Riding Cuffs

A Little Piece of Working Cowboy Gear

Riding cuffs started out as working gear. A cowboy could use them to help protect his wrists from a rope while working cattle, and they offered some protection when working around wire fences. Over time, they also became part of the familiar cowboy outfit and the gear worn in Wild West shows.

Some of our cuffs are made from old examples in the River Junction Collection. Our Spotted Riding Cuffs, for instance, were copied from original cuffs we have here. They're made of leather with nickel spots and a concho, and they're made in the USA.

Other styles take their cues from the old Western cuffs without being copies of one particular pair. Some have border stamping, some have spots and conchos, and some are made with an old embossing tool that came from a saddle maker and is roughly a hundred years old.

That's the sort of thing we like about these cuffs. They're not just something that looks like the Old West. There's a bit of the old working cowboy in how they're made and where the designs came from.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did cowboys wear riding cuffs?
Riding cuffs served a practical purpose. They helped protect a cowboy's wrists and arms from rope burn when working cattle and from the sharp barbs of wire fencing. Their use became more common around the time barbed wire was coming into use across the West.

Were riding cuffs made for roping or for barbed wire?
Both. A cowboy working cattle could get a nasty rope burn around the wrist or arm, while the growing use of barbed wire brought another hazard. Riding cuffs offered protection from both.

When did riding cuffs come into use?
They appeared around the same period that barbed wire was coming into widespread use in the West. That puts them firmly in the late-19th-century cowboy world.

Are River Junction's riding cuffs copies of old ones?
Some are. Our Spotted Riding Cuffs were copied from original cuffs in the River Junction Collection. Other styles are based on traditional Western designs rather than one particular original.

What makes the River Junction cuffs different?
We pay attention to the old details. Some of our cuffs use traditional stamping, spots, and conchos, and some are made using old leather-working tools. The leather cuffs made for River Junction are made in the USA.