The history of horse brasses is a long one stretching back more than 2000 years and having its roots in superstition and fear of the unknown. Horses were very important and their owners believed that the early amulet designs of the brasses kept evil spirits from harming the horses that were unable to protect themselves.
A close up of the bells and brasses on a heavy horse harness.
Many of the traditional designs were born of superstition and were intended to guard against evil spirits, the modern ones mark events in which the owner has participated
Gideon from biblical times collected ornaments from the necks of the camels he captured from his enemies. This is perhaps the beginning of the use of amulets to bring either good luck or to ward off the effects of the “evil eye” from the cattle and beasts of burden.
The belief in the evil eye and a fear of its hidden powers was practically universal. It is also believed that the Roman horses were dressed with harness decorations. The harness decorations were called “amulets” and date back to the Emperor Justinian 527 to 565 AD, with the average size of the Roman amulets being around 1.0 to 2.5 cm
The Crusaders returned from their journeys and exploits with decorative horse trappings as part of the spoils of war or early souvenirs. In Medieval times, horses wore plumes for tournament and into battle as signs of recognition and banners around which to rally during the confusion of warfare. In more modern times these have evolved into regimental insignia, national flags and similar.
It is not known whether it was the Crusaders or the gypsies who first brought the brasses to Britain since the first early patterns have a strong Romany influence – sun, moon, stars, crescents and hearts. Evil was associated with darkness, and light was regarded as the antidote. Thus the classic designs were related to sun worship.
Old paintings dating back to 1685 show horses adorned with brasses.
The wives of ploughmen and carters made ear-covers decorated with stitch patterns and wool tufts for their husbands` team of horses.
The earliest harness decorations were bronze, lead or tin, then coated brass or other metals. A few of the earliest brasses are metal plated over copper, a process which came into common use towards the end of the 1700´s and was credited to Mr. T. Bolsover of Sheffield in 1743. Brass was not cast in Britain until the early 1800`s, so all the early horse brasses were hand made. In the coastal areas of Scotland, horse brasses were often made of nickel as the salt air affected the brass.
The use of horse brasses, as distinct from horse amulets, appears to have started in the West Country in the United Kingdom, after the Napoleonic Wars and gradually spread. During the reign of the Queen Victoria they were very much in evidence on the fair days and other local festivities. Casting made the largest amounts of horse brasses from 1860 up to 1914. The brasses began to portray more obvious designs and represent current subjects and events, often grouped together on leather straps to tell a story about the owner or his trade, along with beautifully decorating the horse.
Most people will recognize a horse brass when they see one, although deciding whether or not it is old or new may present them with a little more difficulty. Anyone who begins to take a deeper interest in the subject will soon master the various methods of manufacturer, recognize the symbolism of the many designs, and come to differentiate between the rare, unusual and mere commonplace.
