The Uniqueness of the Arabian Bridle and its Tasseled Neck Strap

I originally wrote this article as part of a research paper on the Evolution of Tack which was submitted as an entry for the Ice Dragon Pentathlon. In 2014, I submitted it for publication in the Kingdom newsletter, the Æstel. It was published in the January 2014 issue which can be accessed here. That year, I was awarded the Sylvan Quills Award for Best Article in a Kingdom Publication. The Sylvan Quills are given out by the Kingdom Chronicler’s office for excellence in Æthelmearc publishing. The following is the version which was published in the Æstel.

This article will examine the unique portion of the Arabian bridle known as the tasseled neck strap.  This is a piece of equipment used on horses in the Arabic lands and surrounding areas. I term the equipment “unique” because it was not used in European bridle construction, nor was it readily adopted by the Europeans in general. This article will explore the use, purpose and construction of the tasseled neck strap and how this research can be applied to SCA equestrian arts and sciences.


Throughout history, trade with other cultures has facilitated an exchange of technologies, science and ideas as well as products. Increased exposure to other cultures influences a society's own traditions.  During the turbulent times of the Crusades, the cultures of the west met those of the east, and further exchange occurred. It is well documented that Europe greatly benefitted from this exchange, achieving advances in science, medicine, architecture, and music. It is believed that caparisons or barding, the trappings used to cover the horse in war and tournament came originally from the eastern lands. The Arabs had been using cloth coverings on their horses for a long time, and European knights and mounted men did not use such cloth until they went to war in the Crusades. They brought this "invention" back with them and it became commonplace for horses to be outfitted with cloth barding. They also brought back the Arabian horse, whose genetics enhanced the bloodlines of nearly every European breed of horse. 

Early depiction of Arabic barding from an illuminated manuscript

In any study of horse tack used in the medieval period, it is natural to look to the time of the Crusades for examples of equipment used in period. While the horses of the Arabs were fitted with barding and saddles similar to those used in Europe, a striking difference in the construction of the Arabs' bridles quickly becomes obvious. Arabian style bridles are unique in that these include a special strap and covering over the top of the horse's neck. The strap is also outfitted with a tassel which hangs beneath the horse's neck. Though tassels are the most common, some bridles have bells or furs suspended from this strap. In some examples, this tasseled strap resembles a collar, and has been referred to as a "nape strap," or "neck pendant."

Occasionally, modern horses are fitted with a horsehair tassel that hangs from the throatlatch as a decoration and fly whisk to keep flies from irritating the horse while riding. This tassel is used today in the modern show ring, on Arabian horses competing in what is termed "Native Costume" classes.^[1] 

While not requiring historical accuracy, these classes require that the rider and horse be outfitted in "clothes" that emulate the culture of the Arabian lands and the Bedouin people who first bred the Arabian horse. Because this source lacks a requirement of historical accuracy, one cannot assume that this was a customary piece of horse tack dating back into the medieval period. Therefore, more reliable sources of documentation, such as archeological finds and art in the time period, must be consulted. 

An examination of period sources reveals there is no evidence of this tassel ever having been used on European horses. The historical record reveals the origins of this tasseled bridle piece, its spread through the eastern lands, and its purpose. Additionally, art depicts the use of this tasseled neck strap.  Several excellent art exhibits have been assembled and displayed regarding the Arabian horse in history. In 1991, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia conceived of the idea of a special art exhibit to "honor the role of the horse in the development of human civilization." This exhibit, called Furusiyya, an Arab term denoting horsemanship and chivalry, was displayed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1996.  More recently, in 2010, Prince Faisal partnered with the International Museum of the Horse, located in Lexington, Kentucky, to create an exhibit called "The Gift of the Desert." Two museum curators and experts in the field of Arabian art worked to bring together items from around the world, many of which were held in private collections and had never been put on public display. This incredible exhibit was on display for a few short months. 

