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CIVIL WAR CAVALRY
OFFICERS YELLOW ENAMELED LEATHER BREAST STRAP– A RARE
SADDLE ACCESSORY IN EXCELLENT CONDITION:
This rare offering of a Yellow Enameled Breast
Strap Assembly is a key
piece to complete the display of a Civil War Cavalry
Officer’s Saddle. Given that there were fewer cavalry
officers than there were infantry and artillery
officers, fewer of these pieces were originally made,
and then the hard service to which the cavalry officers’
equipment was exposed further limited the number of
these attractive straps which exist today.
The breast strap prevented the saddle from shifting to
the rear, a real concern when the horse was ridden into
the chaotic environment of the battlefield.
The body of the breast strap is highlighted with yellow
enamel and is surmounted in the center by a brass heart
shaped shield measuring 2 ¾” wide and 3” high, which in
turn is mounted on a heart-shaped black leather safe.
The strap measures 26” long on each side and is 3 ¼”
wide at the widest point, narrowing to 1 ½” at each
end.
The breast strap securely attached to the saddle at
three points. Each end of the strap is fitted with a
brass “D” ring to which is attached a standing loop
doubled billet which mated with a buckle anchored on the
saddle. A third anchor point was provided with a heavy
black leather 1” wide strap which is sewn beneath the
heart-shaped safe and is designed so that it folds back
on itself to engage a buckle and leather standing loop
which passes between the horse’s front legs and secures
the breast strap to the girth under the horse. When the
horse was being saddled, the girth and perhaps the
surcingle was fed through this loop before being buckled
to the saddle and this strap kept the breast strap from
riding up the horse’s neck or falling below his
shoulders.
Exhibiting a high quality of workmanship, the breast
strap is very well made of a double thickness of
leather, the yellow enameled panels are sewed on top of
the underlying layers, and the strap is edged in thin
glove weight leather to finish the edges. There is very
little wear to the yellow enamel on the body of the
breast strap. The wear is limited to very minor
crazing, but there is none of the heavy wear points
where the yellow color was rubbed away as is so often
seen on these rare survivors. The underside of the
strap is fully intact and all of the edging is intact
and present. There is little doubt this breast strap
was used and saw some service, but it survived in
remarkable condition. Given the rarity of these cavalry
officer’s saddle accessories, this level of wear is
really inconsequential.
This Cavalry Officer’s Breast Strap is the type of horse
equipment that was not produced in large quantities to
begin with, and those few that did survive field service
and years of storage rarely appear on the market today,
the majority resting quietly, and unattainable, in
museums or in private collections. This breast strap
would be a stunning addition to your saddle, and it
would elevate it to a center piece of a Civil War
Cavalry Collection or a display of US Military Saddles.
(0518) $1500
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