The smooth sole of the leather shoes allows wearers to easily insert their feet into the Western style saddle stirrups or slide them out when dismounting. The extremely pointed toe was a trendy design that began in the 1940s, and the original design should have been a more rounded toe. Although a pointed toe can sometimes bring convenience to the stirrup, the design of an extremely pointed toe is impractical for workers.

The design features of cowboy boots include high heels, round or pointed shoes, 11 inch to 13 inch high sleeves, and no shoelaces. Cowboy boots are traditionally made of cowhide, but there are also other animal skins used, such as crocodiles, snakes, ostriches, lizards, eels, elephants, deer, stingrays, and water buffaloes.