Museum Explorer
Warfare in
the Americas
Horse armour
From: the north American plains
Date: before 1825 AD
Before the 16th century, there were no horses in the Americas. They were introduced by the Spanish, and changed the lives of many native Americans, as they used them for travel, hunting and fighting.
This armour was worn by a horse in battle to help protect it. The circular parts covered the top of the horse's leg joints - if hit by an arrow here, a horse would quickly be crippled. The slit in the centre was for attaching the saddle to the horse, plus the girth and stirrups, which held the armour on.
