Martingales

Few collectors deny the attractiveness of a martingale and other decorative harness straps. After all, this is how horse brasses were intended to be seen and if they have survived more or less intact and the leather has not suffered too badly over the years then there is a no better way to display them.

The martingale is the strap running from the noseband or reins to the girth to prevent the horse from raising its head too high, and on a heavy horse is attached by an adjustable loop (which the girth passes through) and buckled at the top end to the bottom of the collar. In the horse brass era this strap became a focal point of the decorated show harness with the widening of the leather to form a breast plate on which the brasses were fitted. The martingale in decorated harness is sometimes referred to only as a breast-plate, either term being accepted.

Left, a trio of martingales with a nice mix of cast and stamped types. It is more difficult nowadays to find such straps in an unaltered condition as many have often had brasses swapped about. Condition of the leather is important apart from obvious wear over decades of use and all too often the leather has dried out and hardened and the stitching has perished. However, a modern clear silicone polish can offer a good even protection keeping old leather looking its best for a long period of time.