The best cowboy boots for dancing

Justin's Bent Rail collection is the answer to a question beginners ask constantly: which cowboy boot does not look like a work boot. Justin publishes a leather upper over a leather outsole with a double-stitched welt, an 11-inch boot height, a broad square toe and its J-Flex insole. The leather outsole is the part that matters for dressing up - it is thinner and quieter than rubber, it takes a shine, and it is why this boot reads as footwear rather than equipment. The broad square toe keeps it comfortable despite that. Justin states the line is handcrafted in the USA with globally sourced materials, which is unusual at this price.

What you give up: You give up wet-weather confidence and grip. A leather sole is slick on tile and wet pavement until it wears in, and it is not what you want for a muddy field.

The Milwaukee is the Dan Post boot most people mean when they say Dan Post: classic western stitching on the shaft, a cowboy heel, and the brand's Soft Strike removable orthotic insole. The removable insole is the practical reason to care. If you wear your own orthotic or need more arch support than a boot comes with, a removable footbed is the difference between a boot that works and a boot that sits in the closet - and most boots in this price band are glued in. Dan Post's shapes run more traditional than Ariat's, so if you have been looking at square toes and finding them clumsy, this is the alternative to try.

What you give up: You give up modern cushioning technology. This is a conventional boot with a good insole, not an engineered comfort system.

Tony Lama sits in the slot between the mid-market brands and the handmade tier, and the Bonham is its cushion-comfort everyday boot, listed at a 13-inch height. The reason to put it on a beginner's list is the proportion: Tony Lama's shapes are narrower and more upright than the square-toe mainstream, so a boot like this works with a dress trouser in a way a wide square toe never will. If the occasion you are buying for is a wedding or a night out rather than a fairground, start here and in Justin's Bent Rail rather than in the sport lines.

What you give up: You give up toe-box room and cost. The narrower last is unforgiving if your foot is wide, and the price sits above the entry brands.

A roper is the quiet entry point into western boots, and this is the one to start with. Ariat's Heritage Roper uses a round toe, a low walking heel and a shorter shaft than the Roughstock, which changes two things for a beginner: it is far easier to walk in on hard floors, and it disappears under a pair of jeans instead of announcing itself. If the thing stopping you buying cowboy boots is that you think you will look like you are in costume, buy a roper first. The same Ariat construction cues apply - full-grain upper, cushioned insole - and because the heel is low, the break-in period is shorter and the ankle rub most people complain about in week one is much milder.

What you give up: You give up the silhouette. A roper is not what people picture when they say cowboy boot, and it will not hold a stirrup the way a riding heel does.