A leather strap or girth that goes around a horse's body to hold a saddle or pack in place.
From Middle English and Old French 'croupière', derived from Latin 'cruppa' meaning the rump or croup of a horse; the strap literally goes under the horse's hindquarters.
The curpin was essential safety equipment—if it broke while crossing a river or mountain pass, your entire cargo or rider could be thrown to the ground, which is why these straps appear constantly in adventure narratives from the medieval period.
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