Much has been written about the origin and the purpose of the breechings, but it is most likely that the had their origin in the harness used to prevent the saddle from slipping forward when riding over rough terrain. With the passing of time, the utilitarian purpose of the harness gave way to an ornamental use and the guarnición became a very traditional part of the Peruvian tack. The harness consists of a long leather strap, called retranca, that encircles the rear of the horse and is attached to buckles on each side of the saddle. The retrancas are further held in place by two lateral straps attached to the sides of the base of the tail cover. These two straps of leather are called caidas (falls). Over the horse's tail is placed the florón or tail cover, which is an elogated piece of leather attached to the back of the saddle by a large and ornate buckle. The term florón, meaning big flower in Spanish, probably derives from the round shape of the middle section of the tail piece which was traditionally embossed with floral designs. More recently however, the creativity of the leather artisans has given rise to a variety of designs that include linear motifs, horses, seal of arms and other fanciful leather work.

The guarnición, as a general rule, should have the same embossed patterns as the rest of the tack. A crupper is always used in conjunction with the Peruvian saddle. The crupper is attached to the same buckle that holds the tail piece and both crupper and tail piece are held together by a short leather strap called a cruzeta.