The old days when:
Bandage cottons were actually made of cotton, both covering and padding.
Bandages were knit cotton and had ties rather than velcro, and you would take a couple of turns of electricians tape around just in case.
Boots were leather and had myriad little straps and buckles and were a horror to deal with when mud got in those little buckles. The next step was carefully washing and oiling all those boots
Harness, including hopples and hangers was all leather, and all had to be washed and oiled at least once a week, more often if if rained.
The first synthetic hopples and hangers came out, and the mad dash to the tack shop to get the good stuff; no more oiling those harness parts and plastic hopples were much lighter even if the lenght adjustment strap was a nightmare to set. Nylon harness came later but the transition was swift as was the transition away from leather boots.
Everyone had a special device for measuring hopples: a board with one fixed disk and one movable, with inches marked down the length of the movable disk.
The heady smell of Willie Tass Leg Tightner filled the shedrows - about the only other thing than Absorbine that wouldn’t dye your hands dark brown or orange.
Valentines Hoof Ointment was king
Blue Kote was in everyone’s tack room along with Dr Bells
As to saddle fit, here people did care, at least the real cowboys did - an ill-fitting saddle would not only sore a horse but sour one real fast. There wasn’t so much variety in bits - here, there were a few spade bit specialists but everyone else rode in a plain curb with a medium port of went and got a half cheek snaffle and used that; yep, cowboys too. Mechanical hackamores were frowned upon as a gimmick only fit for gaming. I also remember sisal ropes as the only thing they would use - finicky damned things they were too because heat, cold, humidity and nearly everything affected the rope stiffness and as a result, the ability of the roper.
Typical clothing was dependant on what you did - if you farmed, you mostly wore stuff bearing the name of Work King, those that had cattle and farmed mostly wore stuff marked Lee or GWG and the rodeo boys wore Levis - Wranglers were the jeans of wannabes and horrible things they were in those days as the legs would twist badly after they were washed and the seams would spiral down your leg. Womens’ and girls’ jeans had foul buttons on the side, some design made by a sadist. I’m sure.
I bought my first pair of cowboy boots in the early 70s and I think I paid 30.00 for them, a HUGE sum in those days. They were HH brand and lasted for years and that brand isnt sold in Canada now.
He DID!!
