1800's horse tack

Deleted member 140734 · Mar 31, 2020

Sometimes I detect around an area that once had a house and farm built in 1860. He is well known in our local history and accounts from the time said he "raised fine horses." It is overgrown now with just a cellar pit remaining. I think I found where his barn was. I see a debris field of nails and iron. What puzzles me is what appears to saddle concho. It's construction seems quite crude and the site layers back to a 1700's farm. Or someone could have recycled tack pieces when making new. This was about four inches deep. I am surprised to see leather still attached. Reading reports on the decay of leather, shoes have lasted over 40 years in landfills. The metal composition is tough to figure out. It is dense and heavy for its size, definitely no lead in there. The stirrups I have no idea how to date. The smaller iron one was near the concho. Happy to have found this bell in good shape. Haven't cleaned it but she still rings sweet.