Display of Barding Styles Part 2- Strap Barding

Strap barding from the Journey of the Magi painting

Strap barding was the earliest type of barding seen in period. Byzantine and Carolingian examples include this type of barding.^[1] Horses depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry are seen wearing very simple strap barding, most consisting only of a breast plate. This type of barding was often seen on the heavy warhorses and destriers. Decorative, yet functional, it helped to keep the saddle in place during the maneuvers of war. Examples of strap barding used at war are included in the source, The Horse Through Fifty Centuries of Civilization.^[2] Strap barding was also most commonly seen on the hunt, as this style provided security of seat, but did not hinder the horse while passing through brush and forest, or overheat a running horse due to the heavy cloth seen in full barding.

As indicated in the source, Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons by Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik, these straps were used to "prevent the saddle from slipping forwards or backwards with the movement of the horse." The saddle was "fitted with a crupper and breast-straps, which were held in place by a whole system of large and small straps, some of which were very ornamental. The trappings were often embossed in various ways and ornamented with metal tacks and discs; in color they nearly always harmonized with the colors of the saddle."^[3]

The Miniature:

The strap barding as shown was taken from the sources: Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages, by Richard Barber and Juliet Barker^[4]and Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik's  Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons.^[5] Like full barding, this type was found throughout the Middle Ages, especially from the 11th Century to the end of the period and beyond. It was commonly used in most regions of Europe and England. This particular example is what was commonly found during the 13th Century.

Most strap barding was constructed of simple leather strapping, while more ornate versions were made from velvet covered leather. In keeping with my theme of the average warriors kit, I chose to make the barding from leather strapping. Higher born or wealthier knights and warriors would have been able to afford the more costly velvet, which would not be as practical on the battlefield, or Tourney yard. Even the average nobleman would have used decorations for his barding, so I included metal pendants of the type which were commonly used. Due to the scale and size issue of the piece, I had to improvise in order to find pendants small enough. These pieces were made from pieces of craft metal. I wanted to represent the style as well as flavor of the piece by including them. These metal pendants would have been riveted onto the leather, but due to size, I had to be content with a more mundane method of attachment (leather glue). Period pendants were cast mostly from copper alloy, which is well documented in the source, The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, c. 1150‑c.1450, ed. by Clark. According to this source, these pendants were common during the late 13th to 14th  Century.^[6] The model used to display the piece is a heavy warhorse of the draft cross type which was typically used for battle and tournament.

[Several years later, I made full sized strap barding. This was a richer type, made of velvet over straps. In period, the straps would have been made of woven cloth. The example comes from a 1540 painting of Frances in procession. See a later blog article for the full documentation of this project.]

Velvet strap barding

From Wagner, Part IX, Plate 6

Inspiration for the project
1540 painting of Frances

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Endnotes:
1. Anthony Austen Dent.  The Horse Through Fifty Centuries of Civilization.( NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1974) 96.

2. Dent, The Horse Through Fifty Centuries.  52, 53, 154, 170-1, 174, 187.
3. Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik. Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons (NY: Dover Publications, Inc, 2000) 65.

4. Richard Barber  & Juliet Barker.  Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages. (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press,2000.) 48.
5. Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik.  Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons. (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc, 2000) Part IX, Plate 11-2.
6.John Clark, ed. The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, c. 1150‑c.1450. (NY:Woodbridge: Museum of London, 1995). 62.

 

Sources:
Clark,  John ed. The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, c. 1150‑c.1450. NY:Woodbridge: Museum of London, 1995.  61-71.
Dent,  Anthony Austen. The Horse Through Fifty Centuries of Civilization. NY: Holt, Rinehart &Winston, 1974.
Devries, Doughtery, Dickie, Jestice and Jorgensen.  Battles of the Medieval World, 1000‑1500.  NY: Amber Books, Ltd, 2006.
Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik.  Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc, 2000.
Website Barding article, Jan 2009, http://ilaria.veltri.tripod.com/overviewbards.html.