These Just Chaps Saltos half chaps are beautiful and made of lovely supple leather – they are the best leather chaps I’ve tried.
They’re smart enough to compete in and fit beautifully; Just Chaps said they had to be tight at first wear and they were, but have given a bit since to be the perfect fit. They do up top to bottom, with a sturdy zip, and a popper at top and bottom to keep them secure. There is a panel on the leg with more give in it, for a better fit, and a similar vent-shaped panel at the front of the foot, which I think contributes to the fact you can do your spurs up over the top of the chaps with no wrinkling or folding of the chaps’ fabric.
They’re very comfortable, so you forget you’re wearing them when you’re riding, and there’s no pinching or wrinkling of the material once you’re on board.
There are lots of sizes available and they fit as expected; my calves measure 35cm at the widest part (and 42cm from floor to knee) and the small is perfect.
At £55 for quality leather chaps, these are very good value. I tested them with the Harry Hall Harrow jodhpur boots and they were a perfect match.
Verdict
These are beautiful chaps and I’d definitely recommend them.
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What is a first look review?
These are our first impressions of a piece of kit or clothing based on spending some time with it. We will have had our hands on it and given it a really thorough going over before trying it on ourselves or our horses and using it. The information we can give you after this first look will give you some sense of what it’s like to use, even if it’s only an initial view. As soon as we’ve given it a more thorough test, we will update the review with a full scoring and additional thoughts – and possibly award it “Horse & Hound Approved” status.
Eleanor Jones is Horse & Hound’s news editor. She has two warmblood mares who she competes at British Showjumping events. She has made some exploratory forays into dressage but since her mark sheets have contained phrases such as “unexpected manoeuvre between C and M” and “well sat”, tends to stick to the jumping.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
