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There are many designs of cowboy chaps available these days. The first forms of chaps were used by cattle herders in Spain and Mexico. They were just two pieces of cowhide that went across the horse’s chest and the riders legs then attached to the saddle horn. Many modifications have made chaps what they are today which are two leggings and a belt that buckles over the pants. Cowboys usually wore chaps to protect their legs from bushes and branches they might run into while riding a horse.
The design of cowboy chaps is relatively simple but there are many different variations such as shotgun, batwing and chink chaps. The shotgun chaps were the earliest design used by cowboys and were called stovepipes because the legs were straight and narrow. They fit snugly around the leg and had a full length zipper from outside hip to ankle. Batwing chaps were designed to wear in hot weather because they were cut wide and had two or three fasteners around the thigh which let the air circulate through. They were used by cowboys who were active because it gave more freedom of movement to their legs.
Chink chaps are shorter than the others and stopped about two to four inches below the knee and had long fringe at the bottom and around the sides. The shape of chink chaps is similar to the batwing and shotgun because each leg has only two fasteners high on the thigh. They are made to wear in very hot weather and were worn mainly by cowboys in the southwestern.

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