Were Cowboys Superstitious?

Were cowboys superstitious?

Bill Dunn
High River, Alberta, Canada

Rodeo cowboys believed in dozens of superstitions. Some of them include: Never eat chicken before a rodeo because you are what you eat. Never wear yellow in the arena because the color is associated with cowardice. Never set a cowboy hat on a bed because (for some reason) that could lead to a major injury or death— the “long sleep.” To clean yourself up for Lady Luck, always shave before a performance.

Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and vice president of the Wild West History Association. . His latest book is Arizona’s Outlaws and Lawmen; History Press, 2015. If you have a question, write:  Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at  marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu