Silver Inlay Horse Bit

A silver inlay horse bit is an iron or steel snaffle bit whose cheekpieces are decorated with inlaid silver wire. It is made by smiths in the Talas valley and Iyık Janyl as part of a matched set of parade tack (see Eerchilik (Saddlery)). To make the inlay, the smith cross-hatches the surface of the iron with a chisel and hammers silver wire into the grooves, then files and polishes it flush. The usual motifs are ram's horns (koshkar muyuz) and stars.^[1] Today such bits are made mainly for ceremonial bridles used at Irad Day parades and weddings, and everyday riders use plain steel bits.^[1]

References

1. ^ Department of Ethnography, Talas State University (2016). Horse Gear and Saddlery of the Northern Valleys. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 44–52.