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.

The Imperial Plus is very similar to the Imperial Original in shape and feel .It is made with the same dead soft alloy that makes the Imperials so popular. The hooks are a little lighter. There is a finger positioning notch near the blade corners that many players prefer. The Plus is a shoe for serious tournament players. The dead soft body has the ability to grab and hold the stake better than harder shoes. If you hate to see your perfect ringer bounce off at a crucial time in the game, this may be the shoe for you!

This shoe is an exact copy of the old Ohio "O" Horseshoe. The "O" was one of the most popular shoes from the previous generation of horseshoes-- So, popular, in fact, that the demand for a shoe like this is great enough for Imperial to develop this "Classic" Horseshoe! The Ohio "O" style is popular among flip pitchers due to its square shape, but it turns beautifully as well.

The MAXX (Cast) is the one of the newer Imperials, a re-introduction of the Imperial cast shoe. It is a variation of the Original, with similar tips and hooks. Being a cast shoe, it is a bit wider and thicker than the drop-forged Original. This is the exact Imperial cast shoe that was introduced in the early 1980's for just a brief time. If you've been waiting for it, it's back! This shoe has super heavy tips like the Original, a finger notch like the Plus – basically it’s a blend of the first two with a beefier body than both drop-forged shoes.

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!"

This shoe has been in and out of production a couple of times but it's now here to stay! This version of the shoe features the old body of the original Carl Steinfeldt shoe (designed and pitched by the six time world champion himself!) with the Imperial Original hooks-- a blend of two top shoe designs that makes this an altogether incredible shoe! It's a superior turning shoe and it hits and stays on great! You'll be really impressed with how good this shoe flies and how good it stays on the stake once it hits. Carl's design with the Imperial hooks makes this one of the best shoes ever made. It's sure to be a top seller for years to come. We're excited to have it in our line!

The Imperial Stinger (formerly the Tyson Swinger) 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.