Boot

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

~ Terry Pratchett

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I read somewhere that ranchers and farmers sometimes put boots or shoes on fence posts to let people know they are home.  Others use them to keep the posts from rotting away in the weather.  Smart.  I think the post here is metal, though.

And, wait, maybe it's not so smart.  Someone could come along and steal the farmer's shoes and he can't really chase after them very well without his shoes.  Especially if he has to run across gravel or sand burs or water.

I bet shoe theft is why a lot of farmers have guns.  That and wolves and bears and track meets.