chaparejos

In winter a short buffalo coat over his blue flannel shirt, his legs encased in enormous leather trousers called 'chaparejos' (everything the cowboy wears is called by a Mexican name), or more commonly, 'chaps,' his stirrups covered by great flapping 'trappaderos,' his reatta or lasso coiled at his saddle bow, with the thin, single-rein hackamore or plaited hair bridle held delicately between his thumb and finger, and contrasting oddly with his enormous spurs, big enough to disembowel his small steed, and always, of course, the well filled cartridge belt round his waist and the brown or white handle of his revolver sticking out of the pockets in the front of his leather trousers, for it is only when on foot that the cowboy carries his shooting iron on his hip.

They wore broad sombreros to protect them from the burning sun and chaparejos (chaps) to protect their legs against cactus and mesquite.

California vaqueros later ornamented this costume--hand-braiding reatas, trimming saddles and belts with turquoise and silver, trimming protective chaparejos with fleece--while the Texas cowboy held to a more somber austerity.