Several museum publications based on these exhibits are available to the public and provide the researcher with valuable information regarding the tasseled neck strap. The 1996 exhibit published two books, titled Furusiyya, Volumes I and II. The first volume extensively covers the horse's impact on civilization from a historical perspective. The second volume is a catalogue of the exhibit. The Gift of the Desert book, titled The Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse is a museum catalog and contains invaluable historical information on the subject as well as a description of the exhibited pieces of art. These sources provide the researcher with an incredible amount of information on the culture of the Arabian people and their use of the horse throughout history from ancient times to the present. They also provide some excellent information on horse equipment that was used during the medieval period.

Examination of the archeological record reveals that the tasseled neck strap has been in use as early as 700 B.C.E. by the Assyrians and its use has persisted through the 19th century. The earliest evidence of its use is seen on bas relief cravings of the chariot horses of the Assyrians. Numerous examples are found to indicate the widespread use of the tasseled strap by most Arabian and Persian cultures, including the Turks, Mughals, and Ottomans. The Ottomans use of this strap influenced the "Frontier Troops" hired from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and the Balkans, as its use is found amongst these peoples as well.^[2] The use of this collar spread as far as Northern Africa and India. In Africa, it evolved into a highly ornamented collar, used with or without a pompom/tassel.^[3] 

Frontier Troops

The persistent importance of this tassel is illustrated further by several photographs that were taken in Arabia in the 19th and 20th Centuries. In the 1870s, Lady Ann Blunt, the daughter of the Earl of Lovelace and granddaughter of Lord Byron, traveled deep into the Arabian desert in search of Arabian horses. She spent several years, learning the language and culture, and became the first Western woman to travel amongst the Bedouin tribes. She was later very influential in the Arabian breeding community, founding the line of Crabbet Arabians. During her visits to the Bedouin, she often adopted their dress, and this fact is caught on film in a photograph of her seated on an Arabian horse.^[4] Despite that fact she was so taken by the culture and majesty of these people and their horses, and is shown wearing native dress, she did not outfit her horse with a neck strap. In contrast, is a second photograph taken in 1906 of Bedouins proudly displaying a prize Arabian stallion to Homer Davenport, who was well known for traveling to Arabia to import these horses back to America for his own breeding program.^[5] In it, the horse has been fitted with a neck strap.  Obviously, to the Bedouin, it remained an important piece of tack that they would not omit when displaying their horses to an outsider. Thus we see, that while it was not considered important tack for the Americans, it was by the native Bedouins. Because the tasseled strap remained prevalent in later art and use by the Bedouins, we can see how it led modern competitors to design their "Native Costumes" to include the tasseled strap. 

Authorities on Arabian horse art, such as the curators who organized the Gift of the Desert exhibit, Sandra L Olsen and Cynthia Culbertson, have proposed a plausible theory concerning the purpose of this tasseled strap.^[6] They theorize that the heavy tassel or pompom exerted pressure on the reins and the horse's poll (the area of the neck behind the ears where the headstall rested). This pressure would encourage the horse to lower its head and flex the neck. This could be particularly valuable when shooting arrows from the horse's back, as was common. It also freed the rider's hands for handling weapons such as the bow, sword and lance.

The continued pressure on the reins would maintain a level of control over the horse's speed and direction while the reins were dropped.

This theory is supported by further examination of the examples of early tasseled straps in use. The Assyrian bas reliefs depicting horses during that time, while out of period, document the original use of this device. In several examples, it appears that the tassel or collar is actually attached to the reins.^[7]  

An in-period example, an early 17^th century watercolor painting of Sultan Osman II, shows an additional set of reins attached to the bit, which pass up through the collar and then attach, by means of a ring, to the front of the saddle.^[8] This would work much like a modern martingale, by applying pressure on the bit, in this case, when the reins are dropped.  A modern martingale is an additional piece of tack used by some riders and trainers. There are several types but all serve the purpose of maintaining correct bit pressure, especially when the horse elevates the head in order to avoid such control.

