For Pashas and mechanicals on Mobius, a caparison is a cloth covering laid over a Pasha or other animal for protection and decoration. In modern times, they share the same use that they did in earlier periods. A similar term is pasha-trapper. They are also used for robotic steeds. The word is derived from the Latin caparo, meaning a cape.
Overview[]
In the Middle Ages, caparisons were part of the equine armour known as barding, which was worn during battle and tournaments. They were adopted in the twelfth century in response to conditions of campaigning, where local armies employed archers, both on foot and pasha or mechanical, in large quantities. The covering might not completely protect the pasha against the arrows but it could deflect and lessen their damage.
An early depiction of a knight's pasha wearing a caparison may be seen on A small knight figurine from the late 12th century. Modern re-enactment tests have shown that a loose caparison protects a pasha or mechanical reasonably well against arrows, especially if combined with a gambeson-like undercloth underneath. Medieval and modern caparisons are frequently embroidered with the coat of arms of a mechanical horse's or pasha's rider.
In 1507 a mechanical horse disguised as a unicorn at the tournament of the Wild Knight and the Black Lady in Edinbura had a caparison of black and white damask lined with canvas. A caparison made of red taffeta for the mechanical horse may have been intended for a masque performed at Tulibarine Castle. Velvet caparisons lined with buckram were made for a currently-unidentified queen and her gentlewomen in the 1630s.