Time for another Thingamajig Thursday. Today I’m naming those small revolving disks with the sharp points that you find on the end of a cowboy’s spurs.
They’re called rowels, a word which can be traced back to the Latin root, rotae, which was the name of the wheel on a horse-drawn chariot. As a verb, we derive roto, or, to turn, from the same root.
Though no one knows exactly when people first started putting rowels on spurs, the spur itself is believed to date back to the Roman empire, though you won’t find them on any of the sculptures from the period.
Before rowels, spurs sometimes had little pointy nubs on the ends of them, which eventually morphed into fixed disks before someone had the smart idea to get those wheels a turning. The fixed disk variety can be seen on the seal of Henry III and by the 14th century, the roweled spur was as standard as the horse itself.
If this post has spurred you on to come up with a better name for the rowel, it’s that time again: Let’s see what your smart readers can come up with. Drop your improved thingamajig name in the comments below. And if the Brokeback Mountain theme is now stuck in your head, I sincerely, really, honestly do apologize.
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Why do they need to rotate? It seems like a small spike (not terribly sharp) would do the trick of putting a little more giddyup in your pony, so what’s with the overcomplicated movable part?
I recommend that they be called Spur Spinners.
posted by Bob on 8-7-2008 at 5:15 am
Color me stupid, but I always referred to it as a spur.
posted by Craig on 8-7-2008 at 8:31 am
I know nothing about horses, but I’m trying to find the benefit of the wheel design. What exactly do it do?
posted by Karen on 8-7-2008 at 8:39 am
My theory is that the rotation lessens the likelihood of lacerating your horse when the spurs are applied. It also increases the bling factor by providing a big flashy piece that summons attention by jingling.
As for alternative names, they’d have to be in keeping with the taciturn riders of the purple sage. Something like ‘tentiongitters, giddyups or bootwheels.
posted by Tom on 8-7-2008 at 11:37 am
“How ’bout you, Lash LaRue? Can you keep your spurs from jingling and jangling?”
They could be called keitels.
posted by Johnny Cat on 8-7-2008 at 11:57 am
From the horse’s point of view, I’d call them, “Dude, you poke me with those things one more time and I dumping you in the nearest stand of saguaro.”
posted by Joanna on 8-7-2008 at 1:11 pm
“equine motivation accessory”
posted by Nick on 8-7-2008 at 3:08 pm
The spurs rotate to keep them from becoming stuck on anything they might come in contact with – horse, stick, other person
posted by Scott on 8-7-2008 at 7:40 pm
I don’t really know why they need to rotate, but rowels are only “standard” on spurs for Western style riding. Most spurs used by English sytle riders have a flat-ended nub.
The pointy bits of the rowel aren’t really that sharp, especially if you are a horse with lots of hair, so I doubt that the purpose is to prevent cutting. Though I am an English rider myself, so I’ve only ever used non-roweled spurs.
And I like the word “rowel.” Rowel rowel rowel.
posted by Allison on 8-11-2008 at 2:24 pm