Cowboy hat

Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western, midwestern, and southern United States, western Canada and northern Mexico, with many country music, regional Mexican and Sertanejo music[a] performers, and with participants in the North American rodeo circuit.

The first western model was the open-crowned "Boss of the Plains", and after that came the front-creased Carlsbad, destined to become the most prominent cowboy style.

The concept of a broad-brimmed hat with a high crown for wear by riders on horseback can be seen as far back as the Mongolian horsemen of the 13th century.

[11] The original "Boss of the Plains", manufactured by Stetson in 1865, was flat-brimmed, had a straight sided crown, with rounded corners.

[17] The charisma of the West was carried back East when adventurers returned in the expensive "Boss of the Plains"-style hat.

Stetson focused on expensive, high-quality hats that represented a real investment for the working cowboy and a statement of success for the city dweller.

The cowboy hat has been adopted as a regional identifier among Māori tribes (iwi) living in Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island collectively called "Ngā Kaupoi" ('the cowboys') for their native adoption of horses; one of its resident politicians, Rawiri Waititi, is well known for his hat-donning appearance.

[19] Hawaii's paniolo wear papale woven from pandanus leaves taken directly from the design of the Mexican sombrero.

"[22] The modern cowboy hat has remained basically unchanged in construction and underlying design since the Stetson creation.

[2] The Boss of the Plains design influenced various wide-brimmed hats worn by farmers and ranchers all over the United States.

The first American law-enforcement agency to adopt Stetson's western hat as part of their uniform was the Texas Rangers.

One theory is that the term "ten-gallon" is a corruption of the Spanish modifier tan galán, which loosely translates as "really handsome"[29] or "so fine".

"[30] Early print advertising by Stetson showed a cowboy giving his horse a drink of water from a hat.