Horse Armour/Armor

[Greyfried]

Hi folks

A friend has asked me if I can make some armour for their horse.
They initially asked if I could make it out of steel or something that looks like steel (I'm thinking aluminium).

Ultimately, I have no idea where to realisticaly start, so I was wondering if I could mine the depths of knowledge here.

A google search has thrown up some nice simple looking examples and even a few real piecies (once you get past all the Oblivion links). Obviously, I'll be measuring the horse and it's comfort is paramount.

Any suggestions for and easy attempt at this?

Thanks
Greyfried

 

[Sidewalker]

I really like the armour worn by the horses of Rohan in Lord of the Rings. Try googling Rohirrim, or Riders of Rohan.

 

[pandatrooper]

I did a non armor costume for a friends horse once. My advice is to check the horse out with your friend and make sure the horse won't get spooked by stuff on their limbs or seeing something different on their body. The one I did freaked the horse out and it started bucking and jumping until the stuff broke off and got destroyed.

 

[abaddon1974]

My thoughts are that it may be worth looking at a specific armouring forum. Not wanting to turn people away from this one but if you get horse armour wrong it could cost the horse and possibly the rider their lives.
Also start looking at museums and in books about armour and collections of armour.
What worked 500 years ago should still work today.

Happy searching

Craig

 

[Bonded Hawk]

Is the horse used to a blanket? This would make wearing barding easier. Look up SCA equestrian for ideas. Also light plastic may be more forgiving than metal if you have a problem while the horse is wearing the armor. I will try and find the website I used when I made some head armor (think it is called a chamfron).

good luck and post progress
Steve

 

[Pete SSS]

You could also try to get in contact with some Joust re-enactors, as they will be able to tell you how horses cope with these things much better than we can.

I think the real issue isn't weight or even the look of the thing, it's about training the animal. The heavy warhorses used throughout history were trained from birth to be used to their armour, the weight, the cold, the look, but especially the noise. They have to be comfortable with it, and know what it is, before thay can wear it.

I think that the face armour is not much of an issue is it's not too much, just like the Rohirrim in LOTR, you'll notice they all have large cut-outs for their eyes, so they cant even see them, and they should already be used to bridles on their faces. That's how I interpret it anyway. But like other's have said, get some advise from some professionals.

 

[Riceball]

I don't know if it would make much of a difference but I'd also try searching Google using barding which is the correct word for horse armor. In addition to possibly getting your more results through Google it might also help on the armor forums since some times armor people can get snooty about using correct terms and might be less inclined to help if you don't use the right terms. I'd also get a feel for the forum first before mentioning fantasy armor like in LotR because I was in a forum once where they absolutely hated discussion of the weapons and armor used in LotR because they weren't "real" even though they, for the most part, were made to be realistic and functional.

 

[Greyfried]

Thanks for the feedback, folks! Very helpful, indeed (and I'm always impressed by the friendly courteous nature of this forum).

I'll hopefully be meeting up with my friend to discuss it a bit more this week. I will, of course, update the thread once it gets off the ground.

 

[abaddon1974]

Just read that you are from North of the border.
There is a fantastic collection of original armour owned and displayed by Glasgow museums which may be worth checking out.
Even if you aren't doing historically accurate pieces, it will give you an idea of how the armour will need to move to allow the horse to move inside it

Craig

 

[G17RDY]

Ok, i'm going to ask the question....

Why does your friend want armor for their horse? (i'm genuinely curious, BTW)

Just thinking about it, making horse armor is a massive undertaking - It needs to be very comfortable for the horse, a good fit and secure - Not to mention made from a safe material for horse and rider.

Now, this may seem like a really lame option, but what about starting off with practice armor made from craft foam (camping foam mats) - attached with velcro.
That way you can work out a good template for something bigger and fancier should the horse be comfortable wearing the mock up version.
Cheap, easy to work with, can be trimmed on the spot with a pair of scissors! Safe and comfortable to boot!