Time to get out some of my Vintage Thingies - so here we go! Thanks to coloradolady for hosting this weekly event. If you would like to join in the fun, visit coloradolady to sign up on 'Mr. Linky' after you make your posting with YOUR vintage items, and to see some more Vintage Thingie participants! And, Saturday is Coloradolady's birthday, so let's all pause for a moment to listen to a song by my favorite breed of dog, in her honor! Happy Birthday 'early', coloradolady!And, now, for the vintage thingies.....
The pic to the left is part of my collection of horse shoes I have found. The 2 to the left are 'trailers' that were created for pacing horses on the race track, to help increase their speed. I found them when I was training young stock with my partner on the track in Illinois. We had 3 young horses that we worked every morning, training them up to pace in Chicago. I'd walk the track early in the morning, looking for any nails or scrap metal, so the horses wouldn't get them caught in their hooves and cause an abscess.
The next items I'm going to show you also hang in my little hay barn. I found all these iron horse bits while on walks through old fields, or on the race tracks when I lived in Illinois. The bit on the left was for a draft horse - it's a pretty large snaffle bit, and when you compare it to the one on the right of the picture (a curb bit for a regular sized riding horse resembling the kind used in the Cavalry way back when), you can see the difference in size of mouths that they were used on.
In this photo, the left hand bit was used for harness racing horses. It has a lot of leverage depending on where the driving lines were attached. These are still manufactured today, but in stainless steel for the most part. The one on the right is a half-cheek snaffle bit, jointed in the center to be easier on the young horses mouth when you begin to train them to cart for driving.
To the right in this next picture is another kind of bit used for training up seasoned harness racers. It also has different areas for attaching the driving lines to either lessen or increase control of your animal on the track. It is jointed in the center, which has a nutcracker effect on the tongue, so you have to know what you are doing so you don't injure your animal with severe use.
In the last picture here, look at the bit on the right side. It's a driving bit used for carriage horses when driving in a buggy was the mode of transportation. It, too, is made of iron, and a chain was clipped to go underneath the horses chin. Driving lines would be attached to 3 different areas, again to increase or decrease pressure needed to control that individual horse. I like the looks of this bit when a horse is fitted to a cart, but again, care has to be used when this bit is in service, as it has little swirls on the bar that hit the tongue and corners of the mouth, and should only be used with educated hands with any horse.So, happy Vintage Thingie Thursday to you! Enjoy the day!
(POT -O-Gold... - Just for fun!)
20 comments:
Oh, so you're the one who found that pot o' gold! Thanks for sharing. Happy Vintage Thingy Thursday. Here's mine: http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/2009/03/grandpas-needle-and-safety-pin.html
Great info on the different bits. Nice collection.
Molly
what an informative post i never would've known there was such a variety of horse bits..they certainly make a great display :)
You certainly know a lot about horses. You have a nice collection.
very interesting! cool vintage thingies.
Those dogs are hysterical--that was too funny and they looked at that little one in the finish like they knew what he was going to do. OK, what else did you show? Just kidding. I can appreciate these bits for their artistic scroll since I know nothing about horses.
I never realized there were so many different bits. Interesting.
What an interesting post! Loved learning all the info on the bits.
Thanks for sharing and have a great day!
Thanks for sharing a "bit" of history! It was educational and interesting. Nice "pot", too!
Interesting, informative and something that I have never thought about!!
What a great collection. Happy VTT and have a lovely weekend.
these are really neat. We don't see a lot of things like this on VTT.
You really are a horsey sort of gal, aren't ya?
What an interesting post today!
What a wonderful collection. We have found several horse shoes and bits in our backyard as Mr. Marrow's barn was back there. Another house on our block has a port cochere with large hooks for horse reins.
Thank you !! Thank You!! That clip was just too cute!! I love all your pictures today and information. Nice post for this Vintage Thursday!
What different things you are sharing with us ..... thanks for sharing......
Hi... Finally made it over here... and at just the right time, too, apparently as if there is one animal I like as well as corgis, its horses! We've had them for years. I have three now.
Your bit collection is fantastic. I have quite a few different bits and hackamores myself, but they are for riding horses and not for driving.
Well, It's almost 2 a.m. here, so best say bye for now, but I'll be back soon! Linda (OC's Mom)
Those are very nice and I can just imagine them hanging in your little barn. I love old iron things like that , again, each one has a story to tell. Thanks for the education!
I love to walk on old traisl and look for treasures. You have a nice collection there! pups are too cute! Thanks for stopping by.
Wonderful post. Loved the singing dogs and the information about the horse bits. They look very different shown this way than in Westerns! Horses put up with alot!
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