Global Horse Culture

Ancient long ears

At the Art Institute of Chicago I saw two lovely depictions of donkeys. The first was this fragment from an Egyptian tomb with several donkeys on it. From an artistic perspective I thought this was one of the most beautifully rendered depictions of an animal I've ever seen.

Kano Durbar

 
The Kano Durbar is a fantastic festival and procession held regularly in Kano, Nigeria. Featured in the processions are thousands of horsemen in antique ceremonial gear - the horses wearing ornate bridles and saddles; the men in billowing colorful robes and turbans. According to this article, the durbar was encouraged by the British during colonial times as a way of redirecting the efforts of warring factions into a unified ceremonial event. The durbars are held on major Muslim holidays, but also staged for special occasions, such as visits by important dignitaries. The northern part of Nigeria, where Kano is located, is a Muslim area, and the horse culture reflects a mix northern African and native Nigerian styles (Islam spread into Nigeria from its origins in Arabia via the Saharan trade routes).

This site has a gallery of nice pictures of the processions. The fabrics used in the clothing are spectacular, as are the beautiful bridles on the horses.

This photographer's site has some really stunning photos, including close-ups of the horses and regalia.

Photo above: whereiseggy on flickr.

Thanks for the tip about the durbar, Ot!

Tales of Riding in Egypt

I discovered a super blog today. Turn Right at the Sarcophagus is a fascinating collection of horse related posts from... Egypt! The author, Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, offers tales of riding and horses in Egypt, as well as commentary on international horse issues and events. Take a look!

Colorful Saddle Cloths

These saddles, on the old, thin horses of regular folks (as opposed to fancy horses at festivals) are draped in the traditional colorful cloths commonly found in Ethiopia. I posted about them here, where you can see a finer version of the same style.

This shot is interesting, too, in that you get a close up view of the decorated cruppers than help hold the saddles in place, which you can see on the gray horse on the right.

The photo is from Angry Monk's photostream on flickr.

A wild and crazy hat!

This rider at an Ethiopian traditional sports festival has the wildest fur hat! Even the chin strap is covered with fur. The round pointed object he is holding is a traditional warrior's shield.

The photo is from aheaven's photostream on flickr. There are more pictures of the festival there.

Egyptian Pantomime!

Here's a pantomime horse in Egypt! I posted about the British tradition of pantomime horses some time ago. I know nothing about Egyptian pantomime, though this one strikes me as being in the British style, despite the distinctively Egyptian tack on the horse. 

Photo: ukslim on flickr

Quilted Armor

What an interesting set of armor for horse and rider! These are from the Sudan, made of quilted fabric, and housed at the British Museum in London.

The British Museum site describes the piece in more detail:

"This horse armour is made from several pieces of brightly coloured cloth sewn together. They are stuffed with kapok, the wool-like strands that surround the seeds of the silk cotton tree, creating a heavy garment. In full battle the war-horse would also have worn chainmail or pieces of leather across the flanks. A headpiece of metal and cloth completed the outfit. These colourful horses did not always go into battle but instead they were often used by the bodyguards for leaders. Quilted armour is still worn today but only on ceremonial occasions.This particular horse armour was probably used during the Battle of Omdurman (2 September 1898).... " (link) There is another caption here, describing more about the armor.

Photo: Kaptain Kobold on flickr.

Berber Horse

This white horse is beautifully turned out for a procession, carrying a woman and child. The caption describes it as part of a wedding procession, but I wonder if this boy might be on his way to his circumcision? The photo is from a Berber village in Morocco.

Photo: Antonio Caselli on flickr.

Horses and Lions

This pretty Ethiopian horse is all dressed up for a parade or festival. The red pom-poms are a common feature of fancy Ethiopian adornment, as is the blue saddle cloth featuring a golden lion. The saddle cloth hangs over top of the saddle (there are slots front and back for the pommel and cantle to stick through) and is just decorative (although perhaps keeps the rider's leg from rubbing on the stirrup leathers - but it's not padded).

Photo: Niall Crotty on flickr. Used with permission.

I happen to have a similar saddle cloth, which a friend brought back from a trip there. You can see the detail of the popular lion motif in the second picture (taken by me). The lion, of course, is the "lion of Judah", royal symbol of Ethiopia. Because of that it has also been adopted as an important symbol by Rastafarians.

Tuareg Horse Gear

This photo, from an old postcard I have, shows in some detail the elaborate bridle of a Tuareg man's horse. The Tuareg are originally North African, from the area around Libya, being Saharan nomads. The largest Tuareg populations are now in Niger and Mali, in West Africa. The horse appears to be of Barb type.

The dense fringes over the nose help chase off flies, as do the fringes on the reins. There are amulets around the horse's neck, and bells on the sides of the bridle. 

As the noseband does not go all the way around and buckle under the chin, like an English noseband, a centerpiece down the front of the face holds it in position.