Audio transcript:

It is astonishing how much riding equipment I found in the Thorsberg Moor! There can be no doubt that the people who left their belongings in the moor were, at least in part, a horse-people, familiar with the use of horses and capable of outfitting them to a high standard.

Just look at these finely crafted metal fittings! Particularly noteworthy are the large, richly ornamented pieces which, I suspect, were intended to protect the horse’s muzzle. I found many different examples. All of them consist of two parts, a shorter and a longer one, joined together by hinges. They probably once sat on thick leather straps, as the reverse sides suggest.

Very little leather has survived, however. Only one headpiece is well preserved, visible in the display case on the far left. I must admit however, that even this was not recovered from the moor intact. It had been broken into small fragments, like so many of the finds… Yet that does not mean its original form cannot be reconstructed!

Thus, it might have appeared, just as it is presented here. I envision the horse’s ears fitted between the two upper triangular openings. The cross-strap behind them runs down on both sides of the neck. Two straps continue along the sides of the head to the large bronze rings, where the fittings for the bit would have been attached, though the bit itself is missing. These rings also held the heavy rein chains, as well as the end pieces of a leather strap that ran beneath the lower jaw. The most striking feature of this headpiece is the strap that ran down the centre of the horse’s face, ending in a metal fitting intended to protect the muzzle of which only a fragment survived.

Yes, that is how I imagine the bridle once appeared. But what do you think?

An Unusual Object

Unusual for modern bridles is the “Nose guard” described by Conrad Engelhardt—a protective metal plate for the horse’s sensitive nasal bridge. Lavish fittings and a metal rein chain give the harness its representative character and emphasize the rider’s high status.

Location: Thorsberger bog

Material: Copper alloy