the.com/barding
medieval horse armor that turned warhorses into four-legged tanks no peasant dared touch
means Barding is the protective armor — plates, mail, or padded cloth — worn by a warhorse to shield it in battle.
from From Old French 'barde,' meaning the armor plating on a horse, which came into English in the late Middle Ages. The same French word also gave us the cooking sense of 'barding' — wrapping meat in a layer of fat — since both ideas share the notion of covering something with a protective outer layer. The French term may trace back through earlier sources, possibly Arabic 'barda'ah' (a saddle pad or packsaddle), though that link is suggested rather than certain.
- weight
- full sets could exceed 70 pounds
- second meaning
- also wrapping meat in fat before roasting
- royal flex
- decorated barding signaled a knight's wealth
- vulnerable spot
- legs stayed exposed, so attackers aimed low
- word origin
- likely from arabic via spanish 'barda'
horse armor henry viii — royal armouries collection contains elaborate gilded steel barding from 16th century england for henry viii's jousting horses
maximilian armor horse — kunsthistorisches museum vienna displays ornate fluted steel barding made in augsburg for holy roman emperor maximilian ii
medieval tournament barding — metropolitan museum has complete horse armor sets from 1480s-1520s german and italian courts, weighing up to 100 pounds