The Best Cowboy Boots for Line Dancing

If you’re gearing up for a line dance, finding appropriate western footwear may be the most important piece of your planning. You don’t have to wear cowboy boots to line dance, but you may enjoy the experience more if you look the part in good-fitting country dance boots. You need a pair of boots for dancing that are comfortable and stylish, but there are other factors like heel material and shaft height to consider when selecting the right pair.

Inside or Outside?

You may not always know in advance, but it’s helpful to have a sense of the surface you’ll be dancing on. If you’re at an indoor line dance, your boot selection will differ from a dance outside in the grass. Ideally, you’ll choose a boot that provides the right traction for each situation and environment.

Many line dances are held inside on a vinyl or wood dance floor. On a smooth surface, the choice between leather and rubber soles comes down to personal preference. Leather soles will help you glide across the dance floor, while rubber soles will provide comfort and traction to keep you on your feet all night long.

Many modern cowboy boots, especially work boots, feature rubber soles. If you know you’ll be dancing on concrete or outside on grass, the best cowboy boots for dancing will have a rubber sole for better traction and to keep you from slipping.

Ariat Women's Top Picks: Women's Chandler X Toe Western Boot and Women’s Casanova Western Boot

​​​Ariat Men's Top Picks: Men's Sport Herdsman Western Boot and Men’s Futurity Rider Western Boot

Prioritise Fit

Dancing can be exhausting! With all that effort and physical movement, you need your boot to perform. The right pair of cowgirl boots or cowboy boots should feel comfortable and easy to wear all night. If you’re buying new boots, wear them for a few days to break them in before your first line dance.

The perfect line dancing boots should fit your foot with some wiggle room in the footbed, but not so much that the boot slips at the heel or gapes at the top of your leg. Trying to dance in a boot that’s too big or heavy can lead to blisters or embarrassing slips on the dance floor and can actually be dangerous if you trip and sustain an injury.

Safety First

For both men and women's line dancing boots, the heels are fairly low—no more than a couple of inches at maximum. The higher the heel, the more difficult it will be to balance and shuffle on the dance floor, and you can even risk injury.

You can choose any shaft height and design of boot that you like for line dancing, but it’s most common to see dancers wearing a tall boot, often 10 inches and higher. Women’s ankle-cut boots are also cute and completely acceptable, and styles like the Darlin Western Boot are considered by some wearers to be the best boots for dancing. They give the look of cowboy boots and pair well with jeans while allowing for layering leggings in cold weather.

Ariat Picks: Women’s Rodeo Quincy X Toe Western Boot and Men’s Heritage R Toe Western Boot

Free Those Toes

Toe shape is one of the most fun and customisable parts of cowboy or cowgirl boots. While boots with pointed toes are common in Western-style dress boots, line dancers tend to forgo that trend and choose a style of boot with more room in the toe box.

Square-toe boots give your toes plenty of space to move around in the boot without being cramped. Other cuts like boots with pointed and tapered toes can certainly be worn while line dancing, but don’t offer as much space and may be uncomfortable after being on your feet all night.

Ariat Picks: Women's Olena Western Boot and Men's Ricochet Western Boot

Strut Your Stuff

Picking out a new pair of Country Western dance boots should be fun. Your boots show off your style, in addition to being a suitable selection for dancing. Cowgirl and cowboy boot styles come in hundreds of colours, patterns, cuts and designs; match them to your dancing outfit or let them stand out and make a statement. Choose what works best for you as you pick out the perfect pair of line dancing boots to Boot Scootin’ Boogie all night.