Gordon,
In fact, wrist protectors were quit common.
"By the turn of the century virtually all cowboys were wearing wrist cuffs. They were particularly popular with bronc riders."
"Leather wrist cuffs may have started out as functional pieces of cowboy gear. As time went on, these wrist protectors became more of a fashion statement, further destancing the cowboy from the lowly farmer or townsperson."
from "Cowboys & The Trappings of the Old West"
Zon International Publishing Company, 1997
pages 80 and 81, photograph captions
Best, RG