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Horsehair spinning

Craft

Spinning horse- and cattle hair is a tradition that has been practiced in Sweden, the Nordic countries, and other places in the world where horses and cattle have been held. Today, there are few practitioners left with knowledge of the craft in Sweden.

Location: Nation wide

Photo of a person spinning horse hair by hand.

Horsehair can be spun to a thread manually or industrially. Manually spun horsehair is usually turned into ropes or reins. Photo: Bettina Wingolf

Horsehair can be spun to a thread manually or industrially. The threads can be used to create various products through different techniques such as knotless knitting, crocheting, braiding, or twisted into a rope. Today, the industrially spun horsehair is mostly used as upholstery. Manually spun horsehair is usually turned into ropes or reins.

The historical origin of horsehair spinning is not clear. In Sweden, objects made from horsehair dating back to the 16th century have been found. Horsehair has mostly been used to make everyday objects that have been worn out in time, which may explain the lack of preserved older objects today. In the early 20th century, there were several spinning factories in Sweden, but none of these remain to the present day. Today, cheaper, industrially made materials have replaced the large-scale use of horsehair.

Only a few craftspersons with the knowledge of how to spin horsehair manually remain in Sweden today. The tradition is passed on through courses, instructions and books, and public demonstrations.

Literature

Bettina Wingolf (2017), Tagel – en annorlunda hästbok.

Read more about horse hair at the blog Pinnplockerskan.se External link.