Global Horse Culture

Help a reader identify this saddle blanket

A reader sent me some pictures of a saddle blanket she has (see end of post for photos), and wondered if I could help her figure out where it is from. I asked a couple friends who know a bit about saddle blankets, and we hazarded a few guesses (below) but we didn't know for sure. Do you know?

Our guesses:

It's definitely not Native American, and it doesn't resemble any we've seen from Africa (such as Ethiopian or Morroccan).

The shape, with the pointed ends, is similar to some English cavalry saddle pads, and this might suggest it was made in an area where English influence was felt, such as India.

However, it also looks like the black outer area and zig-zag border are a newer and different material than the central portion, which appears to be old woven wool.

It has a slot which is typical of saddle blankets that are laid over the top of a high-pommeled or high-cantled wooden saddle frame, which is common in many regions of the world.

The geometric designs and floral motif are similar to some found in Central Asia, such as Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan, but again the shape is unusual for those regions and I have not seen any very similar.

Do any readers have ideas? If you have seen something similar please let us know! If possible include a link to an online image or webpage in your comment so we can take a look and compare.

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Thanks for your help!

The plumes of St. Alfio

I must admit my favorite part of the ornate harnesses of the horses at the St. Alfio festival in Sicily is the plumage. The plumes on these horses reach epic proportions, and are unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. They are simply spectacular!

Beautiful harnesses at the St. Alfio festival

This post features details of the bridles and harnesses of the horses at the St. Alfio festival in Sicily, which reader Al Zammataro was kind enough to send me.

St. Alfio: the puppets

Sicily has a strong tradition of puppet theater, featuring legends of ancient battles and heroic deeds. You can read much more about the fascinating tradition in this article and this one.

St. Alfio: the battle scenes

The harnesses worn by the horses at the St. Alfio festival often include elaborate embroidered, painted or beaded battle scenes.

The carts of the St. Alfio festival

Elaborately decorated carts are part of the tradition at the St. Alfio festival in Sicily.

The return of the amazing St. Alfio festival

 Al Zammataro wins the award for biggest fan of Global Horse Culture! Last year he sent me some snapshots from an incredible festival in Sicily, where spectacularly-adorned horses and carts are paraded in celebration of St. Alfio's festival day.

This year, he sent me more photos - taken by a friend of his - with even more detail of the costumes, harnesses, plumes and elaborate carts. There are even puppets acting out legendary battle scenes mounted on the horses!

Ringed parade tack

Something you'll come across on occasion in parts of Brazil (I've seen it mostly in the state of São Paulo) is parade tack made of brass rings. Here is an example of a breast collar, being shown to me by a student at the Universidade do Cavalo, in Sorocaba:

 

Link roundup

Here are a few interesting links and blog posts I've come across recently:

For those interested in details of ornamental tack, here is an academic article (with many illustrations) about the different styles of tack found in various Central Asian and Siberian ethnic groups. It's quite fascinating! 

Our friend Dario has a post with extensive links to images of Neo-Assyrian horses, tack and horsemanship, as depicted in ancient art.

Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider has an intriguing book review and a cute post about William Shatner (horse related!)...

And heartfelt good wishes to Julie at Riding Aside, who is sadly forced to cease blogging for the time being. Send good thoughts her way!

Angela Swedberg, artist and horsewoman

I posted briefly before about Angela Swedberg, an artist who makes beautiful Plains and Plateau Indian clothing, horse gear, and other items using historically accurate methods and materials. To my delight, Angela is featured in the September 2010 issue of Cowboys & Indians, one of my favorite magazines. The article is from an interview I did with her about her work. Copies are in the stores now: get one if you can, it's a beautiful 2-page spread with lots of photos!

In talking to her for that article I discovered that she is not only an artist, but also a horsewoman. I asked her to tell me about her personal experience with horses, and more about the meaning and function of the fantastic horse masks, such as the horse in the photo above is wearing.