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Boot-foot Waders

Front and back views of a pair of boot-foot waders with suspenders, made entirely from the hide of a horse’s hindquarters. A man is holding the waders upright.

Location: Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse (Québec)
Date: March 13, 2017
Photo: Pierre Morisset

The hindquarters of a horse are shaped somewhat like those of a human being, from the waist down to the feet. Someone came up with the idea of using a piece of horsehide running from buttocks to feet to make boot-foot waders like those used by Désiré and Misaël Labrecque.

The wading pants shown here were probably made by a shoemaker in the village of Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse in the early 20th century. The soles, which are also made of leather, are attached to the boots with wooden nails.