Two later examples allude to the tasseled collar's use. A 19th century print of a mounted Mamluk shows a cloth rein attached to the headstall of his horse's bridle, which passes down through a ring at the end of the collar and is tied off to the front of the saddle. In this instance, it could be functioning as a martingale of the "tie-down" type which prevents the horse from exaggerated elevation of the head. A later example implies that the noseband may have been connected to the tasseled strap, to keep the horse's head flexed back.^[9] Preventing full extension of the neck, limits a horse's ability to gallop, running out of control. Secured in this manner, the collar would also keep the horse's head in a lowered position making it easier for a mounted archer to shoot over the horse's head.

Whatever its original intended purpose, with time the tasseled neck strap or collar seems to have taken on a more decorative use. As some later examples show, the collar was fitted with longer and more elaborate tassels, some made of horse hair or animal tails such as those from leopards.  These later versions were called, "tail badges" and were used to denote rank. These are similar to the horse hair standards, or "tugs" found in Mongol and Mamluk culture. Various examples of these hair tassels are dyed, and the more elaborate versions are found on the horses of aristocrats or royalty. Other later versions dropped the tassel entirely, or diminished it to a small hair tassel.  In these versions, the collar itself became more ornamented, often embossed with gold and other precious metals. One example is covered entirely in gold encrusted with precious gems.^[10]

Various examples of tassel

Various types of tassels including wool and animal tails

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highly ornamented collar

 

 

 

 

 

A component of many tasseled neck straps was an attached cloth piece which was fitted over the top of the horse's neck, over which the strap was fitted. This is usually connected to the headstall by a leather strap. This is another uniquely Arabic or eastern feature of the bridle. In battle, the cloth would have provided some protection to the horse;s poll area, cushioning any strikes to this area. More likely, its main purpose was to cushion the pressure on the spinal area of the neck from the weight of the heavy tassel.

 

As indicated earlier, an examination of numerous sources depicting mounted Europeans reveals a complete absence of the neck strap. These sources include period manuscripts and artwork from the medieval time period, extant examples of horse trappings held by various museums around the world, and books on the subject written by various researchers. In all these sources, European horses displayed in tack never show the presence of the tasseled neck strap or collar. Only two examples of European art could be found that include the neck strap and these are post period and  depict Europeans riding Arabians, displaying their native tack.   

Napoleon on an Arabian

The first example is a famous painting of Napoleon (The Battle of the Pyramids, July 21, 1798), who was so completely enamored of the Arabian that it is reported he commonly rode it in native equipment. Naturally, it does include a tasseled strap. The second example is a painting of King Wilheim I of Wurtemberg who in 1817 founded the Royal Weil Stud dedicated to the breeding of purebred Arabians. The painting, like the Napoleon example, shows him mounted on an Arabian horse in native tack, complete with a tasseled neck strap.

King Wilheim on an Arabian

What was such an important part of horse tack in the Arabian and eastern lands that it persisted throughout thousands of years, and still exists today, never was adopted by the western culture. This is important information for anyone seeking to reproduce a medieval "kit" for use in re-creation such as in the SCA. It would be a grave mistake to place such an item on a European style bridle, and just as erroneous to omit it from an Arabian style bridle.  

Sources:

Alexander, David. ed.  Furusiyya: The Horse in Art in the Near East.  Vol. I and II.  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: King Abdulaziz Public Library, 2010.
Kroll, Lois Ann.  Arabian Costumes.  Aurora, CO: International Arabian Horse Assoc., 1999.
Olsen, Sandra L and Cynthia Culbertson.  The Gift of the Desert: The Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse.  Lexington, KY: International Museum of the Horse, 2010.

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Endotes:

[1]Kroll, Lois Ann.  Arabian Costumes. (Aurora, CO: International Arabian Horse Assoc., 1999).

[2]Alexander. Vol I. 177, Vol II.. 82

[3]Alexander. Vol I, 216.

[4]Olsen. 88.

[5]Olsen. 89.

[6]Olsen. 34.

[7]Olsen. 110-1, 113, 174.

[8]Alexander. Vol II. 179.

[9]Alexander. Vol II. 168.

[10]Alexander. Vol I. 180.