Original British Victorian Era Lieutenant Colonel’s Shabraque Horse Blanket with Gorgeous Bullion Rank Insignia

Original Item. Only One Available. This is a gorgeous Victorian Era Shabraque, or Horse Blanket, for a Lieutenant Colonel, as denoted by the crown & pip. The shabraque is completely correct for the period, but is not maker-marked.

The Shabraque, like that of the heavy cavalry, was to be of authorised regimental patterns and not be re-introduced into regiments which had discontinued it or may discontinue it. This was obviously an early attempt, in this era, for the powers-that-be at the Horse Guards to dispense with a costly piece of equipment. It required large swathes of high grade cloth and was embellished with vast amounts of gold lace. The regulation was, as usual a compromise laden with ambiguity. Often, the reason to discontinue the shabraque was a practical one. Regiments sent overseas were not allowed to take the shabraque and required to put them in store before embarking. Regiments away for many years returned to find them moth eaten, mouldy or otherwise damaged and therefore the decision was made for them.  

This example does not look to be for a specific regiment, and only denotes the officer’s rank, Lieutenant Colonel, with a crown & pip. The shabraque has lovely gold tape borders but the tape is coming off in several places. One side retains the leather strap, but the other side is missing it completely. The two sides show different age toning, with one set of rank insignia looking much better than the other, so it should be displayed from the better side. The crown is almost entirely ripped off of one side, but it could be stitched back into place.

The underside shows period wear, and the set has held up well overall with some serious damage. 

This is a phenomenal Shabraque, the second we have ever offered, ready for further research and display!