History of Leather Chaps

Leather Chaps and their origins

Leather Chaps have been a part of livestock handling life for centuries in one form or another. A constant re-designing process whereby different contributors added something new to what already existed enabled a functional, working piece of equipment to evolve.

By the middle of the sixteenth century, the livestock population in the New World, was so prolific that customary rights for killing the animals had evolved. This gave way to the creation of several different equestrian cultures. The Llanero were Venezuelan, the Huaso were Chilean, the Gauchos from Argentina and the Vaquero were mexican. The Vaquero working on ranchos and missions were often of mixed race and for a long time were viewed by the Spanish as nothing more than 'poor labourers on horseback'.

The Spanish who had settled in Mexico that used to work the cattle would make use of two large pieces of leather. These would be secured to the saddle horn at the front and wrap around the riders legs and the horses chest in one go. This would serve as protection from the cattles horns and the weather. They were called Armas and whilst doing an adequate job, the contraption was bulky and cumbersome.

The Mexican Vaqueros created leather britches called Armitas in the early 1800's. They were made from various animal skins such as goat, deer and calfskin. The legs of the Armitas were attached to a belt worn at the waist and were secured to the legs by means of leather thongs. They covered the exposed parts of the legs when a rider was mounted, but only came to just below the knee. From about 1870 to the 1900's, the Armitas were commonly used during ground work such as yard work, fencing, branding, feeding etc. They were a 'step into' garment with no ties or buckles around the legs, secured to a full belt.

By the 1870's, the early Texas cowboys had created the first full leather britches. They were called 'Shotguns', due to them having no seat and straight up and down profile. Plain styles were called Closed Legs and had no fringing or conchos. By the 1880's designs were changing and some chap makers were making leather chaps with each leg being made from two pieces of leather and were laced up at the front and attached to a square waistband. A few years later saw the waistband become curved and contoured and zips came in the 1900's.

When certain aspects of ranching lifestyle became more competitive and Rodeos and Wild West Shows were developed, Batwing Chaps made an appearance. The wider cut, extravagant fringing and curved lower edge allowed the legs of the chaps to swing wildly following the movement of the bucking livestock. They started as a 'step into' style, but evolved to an open legged design that buckled into place. Batwing Chaps are well known for being an extravagant form of leather chaps. Of generally a square waisted design, they are often highly decorated with bright colours, hand tooling, fancy stiching and silver conchos and studs. They were often personalised by the individual riders and became recognised on the Rodeo circuit.

Woollies or Angoras were introduced in the late 1800's. Basically, any animal skin with hair would be suitable; such as lion, bear, buffalo, angora goeats, leopard, dogs and even seal. The warmth and water repellant qualities of these skins made life much more bareable in the colder northern climates.

Chinks are shorter than regular chaps. They generally finish some between 2 to 4 inches below the knee. The visual shortness was often replaced with a hefty fringe. They were first available to purchase in the late 1940's, but for many years, cowboys had cut the bottoms off their worn out batwings and made their own modern Armitas. They are still popular for use by working cowboys when full length leather chaps would prove to be too restricitve or simply too hot in warmer southern climates.

Of course, there is a great deal more to the history, uses and evolvement of design of what we see in our modern day chaps. One thing remains constant though; they have all come about as an answer to need and necessity. I will be posting more articles to expand on this. I've got to add mind you, that when I started trying to find out 'about chaps' for a project I was working on, once I started digging and began to discover some of the whys and wherefores and a bit more of the history around their evolvement, it all started to become a bit more interesting.

The working uniform of the Cowboy is recognized the world over; the leather chaps, the jeans, the boots and spurs. However, the one thing, above all other items of cowboy dress that best illustrates the aura and lifestyle of a cattle handler must surely be the Cowboy Hat.

Although cattle handlers have been around for centuries, and have for much of this time worn hats; these hats were generally of a recycled nature. They were cast offs from other uses or uniforms; they did a job, but were very different from what we know as a Cowboy Hat. So how did the Cowboy Hat come to be? There is some debate of the originator of the design, and it generally comes down to one of two choices.

Long before the Americans headed West, the Spanish cattle herders had been established for some time and it was them who passed on their cattle handling skills to the Anglos. Some believe that today's Cowboy Hat originated from the Sombrero.

The term Sombrero usually means 'a hat coming from Mexico'. The English language word 'Sombrero' is borrowed from the Spanish Dictionary, where it means 'any hat with a brim'. It comes from the Spanish word sombra, which means shadow, or shade.

The Sombrero does have a high crown, and an upturned brim, which are quite similar to today's Cowboy Hats. The super wide Sombreros were so wide that they provided coverage for the head, neck and shoulders, and therefore much protection from the scorching sun. Sombreros worn by peasants were usually made of straw, whereas the wealthier hispanic people would have theirs made from felt. These hats were the favoured headwear of the Mexican or Spanish Vaqueros for many years, and were often decorated with ornate stiching.

It is thought that the development of the Cowboy Hat began as far back as the 1800's, in this version of the story.

The alternative, and it has to be said, more popular version of events claim that in 1865, a gentleman by the name of John B. Stetson, who was the son of a hat maker from Philadelphia ventured westwards in search of a drier climate.

During a hunting trip with friends, John showed his friends how he could make cloth from fur, without weaving. Using the skins of the animals hunted, he removed the fur, and rubbed and kneaded it together, dipping it in boiling water, spreading it out and kneading it again. This technique, known as felting, and traditionally associated with turning wool fibres into cloth, allowed John to amaze his friends by producing a piece of cloth, with no loom in sight.

John set to work, using the skills learnt from his Father, and produced a hat with an uncommonly wide brim. He wore the hat throughout the rest of the hunting trip as a joke for his friends, but soon began to appreciate the properties of the shape, and the protection from the elements that it offered.

On returning home, John decided to produce a hat for sale, very similar to the one he'd made on his trip. The original Stetson quickly became known as 'the' cowboy hat, and sold for about 5 dollars. In today's times, hats of equal quality to the original Stetson can sell for upto 1000 dollars.

Despite the huge growth of cowboy hat manufacturers and consequently the variation in design and price that is now available, the Cowboy Hat still looks like the Cowboy Hat, and utterly represents the rugged and reckless nature of the person beneath it.

The Cowboy Hat is as vital a part of the Cattle Handlers attire as the leather chaps, the boots, spurs and jeans; providing shelter from the sun, wind and rain, the ability to fan a fire, whip a horse or be more visable when waving from afar.

Subtle personalisations such as a certain shape of dent in the crown or the angle of the tilt of the brim soon led to an unwritten identification of origin of the wearer. The Cowboy Hat - the ultimate multi-purpose accessory!