If you're looking for a holiday gift for the horse person in your life, consider half-chaps

I’ve recently started wearing half-chaps and can’t believe I waited this long to start doing so! They great extra protection for your calves, whether it’s from thorns on the trail, or perhaps your horse likes to get a bit too close to those tree trunks, or just to put some more padding between your leg and the saddle. In addition, I was getting frustrated about the top edge of my boot getting caught on the saddle fender and the half-chaps have totally eliminated that problem. Now I can focus on quiet hands and proper cues while loping without worrying about my boot getting hung up on the saddle when I try to use leg to steer my horse.

Many of you may wear full chaps but I bet there are times when you don’t feel like getting them on but still want that extra protection on your lower legs and half-chaps fit the bill perfectly. They are especially appreciated in the warmer weather as an alternative to the unwanted warmth of full chaps. Or if you’re not a full chaps person, in the colder months half-chaps keep your lower legs, the parts that aren’t snug against a nice warm horse, a bit warmer.

Half-chaps come in several different forms. The choice between leather and suede is a personal one but some things to consider are that the leather ones tend to look dressier and some say that the leather ones wear in quicker than suede. However, there are some reasonably priced washable suede half-chaps if you’re like me and tend to get dirty and would love to just throw your riding gear in the washing machine. I personally like the zipper version over the Velcro straps. The zipper makes for a smoother fit and you don’t have your jeans bunching up in between the straps. And, you don’t have to worry about that Velcro sticking to anything else it comes in contact with!

As for fit, make sure you measure your calves carefully. You will at least need to measure around the widest part of your calf. However, some half-chaps also come in different lengths in which case you should measure from the back of your knee, where it bends to the bottom of your heel without shoes on. Keep in mind whether you’re buying these to wear over snug breeches, or over thick jeans and whether you might need to step up a size to accommodate your pants if you’re at the upper end of a size. Also keep in mind that leather and suede will stretch a bit. The Velcro straps can be a bonus in this regard, that you can adjust them to accommodate stretch of the material or whether you’re wearing thicker pants.

And for those of you with a rider in your lives, keep half-chaps in mind as a holiday gift! They start out reasonably-priced such as the synthetic washable suede variety and go up in price from there for the fanciest leather name brands such as Ariat.