Cowboy boots refer to a unambiguous style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, customarily, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally made from cowhide leather but are also sometimes made from "exotic" skins such as alligator, snake, ostrich, lizard, eel, elephant, sting ray, elk, buffalo, and the like.

There are two basic styles of cowboy boots, western (or classic), and roper. The western style is renowned by a tall boot shaft, going to at least mid-calf, with an angled "cowboy" heel, usually over one inch high. A slightly lower, still angled, "walking" heel is also common. Although western boots can be modified with a wide variety of toe shapes, the classic design is a narrowed, usually pointed, toe.

A newer design, the "roper" style, has a short boot shaft that stops above the ankle but before the middle of the calf, with a very low and squared-off "roper" heel, shaped to the sole of the boot, usually less than one inch high. Roper boots are usually made with rounded toes, but, correlating with style changes in street wear, styles with a squared toe are seen. The roper style is also manufactured in a lace-up design which often fits better around the ankle and is less likely to slip off, but these two features also create safety issues for

Cowboy boots have been around for a long time. They were mainly meant for adventurous work like hunting, exploring or for those jobs that demanded tough conditions like working outdoors. Now they are also part of high fashion and are much coveted fashion items.

There are many different boots to choose from and it varies from the material used to the color, the shape, the height (length), the cut, etc. When it comes to the material used, it can either be artificial or natural, usually leather. They also come in all price ranges and hence the quality also varies greatly.

Cowboy boots were originally meant for cowboys so that they could ride and work easily while keeping their feet safe. Later on these boots evolved into a fashion statement. Wellington boots, European cavalier boots, etc influenced them. So now they have a higher heel and they are also made from better quality leather.

This is actually similar to why cowboys preferred the heavy-duty cowboy boots for going to work. In the rough outdoors, in open fields, you need heavy-duty protection to endure through a hard day's work.

Of course, the protective quality of the boot is determined by many factors. The main factors are how well the boots fit you, how high quality is the material they are made from and whether they are worn properly. For complete safety, especially on bikes you need to wear other things like thick leather pants and jackets that keep the rest of your body protected.

Lastly, when you are buying boots, make sure you get your feet properly measured and go at a time that is sometime in the middle of a normal day. That is because your feet tend to expand a bit when you walk and go about your daily work. They are usually their largest at the end of a typical

As symbols of offbeat personal style, cowboy boots never drift too far from the vision of fashion devotees. But oddly enough, in this hot summer, they are moving into the mainstream and already hold a prominent place on back-to-school lists.