Horse armour
North America, before AD
1825
This painted rawhide horse armour and ornament
was brought to England by Bryan Mullanphy in 1825. It consists of
two circular lobes joined with a narrow central section. The
geometric design may have served a protective or decorative
purpose.
Equestrian
equipment arrived on the Plains from the Spanish Southwest 200-300
years ago. Once in Native hands, saddles and their decoration
developed and changed function through the nineteenth century. The
circular areas were designed to cover the horse's leg
joints, its most vulnerable area. They were targeted by bowmen
trying to bring down the galloping horse, and if hit with an arrow
the animal would be quickly crippled. The horizontal slip in the
armour was for the girth and stirrup straps, which held the saddle
and armour to the horse. The circular panels may also have
protected the horse against other articles being carried, such as
bags or parfleches.
As
warfare declined and celebrations such as Wild West shows or
Powwows increased in frequency, the decorative elements of
ornamental horse armour may have become more lavish. Ornaments of
this kind were used in pairs, one either side of the saddle. The
pair to this piece is in the Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology, Cambridge.
J.C.H. King, First peoples, first contacts: (London, The British Museum Press, 1999)