A leather or fabric strap that passes under a horse's tail to hold equipment in place, especially on packs or saddles.
From Old French 'croupière' meaning relating to the rump, from Latin 'cruppa'; evolved to mean the specific piece of equipment that rests against the hindquarters.
The curple appears in countless historical accounts because without it, packs would slip forward on a horse during climbing—cavalry and merchants designed entire equipment systems around this single strap.
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