Barding

Barding was a general term for armor designed to be worn by mounts. It was most often designed for horses, though people were known to make barding for plenty of other mountable creatures in the Realms, as well as some tauric races.

Description
Barding offered protection for mounts, though it came at many costs. Wearing barding typically inhibted a mount's speed and maneuverability as well as made them tire out more quickly. Because of this, it was typically used only on large and powerful mounts. Typically the most protective armors were some of the heaviest. When equipped with barding a mount needed to be given special attention, making sure that it didn't chafe them or make them sore.

Availability
Much like standard armor, barding was typically made by armorers. Though shieldsmiths were often capable of making adequate barding. Many common men lacked barding for their horses as it could be very expensive.

History
Following the development of barding for horses, many in the Realms sought to breed stronger horses that would be capable of both wearing barding and carrying an armored rider. Over time this mount armor paralleled the development of armor for humanoids and other races, centered around the conundrum of obtaining better flexibility and a lighter weight whilst not sacrificing protection.

When King Azoun IV of Cormyr lead an alliance of nations throughout Faerûn against the Grand Army of the Tuigan in 1360 DR, the fighting men of his own nation had varying degrees of barding. The wealthier nobles generally had full plate barding for their horses, while nobles of lesser means had either banded or full scale mail. The standard Cormyrian troop had either chain or leather barding for their horse.

Variations
Some types, known as half barding and partial barding, only offered partial protection for a mount. The former in particular only covered the front and forward sides of an animal. These types of barding were not the same thing as simply removing some of a mount's full barding &mdash; they were specially formed, fitted, and balanced for protection. Half barding was far more common than full in warmer or humid climates. In such regions, light full barding was most commonly used.

Barding came in a wide variety of materials and types similar to those armor worn by humanoid races. These included the following:

Light Barding

 * Leather Barding: Equivalent to leather armor, this was one of the most commonly used forms of barding. People often reinforced it with parts made of either steel bands, wooden planks, or short strips of thick hard wood.
 * Padded Barding: Comparable to leather in its protection, this barding was made of thickly padded quilted cloth.

Medium Barding

 * Brigandine barding: Equivalent to brigandine armor, this composite type of barding consisted of small bands of metal sandwiched between layers of leather It was typically the most advanced type of barding a simple village armorer could forge.
 * Chain barding: Equivalent to chain mail, this was one of the most commonly used forms of medium barding. It was equipped in sections, with the main pieces either attached to the saddle or laid over the mount and buckled underneath. A heavy cloth or blanket was typically placed underneath in order to prevent rubbing and abrasions, which would more quickly fatigue a mount.
 * Studded leather barding: Equivalent to studded leather, this early form of barding consisted of layers of soft leather reinforced with many small metal studs. It was equal in protection to ring barding.
 * Elven chain barding: Equivalent to elven chain mail, this was an extremely rare type of barding that was generally unavailable to anyone other than elven nobility.
 * Ring barding: Equivalent to ring mail], this type of barding was composed of metal rings sewn into a heavy cloth or leather backing.
 * Scale barding: Equivalent to scale mail, this was an early form of medium barding that was superseded by chain barding in more advanced regions.
 * Studded leather barding: Equivalent to studded leather and roughly equal protection to ring barding, this early form of barding consisted of layers of soft leather reinforced with many small metal studs. Sometimes these studs were long and filed to a point.

Heavy Barding

 * Banded barding: Equivalent to banded mail, this type of barding was similar to chain variety, though it was reinforced with horizonal strips of metal.
 * Plate barding: Equivalent to plate mail, this type of barding was made from chain mail and small steel plates linked together and hinged with articulated joints. A thick padded or quilt cloth, equipped with metal studs, was typically placed across it.
 * Splint barding: Equivalent to splint mail, this type of barding was similar to the banded variety, though the metal strips that reinforced it were vertical instead of horizonal.

Creatures

 * Camels were almost never equipped with barding as it reduced their carrying capacity, made them harder to control, and generally hindered their abilities far more than it did horses.
 * Elephants were sometimes outfitted with leather or metal barding.
 * Unique barding existed for thunderherders.
 * War dogs were occasionally outfitted with barding.
 * Worgs were occasionally outfitted with barding.

Groups

 * The Zhentarim forces of the Citadel of the Raven and Zhentil Keep typically had plate barding for their horses.
 * Wandering rogues, highwaymen, and occasionally adventurers were all known to use half-brigandine barding on their mounts.

Individuals

 * Deng Tse Chin
 * Glawinn
 * Keinen
 * Randers
 * Timoth Eyesbright, a centaur warrior, would often wear barding.
 * Tusk, the fiendish elephant pet of Kurgoth Hellspawn, typically wore chain barding.

Intelligent Creatures and Races

 * Armanites typically wore full plate barding that was constructed of demonic chitin.
 * Bariaurs wore scale barding whenever they went into combat.
 * Dwarves and gnomes generally were not known to use barding on mounts, though they ocasionally made leather ones for their pack animals.
 * Elves and humans were the races that most often utilized barding for mounts.
 * Elves and halflings occasionally used thick padded cloth and leather barding on their pony and light horse mounts respectively.
 * Many humanoid races were known to use studded leather barding.
 * Successful bands of goblins and orcs would equip their mounts with half-scale barding.
 * On the planet of Oerth, chain barding was commonly used by grey elf cavalry companies.

Nations & Settlements

 * Poor or less civilized cultures primarily use padded cloth barding.
 * Studded leather armor was commonly used in the nations of Amn, Narfell, Shaar, and the Hordelands.