Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness

The lack of metal lorinery in the archaeological record of early medieval Ireland is addressed through a hypothesis that post-Iron Age bridles were made of straw and rushes, which did not survive deposition. Reconstruction and testing of a straw bridle show the material to be strong and quite suitab...

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Main Authors: Rena Maguire, Robert Johnston
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EXARC 2024-06-01
Series:EXARC Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10751
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author Rena Maguire
Robert Johnston
author_facet Rena Maguire
Robert Johnston
author_sort Rena Maguire
collection DOAJ
description The lack of metal lorinery in the archaeological record of early medieval Ireland is addressed through a hypothesis that post-Iron Age bridles were made of straw and rushes, which did not survive deposition. Reconstruction and testing of a straw bridle show the material to be strong and quite suitable for vernacular use. It also raises questions as to the agency of using straw instead of leather, and what this may tell us of the techno-cultural transitions each side of Ireland's Iron Age.
format Article
id doaj-art-c88186f3d40e464fa6736cc7747a4e83
institution Kabale University
issn 2212-8956
language English
publishDate 2024-06-01
publisher EXARC
record_format Article
series EXARC Journal
spelling doaj-art-c88186f3d40e464fa6736cc7747a4e832025-08-20T03:44:38ZengEXARCEXARC Journal2212-89562024-06-012024/2ark:/88735/10751Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw HarnessRena MaguireRobert JohnstonThe lack of metal lorinery in the archaeological record of early medieval Ireland is addressed through a hypothesis that post-Iron Age bridles were made of straw and rushes, which did not survive deposition. Reconstruction and testing of a straw bridle show the material to be strong and quite suitable for vernacular use. It also raises questions as to the agency of using straw instead of leather, and what this may tell us of the techno-cultural transitions each side of Ireland's Iron Age.https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10751horseearly middle agesireland(re)construction
spellingShingle Rena Maguire
Robert Johnston
Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness
EXARC Journal
horse
early middle ages
ireland
(re)construction
title Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness
title_full Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness
title_fullStr Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness
title_full_unstemmed Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness
title_short Hay is for Horses: Making and Using a Traditional-Style Irish Straw Harness
title_sort hay is for horses making and using a traditional style irish straw harness
topic horse
early middle ages
ireland
(re)construction
url https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10751
work_keys_str_mv AT renamaguire hayisforhorsesmakingandusingatraditionalstyleirishstrawharness
AT robertjohnston hayisforhorsesmakingandusingatraditionalstyleirishstrawharness