The Imperial Original model, first manufactured in the late 1960s, was basically an advancement of the Ted Allen shoe with some nice enhancements. They took away the finger notch, leaving a smoothly curved inner edge. They added the first true ringer break on a horseshoe. Its main feature is its heavily weighted tips and sharp points along with a slightly wider and thinner blade. Since that time, the Imperial "Original" has been regarded as the "Rolls Royce" of tournament horseshoes. In the first years of existence, it gained the favor of the top players and won State, National and World championships. In 1968, Elmer Hohl of Canada used Imperials when he set the all time record for the highest ringer percentage ever in the Men's division of the World Tournament. That record of 88.2 % still stands today. This is a proven horseshoe that has earned its great reputation. The Imperial is designed for serious tournament play. The body of the shoe is the softest of any shoe made today and therefore has less bounce and will stay on the stake better. On the other hand, they will, of course, become battered more quickly than harder shoes.

Cobra Item #35-200 The Cobra Horseshoe was developed to compete directly with the Diamond Tournament Shoe. Since Diamond quit making horseshoes, it turned out to be its replacement! It's shape is very similar to the Diamond Tournament and it's price is even better. But with the Cobra, you get much more than what Diamond gave you in a pair of horseshoes. The Cobra is offered in two colors, versus just one for the Tournament Horseshoes. Also, all Cobras are match weighted so that you always get an exactly matched pair, which was not the case with the DTS. Plus, the Cobra has rounded edges, allowing for easier handling and a smoother release. It's a superior shoe for an even better price!

The bandit is our entry level tournament quality horseshoe and like every other Thoroughbred shoe, it is jam packed with unique features. It is modeled after one of the most famous forged shoes of all time, the old Ohio "O". Until recently, it was included in the Imperial line of shoes and there it was called the "Classic" and for good reason. It has always been one of those shoes that throws equally well for turn or flip players, making it a classic choice for the last 60 years! If you hold the Bandit on the side blade for one turn or another, the first thing you will notice is that it has the longest and straightest blades of any shoe out there. There is plenty of room to adjust your grip up or down to control the amount of turn on the shoe... something turn players love! The very low and contoured tips are also perfect for those who like to turn the shoe holding it right out on the tip of the blade. When it comes to the flip pitch, this shoe rocks! It has a low thumb cleat in the back but it has just enough of a lip to give you a good flip. The finger grooves help you find and keep the shoe centered during the delivery, giving a nice clean flip every time. The slightly pointed ringer break knocks those dead center hits a bit off center so they catch the hook rather than jump straight back off the stake... Nice

According to Bobby White, designer of the Imperial Viper, "most everyone in the White Family thought I was nuts to want to make this shoe! But, I wanted to apply a design concept that I came up with some time ago and so here it is, the Imperial Viper! I had two purposes in mind when designing this shoe-- to make one that will stay on better than any other shoe (That's always our top priority in designing a new shoe.) and to make one that turned really well with little effort." "I chose the "V" because the three point weight distribution was right for it to be a great turn shoe and the V-shape also seemed to have the right qualities to stay on the stake better than most other shoes." "After some minor tweaking of the design, we made up some of these shoes and of course, I ran home with them to be the first to pitch them! Guess what? The weight distribution is so different on these shoes that I couldn't pitch them right off. I thought I had made a huge blunder in the design, but after about twenty shoes, I finally got the hang of them. The shoe wants to slide around in your hand a bit as you're swinging it and it wants to pull out of your hand a little earlier than the conventional U-shape that we are mostly used to throwing. Once you get used to that, and learn how to hang on to them, they fly nice. But it takes a few pitches to get the hang of them." Once that shoe goes on the stake, it's very unlikely to come off. As my son Tony (who averages about 70% ringers and has thrown this shoe extensively) put it, "the V-shape in the toe end of the shoe acts like a third hook. It hits in there and just spins around instead of jumping off. It's great!"

The Imperial Stinger design is fast becoming a top choice among the pros. This is a radical looking shoe that will impress any player on first sight; especially if you are used to pitching with the discount store varieties. Bring a pair of these to the family picnic and the relatives won't want to let you play, at least not for money. This is probably the most advanced horseshoe ever designed. It is a variation of the Thoroughbred Mustang with impressive improvements. It has a unique, self-centering thumb cleat for flip pitchers with double sided tips like the Mustang and Challenger, but even heavier for improved balance and feel. The narrow pointed ringer break really helps it stay on the stake. The edges of each shoe are smooth and nicely rounded, allowing the shoe to "pull" out of your hand with ease. This also helps reduce fatigue and blistering, which is common when using sharper edged shoes. Great for team play when one player throws a flip & the other throws a turn.