Nothing to add on the chaps. Just imagining how blissful a heated barn and arena must be.
I’m in Ontario as well, and I live in my full chaps from October to April. I feel naked without them. They block the wind better than any winter breeches or long underwear I have tried.
I found my pair in a random grab bag of horse things I was given as a gift. They fit me almost perfectly, aside from being a bit too long (I’m 5’10!) and having their first owners’s name embroidered across the belt. Oh and they are blue suede with hot pink piping 
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THIS :lol:
Love, love, love mine. Now if they just fit. Not their fault 
of course! I have them hanging in my office. Not giving up on wearing them again…Journeymen from Middleburg, VA makes wonderful chaps by the way…
Me, in the winter. Mine are suede, I’ve had them for over 20 years. I haven’t taken great care of them, though, so they are pretty stiff. The thigh area rubs the skirt on my saddle and sometimes the decades-old creases dig into my knees. I ride in my old saddle I don’t mind gets chaffed up . If you’re getting soft leather ones, they should stay nicer better. Don’t leave them out in the rain, like I did about a thousand times :o
Who still makes these and makes it relatively easy to measure and order from afar? Needless to say my lovely high school era chaps (though quite dated with fringe, etc.) don’t even come close to fitting anymore.
And does anyone make them to fit with more mid rise pants versus the super high waisted everything we used to wear?
I bought mine from Journeyman in Middleburg, VA and had them made to sit a little lower on my hips. I can wear just about any type of pant that’s above ultra low rise. 
@IPEsq I’m planning on ordering them from Graeme Nicholson in Ontario. He has a list of measurements to send in to him. He says not to wear low rise jeans. My friends who ordered from him just wore “regular” skinny jeans, not super low rise, but not so high they were up to their belly buttons.
Sorry to semi-hijack this thread…how much did you have them expanded? I was in high school during the custom chaps trend and never got a pair as that was an expense my parents would not shell out for. I’m still feeling nostalgic for a pair but don’t want to spend the $$ right now as I’m carrying some extra poundage and have other horse-related expenses that are more important. I did come across a used but in great condition pair that are probably 2 inches too small all the way around…is that a doable alternation?
I adore my Journeyman chaps and ::gasp:: they still fit depending on what I wear underneath. 
Still lots of life in them, too!
I stopped wearing them, though, because the folks I worked for said they wore the saddles down too much, especially the jeans that I wore them over.
Do folks who still wear them find that not to be the case? Are there better things to wear them over that won’t do this as much?
Currently I school in some Pinnell 1/2 chaps but they are starting to die and I doubt I will spend the $$ for another pair (they’ve lasted a LONG time).
I would think that it’s the jeans, not the chaps, that wear saddles down. Breeches or leggings under full chaps shouldn’t but any undue wear on a saddle. (I could be wrong though)
Saddles of today are lovely to look at, but completely different from the saddles of the 70’s and even 80’s. My mid-70’s Barnsby has no wear at all from 30 years of wearing blue jeans and full chaps. But then, back when it was made, it was functional and practical and made to last 50+ years. It’s not soft, lovely leather like today’s saddles and wouldn’t win any beauty prizes. And for all the giggles I’ll probably get when I get back to riding, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
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Yes, it’s the seam. Although clearly this varies by rider and saddle. All through the mid 90’s through about 2015 when the rest of the world left chaps behind, I was (stubbornly) still wearing jeans and buying and wearing custom chaps. With FRINGE DAMN IT. Two layer extra long fringe with the under layer metallic bronze no less (they are beautiful). And I rode in a butet (a saddle known for it’s paper thin seat leather LOL). I never wore the seat out. I finally replaced the seat when i had it wool flocked and replaced the panels and update the billets just because I figured if I didn’t, 5 minutes after I got the saddle back, the seat would finally develop a crease or tear!
So it only goes to show that now that full chaps might be a thing again, I’ve FINALLY bought some britches and (gasp) boots with zippers (yeah, my show boots if I ever hit the h/j show ring again #notgonnahappen are dehners, no zipper #contrarian)
the expansion is a little different all over the leg. I went to Chuck’s shop and he measured my legs again and I’m between like an inch and 2.5" more all around the leg in various places. He just took off the side of the zipper, added leather, and attached the zipper to that end. They look gorgeous still. I think a decently made pair could have 2" of leather added no problem. Chuck can absolutely do it, if you’re willing to ship to him.
Thanks for the extra details and advice…I’ll look into it.
