Interestingly, there is some truth to never leaving your hat on the bed: Bad luck can come in the form of head lice.

Traditional cowboys didn’t have many facilities for regular baths. Water was scarce in the Western ranches, and bathing was a luxury many couldn’t afford daily. Most cowboys only had a head bath once a week; unsurprisingly, many dealt with head lice. Keeping your everyday hat on the bed makes it easy for the lice to spread to your bedcovers and everyone else in the house.

So leaving your hat on your bed won’t kill you, but it can undoubtedly cause hygiene issues, especially in the form of a head lice infestation. 

Always lay your cowboy hat upside down

Cowboys believe you must always lay your hat upside down, with the opening facing outwards. They believe this will allow good luck to fall into the hat. Also, if you leave your hat face down, your good luck will fall out. 

Once again, this is just a superstition. However, there is an excellent reason for leaving your cowboy hat upside down. Leaving a cowboy hat upside down on its crown is better for its brim and helps the hat retain its shape.

Cowboy hats have distinctly curved brims, and placing the hats on their brims for an extended period could alter their shape. The areas of the brim that are in regular contact with a surface can get pushed up, changing your hat’s unique curved brim.

If you don’t want to keep your hat upside down, you can hang it on a hat rack.

Never handle another cowboy’s hat

The number one rule among cowboys is never touching another cowboy’s hat. 

Cowboys revere their hats. These hats are highly personal items that show off their personality and identity. Also, cowboy hats don’t come cheap, and the cowboys care for them tremendously.

Touching another cowboy’s hat is the easiest way to pick up a fight. Also, never try on a stray cowboy hat you see lying around in a truck shop or a bar. The only time it’s okay to touch or wear a cowboy’s hat is if they offer it to you, but this is an infrequent occurrence as cowboys seldom let go of their precious hats.

In older times, this was true for all hats, not just cowboy hats. It would be best to never mess with a gentleman’s hat unless you were looking for a confrontation. Even today, it’s a good rule of thumb to keep away from strangers’ hats as a sign of respect.

Wearing a cowboy hat backward will bring you bad luck

It’s easy to wear a hat backward by accident, but cowboys believe such a mistake will bring bad luck.

If you are new to wearing a cowboy hat, you may get confused about telling the front from the back. The first step is to look for the bow inside the hat. Most cowboy hats have a small bow on the interior attached to the sweatband, and this bow must always be in the back.

 Another way to tell the front from the back is to check for the manufacturer’s label. The label will be on the inside of the hat. The tag will always be on the back of the hat, sometimes along with the bow.

Also, you must wear a cowboy hat so that any adornments like feathers and buckles are on the left side. 

Today many people wear their caps backward. The backward cap trend is especially seen with youths sporting baseball caps. Wearing a baseball cap backward is accepted. 

There’s nothing to prove that sporting a hat backward has disadvantages. But when it comes to cowboy hats, it’s always better to better wear your hat the right way and respect the customs.

What do cowboy hats symbolize?

For a traditional cowboy, a hat is much more than a piece of clothing. It symbolizes their heritage and identity. Wearing a cowboy hat signifies accomplishment and pride and shows that you belong with the cowboys. 

Cowboys from different states customized their hats and created identities for their territories. The curvature on the brim and the crown’s creases also indicated the cowboys’ origin.

Are cowboy hats still popular?

Yes. Cowboy hats never really went out of style. Although there are not many cowboys today, cowboy hats are favored among fans of the Wild West lifestyle, tourists, and celebrities. 

The unique design of the hats indeed added to their popularity.

Today cowboy hats are for everyone. Men, women, and even children can wear cowboy hats. Many people wear cowboy hats as a fashion statement and because of their interest in the Western lifestyle.

Popular beliefs about cowboy hats

Apart from the myths and superstitions, there are quite a few beliefs about cowboy hats that are certainly not true.

Cowboys always wore cowboy hats: Today, cowboy hats are now synonymous with cowboys. It’s easy to have the misconception that cowboys always wore cowboy hats. But cowboy hats were only invented by John B. Stetson in 1865.

So what did cowboys wear before cowboy hats were invented? Mostly, bowler hats. Bowler hats, also known as Derby hats, were stylish, affordable, and available. These hats also stayed on in highly windy conditions but didn’t shield the wearer from the sun like cowboy hats.

Cowboy hats always had curly brims and dented crowns:  The original cowboy hats were very different from what we see today. The first hats had a flat brim and an indented crown. But when the cowboy hats were exposed to harsh weather, they changed shape. 

The hat brims curled up on the edges, and the crowns creased from pinching the hat to tip it off. Most cowboys preferred the naturally worn look over the new hat look with flat brims. Hat makers then redesigned their hats to get the weathered down look.

The ten-gallon hat could hold ten gallons of water: Ten-gallon hat is another name for a cowboy hat. The name ten gallon originated from Spanish, and it has nothing to do with the amount of water the hat can hold. True, cowboy often used their waterproof felt hats to collect water from a stream for their horses, but no cowboy hat can hold ten gallons of water.

Cowboy hat etiquette

You must follow specific rules when wearing a cowboy hat, regardless of your superstitions and beliefs. 

Here’s a brief look at cowboy hat etiquette.

• Remove your hat when entering a house or another indoor place. All cowboys follow this basic rule of hat etiquette. 

• When you remove your hat in public, hold it against your cheek with the opening towards your chest. It is respectful not to expose the interior of your hat. 

• Wear a material suitable for the season. Cowboys generally wear straw cowboy hats from May until September and felt hats for the rest of the year. 

Here’s all you need to know about cowboy hat etiquette.

Other cowboy myths

Cowboys were superstitious about a lot more than their hats. Here are a few other cowboy myths.

• Horseshoe and luck: Since ancient times, people believed iron could ward off evil. Cowboys thought nailing a horseshoe was the right way to avoid bad luck. It was common to sell horseshoes with their heels up fixed to cowboys’ houses.

• Change in your pockets: Superstitious cowboys always emptied their pockets before competing in rodeos. They believed that you’d never win if you had any change money in your pockets.

• Renaming the horse: Cowboys believe that they must never rename a horse. Doing so will bring about bad luck to the animal. Even today, some horse owners believe in this superstition.

• Yellow brings terrible luck: Yellow is a bright, eye-catching color, but cowboys don’t think, so cowboys associate yellow with cowardice. They believe that wearing yellow is bad luck, especially in competitions.

Final Thoughts

Cowboy hats are popular among different people for different reasons. However, many myths and superstitions are associated with this famous hat. 

There are very few real cowboys today, and some may still be superstitious. Then again, it’s easy to fact-check a myth with today’s technology. So most modern cowboys won’t be nailing horseshoes to their doors or think twice before keeping their hats on the bed. 

Now we know that most cowboy hat superstitions are based on personal beliefs and are not scientifically proven. But sometimes, it’s better to stick with the old views just so that you don’t anger any real cowboys.

So if you are wearing a cowboy hat, it is a good idea to follow the basic traditions and etiquette.