Folks who are new to cowboy boots are often confused by the label “roper.” What is a roper cowboy boot? How is it any different from a “regular” cowboy boot?

A “roper” is a low-heeled, almost flat-heeled cowboy boot. Most often it has a rounded toe…and usually shorter top height, maybe ten inches or so. Ropers are usually plain work boots, with very little stitching. Pull straps or pull holes are often their only decoration.

Justin was the boot company to give the roper its name, and the first boot company to mass produce the roper boot. Legend has it that up until the early 1950’s many of the rodeo calf-ropers were wearing baseball caps and tennis shoes in the arena. “The cap wouldn’t get in the way of the rope and the tennis shoes allowed them to jump off the horse and run real fast to catch the calf and throw and tie it in the fastest time possible.”

But, the Rodeo Cowboys Association didn’t think it was good for the “rodeo image” for their cowboys to be running around in tennis shoes. So they made a new rule that all contestants had to wear proper “cowboy attire” which included a western hat and cowboy boots.” (Source: Standard of the West: The Justin Story)

John Justin Sr. was approached by some old-time calf-ropers who wanted something different in their cowboy boots. After some trial and error, Justin adapted a Wellington boot pattern to fit their company’s flat-heeled 9315 military-style last (originally used to make boots for the ROTC cadet officers at Texas A&M; University.)

The roper has remained an inexpensive and popular work boot. Justin still makes several different ropers today…one with a traditional leather sole, and some others with new “performance materials” and polyurethane outsoles.

Many custom boot shops build roper-style boots…although rodeo calf-ropers don’t make up a big part of their business. (Rodeo guys spend all their money on entry fees and gasoline.)