The word chaps is a shortened version of chaparejos or chaparreras, Mexican or Spanish words for this garment, ultimately derived from Spanish chaparro. They are prounounced “Shaps” by western riders and “Chaps” by Eastern riders.
The earliest form of protective leather garment used by mounted riders who herded cattle in Spain and Mexico were called armas which meant shields.
Style variations adapted as vaqueros and later, cowboys, moved up from Mexico into the Pacific coast and northern Rockies of what today is the United States and Canada. Mountain men also copied them from leggings worn by Native Americans.
There are several variations:
Shotgun:
As the name implies, straight legged.
Batwing:
cut wide with a flare at the bottom.
Zamorros
resemble batwing chaps, in that the leggings are closely fitted at the thigh
and flare out below the knee, but unlike batwings, the leggings extend far
below the boot with a distinctive triangular flare.
Chinks:
half-length chaps that stop two to four inches (5 to 10 cm) below the
knee, with very long fringe at the bottom and along the sides.
Armitas:
short legging with completely closed legs that have to be put on in a manner
similar to pants.
Woolies
are a variation on shotgun chaps, made with fleece, angora or with hair-on
cowhide, often lined with canvas on the inside.
Modern day cowboys still wear chaps to protect their
legs from, livestock, weather and brush. The flashiest chaps will be seen in
horse show rings and rodeo arenas. Farriers use them to protect their legs when
shoeing a horse. Non-equestrian users include motorcycle riders, loggers and
some are popular in BDSM culture.
Figure 1 My pop (L) wearing batwing style and his friend Jim (R) wearing chinks on
a rainy day.
Figure 2 A friend wears chinks
Bio:
Falling in love with romance novels
the summer before sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one
until many years later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She
was hooked! She began writing and never looked back. Thirty-two manuscripts and
numerous awards later, she is an Amazon bestseller! Romance appeals to D’Ann because
there's just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a
happy ending. Her particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women
who love them.
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Great post D'Ann !! Love seeing cowboys in chaps but didn't really know there were different varieties :)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea! Learned something new today-and it involved my favorite writer and hot cowboys in chaps! Can't go wrong with that :) Great post, D!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I wear the motorcycle "chaps".
ReplyDeleteI swear I live under a rock. In my head, I never noticed any differences. LOL. And another reason why I'm a city girl. LOLOL. Now, handbags....
ReplyDeleteHi D'Ann,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post! I knew about chaps but had no idea about the details. Thanks.
Excellent short info blog on the history and differences in chaps. My hubs has both batwing and a pair of shotgun chaps. The latter are the fancy fringed style he used for showing his horses. :)
ReplyDeleteD'Ann,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information. I learned something today.
Love learning more about chaps. Thanks for sharing...nothing like a cowboy with leather leggins, I always say. :)
ReplyDeleteGinger
Loved the post. I didn't realize there were so many different Shaps!
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting! I'd never heard that about the pronunciation. Always good to see pics of your pop.
ReplyDeleteLoved this. Yes, on the east we pronounce things differently. We're just different. And on a normal day I don't see a single person wearing any of thos 'shaps', nope, not a one. Are they protecting a pair of jeans that cost a lot less than they do? They just want to be fancy pants! Can't blame them there.
ReplyDelete