Horsehair is hair from a horse's mane or tail, which people have used for centuries to make surprisingly useful things. Unlike human hair, horsehair is extremely strong, springy, and durable. It doesn't rot easily and keeps its shape even after years of use.

Before modern materials like plastic and nylon existed, horsehair was woven into fabric for upholstering furniture. If you've ever sat on an old couch or chair and wondered what made the cushions so firm, it might have been stuffed with horsehair. Violin bows are strung with horsehair because it grips the strings to create sound. Some paintbrushes use horsehair bristles because they hold their shape and spring back after each stroke.

Horsehair fabric was also used in legal wigs worn by judges and lawyers in Britain, and in the stiff crinolines that made Victorian dresses puff out dramatically. Cowboys and craftspeople still braid horsehair into rope, belts, and hatbands. The material's strength and flexibility made it valuable long before anyone invented synthetic fibers. Today, horsehair remains prized for musical instruments and fine furniture restoration, proving that sometimes old materials work better than new ones.