The material world, spiritual sphere, traditions, rituals, customs, and worldview — all segments of traditional culture become understandable and explainable when viewed through the prism of the “horse”. The horse is a kind of key to understanding the culture of nomadic Tuvans.

Since ancient times, the horse has been the main means of transportation for the Tuvan people. It was used for riding, for military campaigns, and for transporting goods. Tuvans had a special fondness for horse harness, especially the bridle and saddle.

It was not so much the tastes as the wealth of the owner that determined how ornate and rich the ornaments were. Bright and carefully finished metal plaques and onlays were placed in the most prominent places of the harness. The form and kind of decorations were in line with a certain tradition, but the smiths usually diversified them and added something original to the decoration of the horse harness. However, craftsmen usually sought to ensure that all the decorative details of the same harness successfully blended together to form a single ensemble, which was also appreciated by customers.

The National Museum of the Republic of Tuva displays a ceremonial bridle and headstall made by the famous craftsman Vladimir Shombulovich Salchak, member of the Union of Artists of Russia and Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Tuva. The bridle and headstall are designed in a single style.

The Tuvan horse bridle (chugen) consists of a headband (kastyk), noseband (heerik) and chin (saldyryk) straps. The two-piece iron snaffle bit (sugluk) has rings (derbek). The bridle is decorated with plaques of yellow metal. The headstall (chular) is decorated almost as brightly as the bridle. The bridle and the headstall created by Vladimir Salchak are remarkable for their lightness, durability, original beauty and simplicity of manufacturing.