It seems that any cowboy worth his or her salt has them. It’s standard gear.
Why? Do they serve some purpose that eludes me? Are they purely functional or simply fashionable?
I’m not a cowboy, but it seems to me that the pointy toes would make it easier to put one’s foot in the stirrup, which is held in place by the high arch and the heel. The high tops probably keep out some dirt and provide some protection against abrasion.
Johnny nailed it. If you notice riders in dressage or hunter or jumper events, you will see that they also have specialized boots (less emphasis on the pointed toe, higher tops up the leg, same high arch and deep heel to hold the foot in the stirrup).
The particular style of the the cowboy boot with its worked leather patterns along the ankle and shank are simply fashion, but then, so is the “always black, see your face in the shine” appearance of the typical dressage/hunter/jumper boot. (I know there are a few suede hunter/jumper styles, but they are not common and I have never seen one at a show.)
Well that was fast.
I go over to check my ever tumbling stocks, check back to see if anyone even looked at this thread, and I see it’s already answered.
I thought it might have something to do with spurs or somesuch thing, but didn’t think down the stirrup angle.
Once it’s pointed out, it seems obvious. Thanks.
What about the “undercut” heel? You know, how the backs of the heels sweep forward.
I rode a horse twice. The first time I couldn’t find the clutch, and it just stood there. Maybe I should have worn cowboy boots so it would know I meant business? (The second time went better, but it’s not as much fun as flying, motorcycle riding, skiing…)
The high tops are also good for protection against snakes and scorpions.
The EXTREME undercut heel is just a fashion statement, but yes, wearing a boot with a tall heel (like over 1" high) definitely helps keep your foot in a Western saddle stirrup.
There’s a kind of boot called “rancher boots” that look more like work boots than classic “cowboy” boots. They have more rounded toes and a plain stacked heel that avoids the “Urban Cowboy” look, so if you’re self-conscious about being mistaken for Travis Tritt, you might check those out. Their flatter heel is also better for trudging around a barnyard than the flashy undercut boots.
The high tops on a riding boot are also good for keeping manure and straw and pebbles out of your shoes. Don’t ever be around horses in oxfords or penny loafers, you won’t believe the amount of crud that can fall into your shoes.
A horse’s clutch is located in his rib cage. Next time, kick harder. Thump him good. You can’t possibly hurt him, he weighs 1,200 pounds. Heavy leather boots with a solid heel work better for this than Reeboks.
Cowboys wore spurs to minimize the amount of energy they had to expend on the clutch during the course of a day’s work riding fence or cutting out calves.
Johnny-
Implying that a horse ride is something boring and mundane isn’t admitting to all the possibilities one can encounter.
The first time I tried horseback riding, my horse just stood there like yours did. Like you, my Nike’s just didn’t seem to cut it with the horse. So, as I had done many times before, I fell back on my extensive T.V. viewing as a child as a operational guide.
I had seen on T.V. that the coolest way to get a horse to move was to swat the thing with the reigns like the real cowboys did. If it works for them, it should work for me. Right?
Well, I got on the horse, grabbed the reigns, and with a loud and meaningfull “Hiyaaaa!!”, gave him a good swat across the ass. Faster than I could smile at my coolness, the beast took off like a shot for the woods.
I literally saw my life flash before my eyes. That animal was out to kill me. He made turns into trees and branches you’d often associate with a sidewinder missle hot on the tail of a mig.
About a mile away from my group he finally slowed down enough that I could jump off. I immediately crumpled to the ground. I have never shook that much in my life.
I don’t know about the ride you had, but I know I looked at life a differently after that ride.
A mean or scared horse will try to hurt or kill you in his attempt to get you off his back. The worst thing to watch out for is a horse that rolls. He’ll stop, drop to his knees , and roll on you. If you are on a horse that starts to roll, get off!!! Then call the glue factory.
CnoteChris
I wasn’t implying that horse riding is boring or mundane. I just prefer other activities. FWIW, I like flying better than scuba diving. Since they’re both expensive, I gave up diving in favour of flying.
Speaking of crazy horses though, the one that just stood there when I was on him went a little nuts when a friend (who boasted of being quite the horsewoman) tried to ride him. He took off like a shot, found a barbed wire fence, backed up to it, and tried to throw her off into it.
What I want to know is why people wear cowboy boots as a fashion statement. Oh well, I’ll add this to the list of things I don’t get… along with everything that was discussed in the coprophilia thread 
As far as riding horses goes… I once had a horse walk through a wall with me on her back!
I was once told that the undercut heel (the one that angles forward from the back of the sole to the bottom of the heel) was for spur-wearers. A straight heel had a tendency to strike the horse just before the spur, thus dulling the impact. This had less effect, so the heel was cut away so the spur alone would hit the horse.
Of course, spurs are hardly used anymore, so the angle of the heel is more fashion than anything else. I think it has even gotten exaggerated, like the extremely sharp toe we see nowadays. I expect that actual working cattlemen have more rounded and comfortable footwear.
LOL. Thanks for the laugh dude! And I concur horses are stupid and out of date. I like bikes(dirt, street) with lots of horseys in them that I control plus you only feed’em when you ride’em. And there “doody” doesn’t get stuck on your shoe and smell. 
Where did you get this? Myself and others still use them during ranch work, but maybe you mean there aren’t too many working ranches anymore…??? Just wondering. 
Mostly WAGging, based on not seeing them much in movies and the media. I do believe spur use is a lot less common than it was when horses moved the world. I know a lot of ranches don’t use horses for much of their work, prefering ATVs and such.
Since you apparently are the ‘actual working cattleman’ I spoke of, could you comment on my last point? I find it hard to believe that someone would wear those narrow pointy types of boots while working. They seem as practical as stiletto pumps.
I assume your boots are pointier than motorcycle boots, but not extremely so. If they are extra-pointy, could you tell us why?
Calling myself a “working cattleman” is sort of a stretch as I help a real good friend on his ranch about once every two months when branding, moving cows, etc.
Whenever my friend (he’s more of the fulltime cattleman) and I work with cows, most of the time we wear normal workboots (lace-ups). They’re not as easy to get into and out of stirrups as the pointy boots are, but they are so much easier on the feet when walking around the corral and chasing cows on foot.
That’s more of a personal preference though…At the same time, I have worn “cowboy type boots” a lot and find they are much easier to use in stirrups and with spurs when you might be riding more than walking around. But I don’t own any with a overly slanted heel. The heels on my boots are fairly straight in the back with only a slight slant toward the toe.
There’s much more to the design of the cowboy boot than merely the toe. The shank was often made of steel, wood or very hard leather to support the arches in the stirrups. And, as AWB pointed out, the high tops were a guard against snakes and other lowlife critters. Also, the high tops kept dirt, sand, and water out of your shoe and provided a handhold for those times when you stepped in the thick mud in the street and needed to pull out. Also, the higer top helped to keep your feet warm on the cool range nights.
I think all the information about the function and design is great but personally, I think that they just look good! My dad has a ranch and there is nothing better than a “cowboy” in boots and jeans!
I always heard that the boots with sloped heels were called “riding boots”, and the straight stacked ones were called “walking boots”. The toe design doesn’t make much difference as a functional thing, but my understanding is that the pointy toe originates in Mexico with the vaqueros (always a stylish lot).
I wear cowboy boots because they look good, they’re appropriate footwear for my occupation, and they’re comfortable. But, mainly, because every other kind of shoe I’ve tried makes my feet sweat–with the usual olfactory consequences.