Calzado Tres Caballos
for
Navarro Brothers
The Flying Jodhpur
Euro 580

The “Flying” Jodhpur is distinguished by its applied vamp, side reinforcements and the three leather and two brass loops through which the strap pass before finally bucking up. This is the most complex version of any Jodhpur boot. Worn under trousers, however, it is the plain front of the “Flying “ Jodhpur that shows off the richness and depth of colour of the leather and the handsome line of the unadorned toe. The secret of its uniqueness, the characteristic complexity of the wrap-around strap, loops, buckles and reinforcements that make this a unique design among Jodhpur boots, lies discreetly under the trouser leg.

Judging from old advertisements, this handsome variation of the standard 19th century Jodhpur has been in production since at least 1955 and its earlier variations from the 1930’s when it is reported to have been favoured by the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII and then been taken up by both military and commercial pilots thereafter. The originator and producer was Calzado Tres Caballos, established 1935 in Veracruz and once considered the finest bootmaker in Mexico, producing a variety of quality ready made and custom boots and shoes. The American importer, Navarro Brothers, marketed the boot, as in this case, under their own brand. Still, this particular boot was produced by Tres Caballos, most likely in the 1990s, not long before Tres Caballos went out of business.

This version in a warm brown full-grain calf gained popularity with the Mexican Army for their Class 3 (field) uniform. Eventually, as many Army officers retired and graduated into local and national police forces, they took the beloved Flying Jodhpur with them and adopted it to their police uniforms. A somewhat less attractive group of admirers of the Flying Jodhpur were, I am told, the more affluent members of the Mexican drug cartels, many of them former police officers who had gravitated to the more lucrative career.

Size: US 10-10.5D……UK 9-9.5E…….Continental 43.5-44D, for the medium width foot.
Condition: All original soles and heels showing almost no wear. Modest creasing to tops, overall excellent. Sold without trees.

Both the Jodhpur Boot (named for the Maharaja of Jodhpur) and the Chukka Boot derive from the 19th century British presence in India, and the discovery of the game of Polo in the 1850s by British tea planters on the Burmese border with India. The Jodhpur boot was readily adapted by the British at home for it handsome appearance and practical use on or off horseback. It quickly became a staple of the Gentleman’s wardrobe and has never since gone out of style.