Greaves of Hair

[Carlton Bach]

Purely speculative, but could he be talking about fibre armour? Armour woven from coconut fibres was used in Polynesia into the 19th century, and I could imagine horsehair being equally useful for the purpose. It's of limited use against spears and stabbing weapons, but good against cuts and bludgeoning impact, and it is light and somewhat flexible. I could see it used to protect the legs, where your main concern would be secondary injuries.