A little historical knowledge can be a dangerous thing--horse barding the wrong way

A few summers ago, I wanted to make full barding for Blessi for equestrian tournaments held by the Society for Creative Anachronism.  Since my persona is that of Norse woman in Iceland around 1000 AD, I thought I would use some Norse-like braiding on the borders to give a Viking feel to the barding.

As you can see I found a great table cloth that was easily converted to barding.   The design is probalby more Greek folk than Nordic or Celtic.   (Poor Blessi, I think he is the only horse in existence that his own set of tailors chalk for projects like this.)

I made a large French buttonholes (gee Mom those tailoring classes post college really did come in handy) to accommodate the girth and tucked in the sides in large gathers so Blessi was less likely to trip over the draping cloth.


Personally I think Blessi looks stunning in the colors and design.  However, the pattern and design are totally incompatible with medieval barding.  Plus the Norse probably did not use this style of barding.

However, I hope to use it at some future SCA event at which the pressure is not so high to be "historically accurate."  I'll try and use the "makes an effort to be historically accurate" concept in SCA thinking to get a bye on this barding.