Collector Information Page
Horse armour made of steel that completely clad a horse first appeared about 1450. The earliest survivng example, by the Master
Pier Innocenzo da Fachno in Milan, is preserved in the Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien. To own a horse was considerable status symbol
as well as a large investment. For this reason it is understandable that a knight took great pains to protect his horse.It was considered
to be unchivalrous to harm the horse of an opponent because a horse was considered a valuable trophy meant to be captured, not distroyed
and in a tournament this meant instant disqualification. In battle, knight discovered that their steeds were vulnerable by foes such as
archers who did not feelcompelled to obey the code of chivalry, and who themselves had little use for the war horse. The first trappings
were introducted in the thirteenth century mainly as protection from missiles (arrows, rocks, etc). First made of fabric, then later of
mail, the development paralleled the of armor for men. Solid elements of armour such as chanfrons to protect the face of the horse,
crinet for protecting the neck, peytrel for the front chest, flanchard side protection and crupper for the rear
of the horse was gradually added during the fifteenth century. Many of these early armour elements were not neccessarily made of steel plates
but were often of hard-boiled leather.
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Flemish Horse Armour circa 1500
(Tower of London Armouries)
Elements of Horse Armour
Chanfron
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Crinet
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Peytrel
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Flanchard
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Crupper
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Photographs of Horse Armour
Click on photo for larger and complete view
English circa 1400
The Warwick shaffron is one of the earliest
surviving examples of horse armour
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Italian circa 1450
Horse armour made by
Pier Innocenzo da Faerno
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German circa 1480
Horse armor possibly made for
Waldemar VI of Anhalt-Zerbst
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German circa 1480
Composite German "Gothic" armour
for man and horse
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German circa 1520
German fluted Maximilian style armour
Tower of London Armouries
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German circa 1534
Horse armour of Otto Heinrich, Count Palatine
of the Rhine (Wallace Collection, London)
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German dated 1548
Armour for man and horse made by
Kunz Lochner, Nuremberg Germany
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German dated 1551
Armour made by Wolfgang Grosschedel
for the future Philip II of Spain
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German circa 1558
Prade armour of Sigismund August II of Poland
Made by Kunz Lochner the Younger, Nuremberg
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Italian circa 1563
Embossed Italian horse armour
in the Dresda Museum
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Italian circa 1575
This is one of five complete horse armors in
the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection
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English circa 1590
Armour made by Anton Peffenhauser for
the Elector Christian I of Saxony
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