Ornate Equestrian Brass from Florida

[cambria09]

Hello All. Found this at an empty lot near the FL Space Coast where we have found coins back to the 1890's.

My wife says it's an Equestrian Medal awarded back in the day. I am thinking she is wrong (first time ever) and it is some sort of saddle or horse tack adornment.

It is heavy brass, the main oval is about 2.5 x 3-IN, with no engraving to be found, and it looks rubbed down on the horse and rider side.

Please let me know if it looks familiar and thanks for the view. Good Luck out there. C9

 

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[creskol]

A "jumping horse" horse brass. .. How neat of a find is that!!!

 

[Molewacker]

Steeplechase horse brass - very cool find!!!

 

[cambria09]

A "jumping horse" horse brass. .. How neat of a find is that!!!

Hello creskol. Thanks for the reply but what is it? Good Luck out there. C9

 

[RTR]

With only 1 loop its probably a decorative piece .I don't see anything here that looks like it.

 

[cambria09]

Hello RTR. Agreed thanks for the reply...interesting bit of horse tack you got there.

Good Luck out there. C9

 

[RTR]

Hello RTR. Agreed thanks for the reply...interesting bit of horse tack you got there.

Good Luck out there. C9

Yeah and thats only some of it

 

[GaRebel1861]

A large watch fob?

 

[Tony in SC]

I was thinking watch fob but it is probably an award that had a ribbon.

 

[GaRebel1861]

I was thinking watch fob but it is probably an award that had a ribbon.

I like your answer better than mine.

 

[paleomaxx]

They're actually known literally as "Horse Brass." They're purely decorative pieces that were part of the harness gear on parade horses and especially on draft breeds. They were popular from the middle of the 1800's to around the beginning of the 20th century when the use of horses in everyday life diminished. They have since become very popular collector's pieces and are hung on strips of leather like these:



There are two main manufacturing types, cast and stamped. In general the cast ones are older, but there are still some being manufactured so it's not a guarantee that it's an antique, but seeing as you dug it in an area with 1890's coins it's a good bet that it's 19th century. It really is an uncommon find over here; they were much more popular in the UK. I've only ever found one myself.

Here's a photo of some draft horses with the strap hanging down from the martingale:

 

[Wildcat1750]

Nice find, cambria09 and great job to all those who figured it out!

 

[Breezie]

Paleomaxx is correct; it is Horse Brass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_brass



Neat find
Breezie

 

[creskol]

yup..a "jumping horse" horse brass!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I’ve always known these as horse martingales. My grandparents were dairy farmers and they had some on display in their house.
The example you found looks to be relatively modern in design, probably from the 1950s, although it is cast brass and beautiful in design.
Dave

“In medieval England, decorative horse brasses were in use before the 12th century, serving as talismans and status symbols, but extensive, original research by members of the National Horse Brass Society has shown that there is no connection whatsoever between these bronze amulets to the working-class harness decorations used in the mid-19th century which developed as part of a general flowering of the decorative arts following the Great Exhibition. There are myths surrounding these decorations such as their usage as amulets to ward off the "evil eye". The most popular size is 3 × 3½ inches of flat brass with a hanger by which the brass is threaded onto a horse harness strap, known as a Martingale. In England many of these items of harness found their way into country public houses (taverns) as the era of the heavy horse declined and are still associated today as a pub decoration. By the late 19th century heavy horses were decorated with brasses of all kinds and sizes. During this era working horse parades were popular throughout the British Isles and prize or merit awards were given.

Horse brasses were often highly prized by the "carters", who decorated their horse with them. Other horse brass subjects include advertising, royalty commemoration, and in later years, souvenir brasses for places and events, many of which are still being made and used today. Whatever the views of individual collectors as to when or where working-horse harness decoration first began in the British Isles, most collectors agree that cast brasses were the first to appear on the scene. Opinion is also still divided as to how, even these, originated, but once again, most collectors nowadays, agree that the earliest decorations were simple, cast studs in a variety of shapes and sizes. The earliest types were probably even made locally by smiths or other skilled artisans but by the second half of the 19th century the production of such things had evolved from a local, decorative cult into a national fashion with the bulk of their production centered in and around the West Midlands.

Stamped brasses on heavy horse harness appeared on the scene around 1880, with a small number occurring perhaps a decade or so earlier, and it is highly likely that the process developed from one that was already established in the manufacture of carriage harness trappings and military insignia. However, production of these appears to have peaked shortly before the First World War, and since the 1920s, a few types have been produced but their quality is rather poor being made from thinner gauge brass sheet. Due to serious considerations of the sheer weight of cast harness decorations carried by working horses (first raised by the early animal welfare movements in the late 19th century) it is thought that the first stamped brasses were made as a lighter (and cheaper), alternative to cast brasses being later exported throughout the British Empire. Unlike their cast cousins, stamped brasses were not made in molds, but pressed out of rolled sheet brass approximately 1/16 in thickness although other gauges of sheet than earlier examples. Due to the ease of their manufacture, many thousands of these stamped types were produced, but there are some that are very rare. The production of both cast and stamped brasses has continued since the demise of the British working horse but their manufacture is mainly centered on the souvenir trade, and other specialist manufacturers who provide for the heavy horse world who still breed and show the various breeds.”

 

[Gene Mean]

Looks like an award. Nice find!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

very nice horse brass

 

[cambria09]

yup..a "jumping horse" horse brass!

Hello creskol. You were correct from the beginning...thanks for the reply. C9