That's how my father liked his coffee.
Rowdy was just joshing about the horseshoe, though. Cowboy coffee is made with eggshells instead of the horseshoe. The eggshells make the grounds fall to the bottom of the pot so the coffee can be poured off the top.
My father told me that during the Korean War they would make coffee by boiling water, adding coffee, then adding a pinch of salt that would make the grinds sink. Then everyone would come and dip in their cup.