Why do boots have heels

Raised heels, mid-rise, and low-profile heels abound, in all sorts of footwear from custom work boots to dress shoes. A perfect work boot for a perfect foot would follow the same shape as the foot itself. When you stand barefoot, your heel, outside arch, toes and the ball of your foot all support your weight. However, no one's feet has the ideal, perfect shape. Not everyone stands on a perfectly flat surface.

Therefore, as foot shape and terrain varies, footwear that compensates for these variations becomes necessary to support your foot and for you to walk securely. Your back and your posture also influence how your feet contact the ground. A person with a prominent outward arch to their back needs their heels pushed up to correct their posture. A person with flat or inwardly arched back should have less heel support.

Additionally, people with flat feet need more heel support and stability for proper pronation. If you walk at an incline or over uneven terrain quite often for work, such as loggers and wildland firefighters, a raised heel provides more stability. If you squat often for work, such as concrete workers, masons, electricians, and other workers, a shorter heel profile will help with a proper hip hinge as a raised heel will push your center of gravity forward.

If you've noticed back and knee pain in the past with flatter heel profiles, then you may need a raised heel on your work boots to correct it. Likewise, you may need to switch to a shorter heel height if you've noticed the opposite. Granted, we aren't doctors. Just like with the logging industry we discussed above, the gap caused by the raised heel helps provide a spot for climbing spurs to wrap under the bottom of the boot.

The raised heel also acts as a catch and something capable of grabbing in instances where the foot slips. Traction is essential to prevent injuries and dangerous circumstances as a lineman possesses one of the most dangerous jobs.

Having a raised heel helps provide traction and elevate the foot out of wet terrain. Farmers and Ranchers also often rely on logger boots or packer boots, which are very similar. Farmers and ranchers both have to walk through weathered farmland all day and muck and muddy ground common to fields and barnyards. That raised heel helps keep their feet elevated out of the muck and mud. But perhaps the biggest reason farmers and ranchers prefer the raised heel of logger boots is for when they ride a horse.

Though not necessarily a career, there are many motorcycle riders throughout the country. Most motorcycle riders take significant precautions to ensure their safety when riding. Most people know that motorcycle riders utilize leather jackets for torso and arm protection, helmets for head protection and long pants for leg protection.

But many motorcycle riders also prefer a raised-heel boot to help keep their feet from slipping while riding. The raised heel provides a buffer just as it does for the rancher who goes horseback riding. This can help prevent dangerous injuries. The raised heels of logger boots enable you to walk up a steep slope easily. A heeled boot digs in well and is ideal for walking up a sloped terrain.

With the help of these boots, you can walk with ease on rocky terrain or a terrain i. High-heeled logger boots will let you navigate your way properly. Thus, logger boots will protect your feet perpetually from the ground and the weather. Often, loggers must climb trees. In such circumstances, the loggers require spurs. These spurs need to be fixed tightly in a proper way. High heels of logger boots provide a gap for the climbing spurs to fit properly so that it is wrapped around the bottom of the boot.

This helps the loggers to climb the tree easily which would have been impossible in case they were wearing flat-soled shoes. You might not know that when you are walking, the heel is the first part of your shoe that hits the ground.

This is the reason why you experience heel pain when you wear thin or flat-soled shoes for a long time. High-heeled boots are more comfortable because it supports the entire foot structure of an individual. These boots also enable the wearer to keep their back straight and allow them to maintain a straight posture while walking.

But if you are a die hard fan of cowboy boots, you will know that it is not easy to rescue yourself in that situation. These two elements not only help you easily slide the cowboy boots into the stirrup, but also slide out.

From there, it makes you more flexible to cope with dangerous situations. After all, it is much better to go home with a bare foot than being dragged for miles by the silly horse, right?

You can learn out more in our articles:. Cowboy boots with heels have a height of 1 inches to 3. The low heels of cowboy boots are usually 1 inch, while the standard heel height is around 1. As for high heels, they are measured 2 inches or more. You can find cowboy boots with low heels and standard heels in product lines such as Stockman , Western boots, Western Work Boots … High-heeled boots are usually Riding boots, Fashion boots, etc.

You can completely replace the heels of cowboy boots if they are damaged.