"Barded Horses" Topic

Hello everyone,
Were the majority of horses barded during these wars?

I don't think there's a definitive answer, mate, and what happened at tournaments doesn't necessarily reflect what happened on campaign. Opinion and evidence varies, but the current opinion seems to be that fully barded horses were rarely, if ever, seen, due to the weight (and possibly cost?), and may have been restricted to the richer and more powerful lords. The Perry's instructions for their Mounted Men at Arms 1450-1500 box of plastic figures say that barding was rare, but shows a couple of barded horses on the box art.

Chanfrons may have been more common, possibly with a mail or segmented criniere, and possibly a mail, boiled leather or plate peytral. Contemporary and Tudor illustrations show a lot of barding, but may just be artistic license. I've used a couple of barded horses in my WotR army, to distinguish the commanders, a few with chanfron and a couple with peytral, but that's just a guess on my part.

It's the look of the thing. Much like white helmets on the the 24th foot.

I also use barding to show class of horsemen.

Leaders mostly barded, extra livery, and hand weapons or empty handed.
Elite mostly barded with lance.
Heavy no barding some armor with hand weapon.
Light no armor on horse and bows or hand weapon.

Paintings from the period suggest no barding, or very little.
But, there are barded horses available for your armies. I would suggest that these be reserved for the named nobles.

+1 Col Durnforf, the medieval period is a time when everyone mostly supplied their own kit. It was also a period when people literally worked for food, hence livery.

Not WOTR but renaissance generally:

TMP – Gendarmes / Knights vs. Pike in Medieval & Ren. War?

There is a link to a video – two hours long – it has a picture of lancers attacking an infantry pike block – using horn formation – the outer horse have barding.

Perhaps we assume that barding gives super protection against missiles (arrows, bolts); but it may also provide a protective padding effect within a cavalry formation.