Hat Etiquette, the Cowboy Way

Cowboy Hat Etiquette

by J.B. Blocker 

  I had a few long talks with one of my sheriff mentors and friend Sheriff Tom Maddox of Sabine County, Texas along with several other Texas Sheriffs. 
  We all agreed that the etiquette concerning the Cowboy's hat needed to be public knowledge. 

  Sheriff Tom's grandpa gave him his first boots and hat at age 3, and he's been wearing them ever since! Thanks for the additional input from Sheriffs Bob Holder of Comal County, Dan Law of Caldwell County, Don Sowell of Grimes County, Randy Brown of Medina County, and Keith Gary and the boys of Grayson County.

  The rules aren’t complicated. Heck, I’d just suggest the use of common sense. Of course, there are plenty of folks lacking in that area. They need some guidance. 

  Here are some traditional rules for wearing a cowboy hat.

Removal Rules:         Hat hair is never an acceptable excuse to not show respect!

•     Any hat should be removed during prayer or when the national anthem of any country is played. Hold your hat in your right hand, over your heart. This also applies to women, unless their hat is held on with hat pins. 
•     Always remove your hat when being introduced to a lady.
•     Always remove your hat in a Sanctuary, a courtroom, or when you enter a private room or office. (Think of it as being allowed into someone’s private sanctuary.) It is generally considered polite to remove it in a private home unless other people are wearing their hats.
•     It is proper to leave your hat on in commercial and public buildings.
•     Wearing a cowboy hat to a public theatre or movie is fine but it should be removed if it blocks anyone's view of the entertainment. 

Tipping Rules:         Courtesy cast a long shadow and is never out of place.

• ·             Cowboys tip their hats to ladies when they are outdoors.
• ·             Men never tipped their hats to other men in the Old West. It was akin to calling them a woman. A nod was a common greeting when not shaking hands.
•                Brim Up Method: Normally done by grasping the front of the brim with the thumb and two fingers and raising the brim slightly while giving an acknowledging nod.
•               Tilt Forward Method: Grasp the front top of the crown, lift slightly, and tilt the brim forward as you politely nod.

Handling Rules:       Never, ever handle another person's hat without permission unless it is to catch a runaway from a gust of wind.

•    If you do handle someone Else's hat do not pick it up by the brim! That is only for tipping. You don't want to be the one who puts a bend in someone's brim! Instead, grasp gently on the creased crown with one hand and the inside of the crown with the other.
•    Never set a cowboy hat down flat on its brim. Either hang it or set it upside down.
•    Never remove the hat off of the wearers head without permission which you will never get. Fights have been started because of that considered discourtesy.

                                                                               

     i always wear a hat

   i often

   have ideas

  that are

      much bigger than my brain. 
   who knows

   if my hat

   keeps

    any of them

    from escaping 
    i just know that plenty stay inside.

   i can feel them.

   bouncing around.
     multi-colored, multi-flavored
  jelly beans.

  want'n out of that suffocating box.

      look'n for a  doorway to reality. 
if i didn’t

 wear a hat,

i’d be scratching my head

 all the time.

                                                                jb