A breastplate (used interchangeably with breastcollar, breaststrap and breastgirth) is a piece of riding equipment used on horses. Its purpose is to keep the saddle or harness from sliding back. On riding horses, it is most helpful on horses with large shoulders and a flat ribcage. It is also a safety feature, especially on cross-country, should a rider's girth or billets break, as the rider will have enough time to stop the horse and dismount before the saddle slipped off the animal's back or underneath its belly. The breastplate is used on both English and Western saddles. When used in English riding, the hunting breastplate is made of thinner straps of leather, as is the western style used for horse shows. Working western horses in disciplines that involve work with cattle use a thicker, sturdier style. History When the Spanish Conquistador Cortez invaded Mexico in 1519 his small group of cavalry men all rode the old centerfire rigged War Saddle. Since the saddle was prone to slip back on the horse, a breast collar was used, usually with a shoulder strap to hold it up. And, a crupper under the horse's tail and attached to the saddle was also required to maintain stability. From the formation of the American cavalry in 1812 military saddles were single cinched and both a breast collar and crupper were used. Many Civil War photos show horses rigged with these pieces of equipment. It wasn't until the McClellan saddle was adapted that they were discarded. Early Mexican vaqueros soon moved the front cinch forward, hanging the rigging directly under the fork, and solved the problem of saddle slippage. The un-needed breast collar was discarded, probably because it would catch on limbs when chasing a cow through brush. Both North American cowboys and South American gauchos followed their example and breast collars were seldom seen. The Texas development of the full double rigging in the early 1800s added even more saddle security. Only on the Pacific Coast and Nevada ranges did the centerfire rigging remain popular. A martingale of the time (a leather loop around the horse's neck with an additional strap down to the cinch) helped stabilize the saddle in addition to being a fashion accent. The rise of contest roping in the early 1900s returned the breast collar to popularity. While the first generation of contest hands didn't use one, those that followed learned