Saddle blanket is part of a riding horse harness.

Yakuts

Yakutskaya Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

нач. XX в.

Cloth: cloth; cloth (cotton); glass (glass beads); metal; leather: natural leather: suede: skin suede

РЭМ 7200-74

It is of a trapezoidal shape, and made of black and red cloth, with deer suede tassels on the edges. Its central part is decorated with metal plaques and bead embroidery, which make a lyre-shaped pattern symbolizing the wish of wealth and prosperity. The saddle blanket was used to cover the horse’s croup; it was part of a parade outfit put on a riding horse only in very ceremonial cases – for the Yssyakh feast and for wedding. Abstract by M.V. Fedorova