A crupper (; occ. spelled crouper) is a piece of tack used on

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

s and other equids to keep a

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

harness A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types: * Bondage harness * Child harness * Climbing harness * Dog harness * Pet harness * Five-point harness * Horse harness * Parrot harness * ...

or other equipment from sliding forward.

Construction

The crupper consists of a loop (the crupper itself) and an adjustable strap (crupper strap or back strap) that connects the crupper to back of a riding saddle or the other parts of a harness. The strap runs from the horse's dock, over the

croup Croup, also known as laryngotracheobronchitis, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms o ...

, to the saddle or to the back band (sometimes called the saddle) of a

."Cruppers and Saddle Breechings"
Web page accessed August 31, 2008
Web site accessed September 1, 2008 Usually made of leather, the crupper loop is stuffed, traditionally with linseed to keep it supple in use, and molded into a tube that is shaped into a loop. The crupper may be sewn to its strap, or attached to the strap by one or two buckles. If the crupper has no buckle, then the skirt of the horse's tail is folded up onto the tailbone and the tailbone is slipped through the crupper. If it has buckles, the crupper is unbuckled and passed under the dock.

Use and safety

A crupper is used to keep the equipment placed on a horse's back from slipping forward. Cruppers are seen most often on

horse harness Horse harness is a device that connects a horse to a vehicle or another type of load. There are two main categories of horse harness: (1) the "breaststrap" or "breastcollar" design, and (2) the collar and hames design. For light work, such as ho ...

es. They are also used on the surcingles of bitting rigs, riding saddles, and, occasionally, pack saddles. A crupper needs to be snug enough to keep the saddle or harness in place, but not so tight that the horse is irritated or the skin of the tail is damaged. Cruppers are adjusted to engage only when needed; pressure is not meant to be constantly applied. If a crupper is too tight, it can cause severe chafing, discomfort and sores. If it is too loose, the saddle or harness may not stay in the proper position. If used in an improper manner for too long a period of time, the horse may even become disabled in the hindquarters. The loop of a crupper is kept very clean.

Driving

For driving, a crupper is used to prevent the parts of a harness that fit around the barrel of the horse (the girth, bellyband, back band and saddle) from slipping forward. The crupper is adjusted to allow about an inch of play between the crupper and the dock. Tunstall, Cynthia. ''Train your own mini''
Equine Graphics Publishing Group, 2001 p. 38 , Some harnesses with breeching use this as an anchor instead of a crupper.

Riding

A crupper is used on riding saddles when riding a horse or mule with low withers in steep terrain. Cruppers are most often used in activities such as

endurance riding Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance rides can be any distance, though they are rar ...

, mounted orienteering, competitive trail riding, and for recreational trail riding in mountains. When riding, cruppers are particularly useful on animals with low

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ...

, because this conformation allows the saddle to slip forward as the animal travels downhill. Though not a substitute for a correctly fitted saddle, they are often used on mules, as many saddles, particularly those made for horses, are more likely to slide forward on a flatter-backed mule. The crupper strap may be single or double (forked)."Crupper"
/ref> It usually attaches via a snap or buckle to a crupper ring at the center of the cantle of the saddle, or to a pair of rings (dees) on either side of the cantle. Many riding saddles today are manufactured without properly placed rings, though rings can be added. Or, in lieu of rings, a design used on English saddles utilizes a t-shaped brace that is inserted under the saddle between the rear panels and the tree. Cruppers are not common on

western saddle Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those ...

s, but some English saddles are designed with crupper rings, particularly those designed to fit mules. Cruppers are seen on the saddles of some horses used to work cattle with a

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unli ...

(such as horses of the

buttero A buttero (, plural butteri) or cavalcante is a mounted herder, usually of horses, of cattle, or of buffaloes, in Italy, predominantly in the Maremma region of Tuscany and northern Lazio, or in the Pontine Marshes to the south. History The ...

in Europe), but not on horses used to work cattle with a

lasso A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish a ...

Packing

On pack horses, saddle breeching alone is quite common. However, sometimes a crupper is used in addition to breeching.

History

A crupper has been a standard part of mule saddles for centuries. In the 1614 spurious Avellaneda ''Segunda Parte'' to

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

, a mule crupper is mentioned several times, and it is translated as "crupper" in two 18th-century English translations. Cruppers were once part of the standard design of cavalry saddles. The McClellan saddle used by the United States Army utilized an optional crupper into the early 20th century, though difficulties with proper fitting eventually led the army to discontinue its use."Fitting a McClellan"
Web page accessed August 31, 2008
Web page accessed August 31, 2008 Cruppers continue to be part of the ceremonial tack for some cavalry regiments and

tent pegging Tent pegging (sometimes spelled tent-pegging or tentpegging) is a cavalry sport of ancient origin, and is one of only ten equestrian disciplines officially recognised by the International Equestrian Federation. Used narrowly, the term refers t ...

teams.

References

External links

{{Horse equipment Horse harness Saddles