What It Means When You See A Cowboy Boot On A Fence Post

People who live in the country have certain ways of doing things that those from the cities and suburbs have no idea about. So when anyone not used to rural life drives through the countryside, they wind up seeing things that might be foreign to them, like silos and barns and tractors, but also things they don't understand, like a cowboy boot on a fence post. Well what they might not realize is that the boot was placed there for an important reason and it should be left alone.

According to Classroom.com, boots aren't put on fence posts as decorations, rather they are placed there to pay respect to either a person or an animal. When it comes to animals, ranchers have close relationships with their horses, having spent years training them and caring for them, so if one dies or is sold, many cowboys sacrifice a pair of boots and place the footwear on the fence to pay tribute to the animal.

It's not only animals that are honored by boots though, often times, the boots acknowledge a beloved ranch hand. Stemming from the old adage "a pair of boots for every hand," those who work on a ranch can become part of the family, especially since many live and eat on the property. If a favorite helper passes away or moves on, boots may be placed on the fence or hung from the fence in their memory. In these situations, the boots typically belonged to the employee.

Communicating with boots on a fence is not a new thing - it's been happening for generations. In fact, in the days before electricity and telephones, boots on a fence meant that the work day was over. That's not all - if the boots pointed toward the property's gate, it meant that the farmer was at his home, while if they faced the other way, it meant the rancher wasn't in. This way, visitors would know if they should stop by or not.

These days though, since the boots on the fence tend to have a more sentimental meaning, it's best to just leave them as they are and not touch them.