The Horse Tack of the Kyrgyz in the 18th-20th Centuries.

Horse Equipment.

The horse harness kit, known as jabdyk (also abzel in southwestern regions, am abzeli), included: saddle (eer, eger), stirrups with straps (uzyongulor, boolorumenen), potfei, flanks or crupper (kuyushkan), girth or breastplate (komelduruk), girths with strings to secure the blanket or cushion to the saddle (basmayyldar, kyopchuk bastyrgych byshtandary menen), saddle pads or underlays for the saddle (zheldikter, zha-azdar), sweat cloth with a sweat cloth roof (terdik, ichmegi menen), bridle (zhugon), halter with a lead (nokto, chylbyry menen), saddle blankets (kyopchuk, korpechyo, orunduk), cover (am jabuu), saddle underlay (kyopchuk - in the south, korpechyo, orunduk - in the north of the country), and other accessories. All of this is a daily kit; additionally, in the recent past, there were also special sets of equipment for horses used in various equestrian sports, entertainment competitions, bridal horse harness, and so on.

In terms of shape and construction of the front bow, the following types of riding saddles are distinguished: dan bash eer, ak kanky eer, kush bash eer. By purpose - men's, women's, children's saddles, and by method of manufacture - saddles consisting of a monolithic frame - lenchik (tuyuk eer) and those assembled from several parts (kurama eer).

The common cover popona made from handwoven camel wool (taar) was part of the mandatory horse equipment kit for the groom. Another type of cover, zhalpooch, was made from man-made fabric and richly embroidered; it was intended for the bride's horse and was included in the dowry. A special cover oromo made from homemade fabric and felt was intended for the horse participating in sports games (baige, enish, kyz kuumai, etc.), and it was distinguished by the presence of kozmeldurok (eye cover), kuyakchyn (ear cover), zhaldyk (mane cover), and kuyruktuk (tail cover). Such elements were also known to the ancient Scythians. Excavations in the Altai Mountains near horse burials have found such elements of covers, indicating the continuity of traditions.

An essential item of the rider's equipment is the leather whip kamchi - sewn (tikmyo) and braided (ormyo), and the craftsmen who made it were called "kamchy usta," "ermyochu," "erumchu." The handle was made from tavolozhnik (tabylgy), honeysuckle (yr-gai), hawthorn (dolono), tamarisk (zhylgyn), or the leg of a roe deer with fur (elik). Whips specifically intended for women were more elegant, smaller in size, and richly decorated.

Particular importance was given to the decoration of various buckles, plates, and pendants on all items of equipment, as an excellent horse and beautiful saddle symbolized life success for the Kyrgyz. In the past, every man had his own set. The harness for the bride's horse was part of the dowry (sep) and was distinguished by elegance, high-quality finishing, and abundant decoration. Items made from fabric were vividly embroidered.

Various types of saddles (Mongolian, Susamyr, Andijan) had special decorations. The bows of the ancient saddle dan bash were bordered with large ribbed plates, and details of a semi-circular shape were placed in the center of the front bow. Three relief medallions were placed on them, sometimes with inserted stones or three rosettes. The split upper part of the front bow of the Andijan-type saddle (kush bash eer) was decorated with medallions with a relief pattern or with carnelian (akak). The arc of the bow was outlined with metal strips, between which were placed medallions with colored stones and small plates in the shape of rosettes, paired palmettes, paired curls, and so on. In all types of saddles, the most common decoration was nails with shaped heads, forming traditional Kyrgyz ornaments.

Stirrups were previously made of wood and decorated with bone plates. Old stirrups made of horn were edged with metal strips, most often silver-plated. Most stirrups were decorated with profiling, openwork carving, and notching. Stirrups were sometimes decorated with patterns in the form of incised concentric circles - a technique that undoubtedly traces its origins to the ancient technique of bone ornamentation.

The leather parts, such as the bridle, potfei, and breastplate, were especially richly decorated: at the junctions of the straps, the seams were covered with plates with four or eight petals (kumpa). A bridle with five plates was called "besh kumpa" "zhugon."

The most beautiful convex and largest plate was placed in the very center of the noseband strap.

Large dome-shaped plates and plaques were adorned with precious stones and colored paste. Plates with a hook-shaped loop at the upper end and a thickened lower part were placed on the bridle, breastplate, and potfei; they had a triangular shape reminiscent of a bell and were called "tumarcha" (amulet). Large plates were made either solid or openwork in various shapes, closely resembling the patterns of openwork leather appliqués sometimes placed at the corners of the kichim. The small plates that adorned the kichim were very diverse. Embroidered kichims with tebenki for women's horse harnesses were also decorated with braided fringe tokuma gajym.

Nowadays, horse harnesses decorated according to all the rules are rarely found. The production of eye covers, ear covers, tebenki, and mane covers has long been forgotten. However, there are still craftsmen in some mountainous regions who make items for ceremonial horse harnesses.

Ethnography