Horse Barding, Arabian Style

The Arabic style shown here is taken from the source: Asil Arabians, The Noble Arabian Horses, edited by W. Georg Olms.^[1] The Arab style is in keeping with the general costume and custom styles of the Arab regions as well as the Persian cultures from 1100 to 1600. In addition to the above source, I referenced the book, Arabian Costumes, by Lois Ann Kroll. As noted in the introduction to this book, the use of "Native Costumes" for showing in the Arabian horses in the Native Costume classes is required and designs are required to be as authentic as possible to maintain the "essence of the class."^[2] While this source admits it is not an "authoritative treatise," it is a reference for designers of this type of equipment. Therefore, I used it to help interpret the more minute details which were not discernible from the historical paintings. This style is also documented in the article by Viscountess Kassandra Tenebrosa, "Costume of the Military Horse." This article is available on the Northstar (Northshield) A&S website. The style I made was used more in later period.

 

The Arabian barding is pictured here,
worn by the author's purebred Arabian.

The full sized Arabian barding is constructed using a heavy brocade type cloth, lined with thin garment leather. I lined it to protect the expensive cloth from the sweat and dirt of the horse. I have examined traditional bedouin saddles and tack that have been ordered from the Arab countries, produced by artisans who have followed the craft for generations. I noted that these are all lined in this manner. Additionally, the better made historical replicas used for Arabian Native Costume classes are also lined.  Since the cloth cannot be easily laundered, this was obviously done to maintain sanitation and cleanliness.
 

 

This style of barding has been in use for centuries, dating well into the feudal time period. Numerous paintings contained in the historical reference about the ancient bloodlines of the Arabian horse, Asil Arabians, reveal that certain elements were standard for many years.  The use of tassels and the crown piece behind the ears are two of these universal elements. 

 

Tassels were commonly used in Arabian, as well as Persian and Mongol styles of barding.   I used commercial trims due to their availability and suitability, but chose them to maintain the style and flavor of the piece.  I opted away from hand-made wool tassels because of concern for durability.  I was concerned that this material would not hold up well under actual use, especially in our more humid environment of northeastern United States.

 

The Crown piece which is worn at the horse's poll (just behind the ears), is made of the same brocaded cloth, with various tassels. A universal component of this piece is the cord and tassel that hangs from the crown piece and falls beneath the horse's throat area. This piece is found on nearly all types of Arabian barding, from the simplest to the most ornate. It is also unique to Arabian style barding. Therefore, I wanted to be sure to include this part in my piece.  Ordinarily this piece is attached to the horse's bridle (An Arabian style bridle is a project I am working on; shown here is a mundane bridle.)

[See the article on this blog on the Uniqueness of the Arabian Tasseled Neck Strap for further information about that part of the bridle piece.]

 

The chest piece is constructed of a brocaded cloth, self- fringed. This fits the style and flavor of the barding that I have found, which includes fringe as well as tassels. It is also lined with leather for protection of the cloth. The attached coin belt was added for style and musical effect. This project was also designed for use in the mundane show ring. On the main pieces are small snaps for attachment of additional pieces of beaded, and coin decorated chain. The commercial snaps I used were obtained locally. I chose them for several reasons. Primary among these is the need for a secure fastening of this breastplate. I did not want to risk the heavy cloth would pull and tear a less inferior attachment. Secondly, I chose these snaps as they are unique and different from normal snaps which would look too mundane. Metal fastenings for tack were common throughout Europe, Asia and England, so their inclusion, I felt, was not overly intrusive or garish. Additionally, I machine stitched the piece because of the need for strength and durability as this piece is actually worn by a horse and subject to "wear and tear."

In various examples, the combination of a longer saddle blanket which extends beyond the saddle, and a rump cover, is frequently seen. This is the style most commonly accepted in the Arabian Horse historical community as the most authentic style of Arabian barding.  The Egyptian Pyramid Association is the world's leader in research and record keeping, as well as the preservation of bloodlines and customs of the Arabian Horse back well into the Middle Ages. This is the style they support as being close to historical.

[Note that the colors in the photographs are distorted due to saving in Word Perfect, and later updating the document and converting to Word for use.]

Sources:

Kroll, Lois Ann.  Arabian Costumes, Aurora, CO: International Arabian Horse Assoc., 1999.

Olms,  W Georg, ed. Asil Arabians, The Noble Arabian Horses, Oiartzun, Spain: KSG‑DANONA, 2000.

ACostume of the Military Horse,@ Viscountess Kassandra Tenebrosa,  1 Feb 2009,

http://www.havenonline.com/moas/northstar/vol1no1/HorseCostume.htm

Endnotes:
[1]W Georg Olms. Asil Arabians, The Noble Arabian Horses (Oiartzun, Spain: KSG‑DANONA, 2000) 296, 961, 975-6,.
[2]Lois Ann Kroll.  Arabian Costumes.  (Aurora, CO: International Arabian Horse Assoc., 1999) 3.