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 If asked
which item of clothing most clearly identifies the Western Horseman
(or woman), setting them apart from other forms of equestrianism,
most people would instantly say, ‘the Stetson’.
Cowboy hats
have been the symbol of the Western Horseman since 1862, which is
reputedly when John B. Stetson sold the hat he’d been wearing
(which he made by pounding fur and dipping it into boiling water to
make a felt hat), to a passing horseman. Since then the cowboy hat
has protected wearers from the rain, wind and sun, even coming in
useful for fanning fires and carrying water!
Today the cowboy hat is still worn as a strong symbol of Western horsemanship and essentially has not changed since the 1800’s, although today there are many manufacturers making both inexpensive block hats and wool hats, as well as more costly custom fur hats.
Your Western hat should fit comfortably and not come off in a breeze, small differences in quality, shape and maintenance making all the difference to how you look in the show ring. Safety hats are legal for most western competitions but unfortunately no manufacturer has been able to make a safety hat capable of impact resistance, whilst giving a classic western silhouette.
The current style for Western competition is a Basic Cattlemen’s Crown, a 4” brim usually being the standard. However, a 4” brim is really designed for men, so women should look for a manufacturer that makes a smaller brim to avoid the hat swamping the face.
 In the pictures, Gemma is wearing a Hobby Horse hat that is shaped for todays show look and has 3 3/4" brim, trimmed and shaped to suit her face.
 Josh is wearing a Greeley Hat Works hat, the shape being similar, but the brim the standard 4”.
Your Western hat will need looking after; even the most expensive hat will look shabby if you don’t take care of it. Ask the retailer how you should handle and clean your hat, treat your hat to an annual steam clean, and never put it on by holding the brim!
In the UK it is quite hard to find a retailer that offers a custom hat fitting, but this year AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) and Rhinestone Clothing have been able to arrange for Trent Johnson of Greeley Hat Works to fly over from the US to attend the Breed and Championship Show between 27th – 29th September, at The Hand Equestrian Centre, Clevedon, Somerset. Riders at the show can be measured for custom fit hats and have their hats trimmed and shaped to suit their individual look.
Greeley Hat Works - World-Famous Hat Maker (by Karen Karvonen)
Greeley Hat Works may not have the household recognition of Stetson, yet this little northern Colorado shop builds some of the world’s finest western hats. (Both President George W. Bush and his father, former President George H. W. Bush, wear the company’s custom-made pure-beaver hats!)
World famous hat maker, and owner of Greely Hat Works, Trent Johnson, had been building hats for the presidents of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for 10 years, when they asked him to create one for George W. Bush. “He must have liked the first one enough to want a second,” said Johnson, who travelled to the White House with Melissa, his wife and business partner, where they presented the president with his custom made hat. Trent has owned the 98-year-old company for over 11 years, building hats for the State Department for presenting to visiting dignitaries, and supplying hats worldwide, to stores in Europe, Japan and Australia.
Since 2000, the company has developed exclusive lines for the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association, Colorado State University and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. It’s also the official hat maker for the Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, and the Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association.
“The best quality fur for hats comes from the semi-aquatic beaver, our pure beaver hats coming from the finest under hair from the belly of the animal,” said Johnson. “Fur from this mammal makes a hat which is thinner, lighter weight, more weather resistant, and durable, making a longer lasting hat which cleans up and holds it’s shape better.’
Affordable Alternatives
“The company used to only offer pure beaver hats,” said Johnson. “One of the biggest changes I’ve made is to create and carry lines of quality, economical hats. Now we have 5X, 10X and 20X European hare blends, preferring to avoid using lower quality rabbit hair. These are custom-shaped and superior in quality to factory-made hats. (5X is all great European hare blend. 10X is top-of-the-line European hare blend. 20X is a beaver/European hare blend.)
‘Another major change is that we build ‘Private Label’ hats for stores throughout the world, including Hobby Horse Western Treasure Hats, in both a custom and a ready-stock program,” said Johnson. “Other than that, we are still basically the same family-owned, customer-service-minded company.”
A Growing Business
“We have about 45 stores in the US that we build hats for,” says Johnson. “We now have a retailer in the UK too, Rhinestone Clothing. They have a great inventory and are doing special orders at shows. Their customer service and high quality products have made this partnership with Greeley Hat Works one of the best in the European Western Market.
So, now we know all about western hats, we can understand US singer Lyle Lovetts’ sentiment when he sings,
‘But if it’s her you want
I don’t care about that
You can have my girl
But don’t touch my hat’!
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