Cowboys mounting their horses from the left side is an iconic image of the American West. But why do they consistently choose to mount from that side rather than the right? There are several practical reasons behind this enduring tradition.
The Sword Arm
One of the most common explanations is that cowboys carried their pistols and rifles on their left hip. This allowed them to draw quickly with their dominant right hand when needed. Mounting a horse from the left side kept their sword arm unobstructed.
In the early days of the frontier, carrying weapons was essential for self-defense and hunting. Cowboys needed to be able to draw their pistol or rifle at a moment’s notice. Riding with their firearms on the left allowed right-handed shooters to freely access them if danger arose.
Even after the Old West became tamer and weapons were less necessary, cowboys continued the practice out of habit and tradition. Mounting from the left kept their dominant hand free, just in case they needed to use it.
The Cinched Saddle
Another reason cowboys mount from the left is related to the construction of Western saddles. These saddles have a latigo, a wide leather strap secured under the horse’s belly to hold the cinch tightly around the horse.
When mounting a horse, a cowboy did not want to swing his right leg over the saddle and potentially hit or loosen the tightly cinched latigo. So instead, they developed the habit of always mounting from the left to avoid any chance of interfering with the saddle cinching.
Avoiding the Cantle
The cantle of a Western saddle is the raised rear portion that joins the two side plates. Early working saddles had very high cantles to support packs and equipment.
Swinging a leg over a high cantle could be difficult. Cowboys found it much easier to put their left foot in the stirrup first and swing their right leg over the lower fork with less chance of hitting the cantle.
Spur Safety
Cowboys frequently wear spurs when riding horses. Spurs allow them to clearly signal cues to the horse. However, you don’t want to inadvertently jab the horse with a spur as you are mounting up.
By putting their left foot in the stirrup first, cowboys kept their spurred right boot safely away from the horse as they swung into the saddle. Spurring a horse while mounting could startle or confuse the animal.
The left-side mounting tradition let cowboys avoid this dangerous mistake. Keeping spurs away from the horse as they mounted allowed for a smooth, unhurried process.
Herd Instinct
For cowboys who worked cattle, there was another good reason to mount from the left. Cattle are instinctively wary about being approached from the right side. Early cowhands learned that walking or riding up on the animal’s left caused less stress.
Mounting up into the saddle from the left carried this lesson over. The mounted cowboy appearing on the left side helped prevent spooking the herd as they began their work. Approaching from the right risked stirring up trouble even before the cattle handling began.
Trail Customs
When cowboys rode together, there were additional reasons to mount from the consistent side. Riding single-file on the trail, the lead rider kept their firearm and sword arm to the front. Those following behind rode to the left so all of their dominant hands were free.
Falling into line on the trail usually involved mounting up from the left stirrup to properly take your place in the riding order.
Habits Form Tradition
The practical reasons that began the “mount from the left” custom led to it becoming standard practice even in situations where it offered no functional benefit. Generations of riders mounted from the left simply because “that’s the cowboy way.”
Even rodeo bronc riders will start their 8-second ride by mounting from the left. There’s no risk of weapons or spurs when climbing atop an animal in the chute. But following the ingrained habit just feels right.
An experienced cowboy mounting a familiar horse doesn’t need to think twice. Swinging up from the left has become muscle memory deeply rooted in tradition. No practical reason required.
Respecting Horse Nature
Another factor that may have contributed to the custom were the horse’s instincts. Most horses are more responsive to cues from their left side.
A rider mounting from the left is immediately in position to signal the horse effectively as they begin moving out. Horses also tend to be calmer and less skittish with handling from their left side in general.
Cowboys mounts up on the left almost to put the horse at ease from the very start of being ridden. It avoids distracting or alarming the animal as the rider gets settled in the saddle and begins communicating requests.
The Farrier’s Influence
Some researchers also credit the farrier’s trade as having an impact on why cowboys mount from the left.
Farriers trim hooves and shoe horses while standing on the animal’s left side. Mounting from the left may have emerged from farriers also doing some horse training while they had the animal in position for hoof work.
As skilled horsemen, farriers helped establish preferred practices. Their handling methods while trimming and shoeing could have reinforced the left side as the customary mounting side.
Riding on the Wrong Side of the Road
An interesting theory suggests that the tradition goes back even further to medieval England. Traffic at that time kept to the left side of the road.
Knights wearing swords would pass closely on the right. Keeping scabbards and weapons on the left allowed them to avoid entanglement. Heavy freight wagons also kept left to allow driver whips to reach the team of horses.
When settlers brought English riding customs to the New World, they kept left as the proper side to mount. The practice continued into the Old West even after most locations switched to right-side traffic and driving.
A Coin Flip
In the end, the dominance of left-side mounting may come down to pure chance. In a frontier culture that was heavily right-handed, starting off movements from the left side just felt most natural.
Customs often form through the subtle edge of one way feeling slightly advantageous. Once established, people follow the adopted practice without ever reconsidering.
The side we mount from is one of those details that could have gone either way. But once a tendency emerged, it became fixed as “the way we’ve always done it.”
Conclusion
Cowboys in the American West had many good reasons to begin the tradition of mounting up from the left stirrup. Reasons rooted in practical safety and technique established it as standard practice during the late 1800s.
But long after any functional benefit evaporated, the custom persists out of an ingrained habit and sense of tradition. There’s really nothing preventing cowboys today from breaking form and swinging up from the right.
Yet the iconic image remains. When a cowboy saddles up, our eyes expect his left boot to find the stirrup first. That’s just how it’s meant to be done.