Horse hair and goat hair sporrans?

[OC Richard]

Hi guys. I've been thinking about getting myself a goathair sporran with horsehair tassles and a white metal cantle.
I've mainly seen pipe bands wearing these.

I don't think I've seen a pipe band wearing such sporrans.

Since around 1900 the long hair sporrans worn in the military and by civilian pipe bands have been horsehair, not goathair.

As far as I can figure, looking at hundreds of old photos and paintings of people in Highland dress, long hair sporrans were universally worn with all types of Highland dress in the 19th century, after that type of sporran evolved, in the early 19th century. Our modern "day wear sporran" and "evening wear sporran" didn't exist at that time. Both seem to make their appearance in the 1920's.

These long hair sporrans were originally goat hair, but when the limits of hair length were reached, and people wanted their sporrans even longer, the switch to horsehair was made, in the Scottish regiments it seems quite early, by the 1850's perhaps. One still sees the rare new goathair sporran on Ebay from time to time.

I could be wrong, but it seems to get a really long goathair sporran the leather backing portion must be longer than normal.

anyhow here's a long goathair sporran, and some military guys wearing horsehair sporrans, to show the difference:





Better yet, here's a normal modern horsehair sporran and below it a modern sporran made of goathair: