Hames covers

[DraftDriver]

Does anyone on here know what they were or are primarily used for other than decoration? Do they have an original use? Does anyone on here use them?

I just got a really nice pair from Ebay, they are larger than I have seen and will look really well with my older brass studded work leather harness. Here is a photo that, it isn’t very good, you can get the idea:

[Joshua Kingsley]

I was told by an old timer once that they were used to keep the collar area drier in the rain. I am not sure if that is true or not as I have seen many horses worked in all weather with out them.
Joshua

[DraftDriver]

Thank you Joshua…I have a friend of mine coming over Christmas Day to have pie and coffee with us and can’t wait to show him. He is a great wealth of information and want his views on the ones I did get.

[Livewater Farm]

we use them to keep heavy snow and rain from soaking collars and to help keep the neck and shoulders dry from inclement weather decoration is not a concern for us but the pairs I use are studded up with brass nicely also have a new pair for sale if anyone interested
Bill

[MNMULE]

I was always told that they were used in the old days during threshing to keep the chaf from getting underneath the horses collars.

[DraftDriver]

Wow…some really great answers to what hames covers were used for! Thank you to those who replied. When things calm down I will have to get some photo’s of these, they really are bigger than what I have seen and will look nice with some elbow grease and polish.

[Marshall]

Can’t say I know anything about hame covers, but I would love to have a wagon like that!!!

[TaylorJohnson]

I do use mine to keep the snow and rain off of my collars . When they are not on the horses they each cove some open topped tool boxes in my trailer. I have a few of these and all are very beat up and old but they work well. The thick leather on these make good ax sheaths . I have a good friend that raised Belgians for years and he has stacks of these things. He has so much tack it is just scary. Taylor Johnson

[Gabe Ayers]

I think the hame covers are definitely to protect the collars from weather. Since they are stuffed with straw it makes sense to preserve them by keeping them dry.

When folks only had horses to work they were forced to work rain or shine and protecting the collars provided a nice place to be decorative too. This would be especially true for freight or stage coach services, which would move on the roads regardless of weather.

A small conflict is the suggestion by some to put a collar in a bath tub with the face down to soften it to fit the horse. I have never done this and figure the horse will shape the collar to fit him with work and they will get tougher all the while.

They have morphed into highly decorative things such as the big ones with swinging dangles on the top like the hitch horses.

On the contrary in warm clear weather I could see it making the horses hotter to have these covers on.

~

[DraftDriver]

We intend to only use ours if we do public events or a show class. If we do public events where the public is touching and sitting on the mares, then we have our show harness and our work harness set up on a saw horse so it can be seen and felt, as well as the differences in both. We do a lot of education with what we have so to know the history behind a piece of tack is important, least to me, as I want to be knowledgeable when I speak and not give false information.

What would you all suggest I clean them with? I have harness honey and I have minks oil, as these smell musty. We have and do use the harness honey on the leather work harness if it doesn’t need to be cleaned off due to sweat or dirt or other biological stuff. 🙂

[LaNette]

I have used mink oil on leather goods (non-horse stuff) and its hard to beat for softening and weather-proofing leather. Around here though, its the most expensive thing you can use. That goes for olive-oil too. Perhaps these items aren’t so pricey where they’re manufactured?

I was introduced to Harness Honey back in 2005 and gave it a try. Didn’t like it at first. I couldn’t get over the weird sensation that I was putting a honey-like substance on my equipment. So I quit using it. Then somewhere along the way I was introduced to another product (that shall remain nameless so I don’t get sued) that was alot like mink oil in texture. Thought I had found a great substitute as it sure did soften up the leather. Then, for the first time ever, I started having chronic problems with mildew. I live in a very arid part of the southwest and I just couldn’t get over the shock that this was happening to me all of the sudden. I finally decided that my new leather conditioner was mildew food. So now its been banned from my barn. I’ve gone back to Harness Honey as a top dressing after cleaning it with leather soap. I also have used Leather Therapy for equipment that came to me in really bad shape and have gotten it back into good working condition.

Have fun with your hame covers. How about a side shot of them?

[DraftDriver]

Will be sure to put up a photo of them after I give them a once over…it sure has been fun learning about what they were used for! Thank you all again.

[Lane Linnenkohl]

Being a living historian, and using my horses in my demonstration, I’ve been looking at tack history for quite a while.

Hame covers seem to really become popular in the 1800’s in America. Where I first see them show up is on freighters and commercial haulers. The early Conestoga waggoners liked to dress up their teams with fancy harness using wide leather straps, hame covers and bells, and their wagons with showy iron work. The hame covers seem to have come about for two reasons, 1. to protect the hames and collars from the dust and grime generated from early dirt roads, and 2. a way to dress up the harness and appearance of the outfit.

[Author]

Posts