Ridgeway Reference Archive Horse equipment,Horse equipment, bridle bits & rossettes

	The Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway.
	Winchester, Virginia USA (changed hands 70 times in the Civil War!). authentic Civil War relics.
	relicman.com.

Ridgeway Reference Archive, Civil War relics.
Horse equipment, bridle bits & rossettes.

This is the "Ridgeway Reference Archive", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me.
All items listed are believed to be original and authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described.
Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.
Any artillery or ordnance relics have been disarmed and rendered safe.
Any weapons are pre 1898 antique weapons, and are exempt from Federal regulation, no licenses or permits are required.
This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.

Bridle bit, Regulation 1859, US bosses with plain tabs and period.
Bridle bit was authorized under the Regulation 1859, large numbers were used in the 1864 cavalry campaigns. Bit is made of iron parts fitted together and is very durable, and fit in the horses mouth to control its motions. The "U" shape on the upper bar was intended to apply pressure to the horses mouth, the higher form was somewhat harsh on the horse and was used for training, this pattern is the medium size and is the most common size used. The thin bar at the bottom was used to hold the shape of the bit, sometimes this would be removed to improve the fit for a particular horse. Brass US bosses were attached to the sides with rivets, these had a tendency to eventually work loose, many are found separated from the bits.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 90, not illustrated.

M1005 Bridle bit, Regulation 1859, US bosses with plain tabs and period.

Bridle bit was authorized under the Regulation 1859, large numbers were used in the 1864 cavalry campaigns. Bit is made of iron parts fitted together and is very durable, and fit in the horses mouth to control its motions. The "U" shape on the upper bar was intended to apply pressure to the horses mouth, the higher form was somewhat harsh on the horse and was used for training, this pattern is the medium size and is the most common size used. The thin bar at the bottom was used to hold the shape of the bit, sometimes this would be removed to improve the fit for a particular horse. Brass US bosses were attached to the sides with rivets, these had a tendency to eventually work loose, many are found separated from the bits. Recovered: Richmond Petersburg campaign.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 90, not illustrated.

M1203. Bridle bit, Regulation 1859, US bosses with plain tabs and period.

Bridle bit was authorized under the Regulation 1859, large numbers were used in the 1864 cavalry campaigns. Bit is made of iron parts fitted together and is very durable, and fit in the horses mouth to control its motions. The "U" shape on the upper bar was intended to apply pressure to the horses mouth, the higher form was somewhat harsh on the horse and was used for training, this pattern is the medium size and is the most common size used. The thin bar at the bottom was used to hold the shape of the bit, sometimes this would be removed to improve the fit for a particular horse. Brass US bosses were attached to the sides with rivets, these had a tendency to eventually work loose, many are found separated from the bits. Recovered: from a barn in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 90, not illustrated.

Boss from Regulation 1859 bridle bit, US with period, plain tabs.
Boss was sand cast and attached to the regulation 1859 bridle bit with rivets, which had a tendency to work loose. This pattern depicts "U.S", the tabs are plain.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 112, item 8.

M0913 Boss from Regulation 1859 bridle bit, US with period, plain tabs.

Boss was sand cast and attached to the regulation 1859 bridle bit with rivets, which had a tendency to work loose. This pattern depicts "U.S", the tabs are plain. Recovered: Shenandoah Valley 1864 campaign.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 112, item 8.

Boss from Regulation 1859 bridle bit, US without period, plain tabs.
Boss was sand cast and attached to the regulation 1859 bridle bit with rivets, which had a tendency to work loose. This pattern depicts "US" on stippled background, the tabs are plain.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 112, item 7.

M1057 Boss from Regulation 1859 bridle bit, US without period, plain tabs.

Boss was sand cast and attached to the regulation 1859 bridle bit with rivets, which had a tendency to work loose. This pattern depicts "US" on stippled background, the tabs are plain. Recovered: Winchester, Virginia.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 112, item 7.

Rosette from a military headstall, solder filled, USA intertwined.
Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. This one was made for a military rig, and depicts USA intertwined. Rosette is stamped brass, solder filled, brass attachment hooks.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 115.

M1115 Rosette from a military headstall, solder filled, USA intertwined.

Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. This one was made for a military rig, and depicts USA intertwined. Rosette is stamped brass, solder filled, brass attachment hooks. Dug rosette, hooks missing.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 115.

M1116 Rosette from a military headstall, solder filled, USA intertwined.

Rosette from a civilian headstall, solder filled, horse shoe with shock of wheat.
Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. Those which are stamped, and lead filled are generally thought to have been manufactured of or before the Civil War period, and many private purchase or civilian horse rigs were pressed into service during the Civil War, particularly by southerners, including those confiscated during the 1862 and 1863 Maryland/ Pennsylvania campaigns. Rosette is stamped brass, solder filled, brass attachment hooks. This pattern depicts a horse shoe with a shock of wheat.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 113.

M0873 Rosette from a civilian headstall, solder filled, horse shoe with shock of wheat.

Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. Those which are stamped, and lead filled are generally thought to have been manufactured of or before the Civil War period, and many private purchase or civilian horse rigs were pressed into service during the Civil War, particularly by southerners, including those confiscated during the 1862 and 1863 Maryland/ Pennsylvania campaigns. Rosette is stamped brass, solder filled, brass attachment hooks. This pattern depicts a horse shoe with a shock of wheat. Recovered: Maryland campaign.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 113.

Rosette from a civilian headstall, solder filled, concentric rings.
Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. Those which are stamped, and lead filled are generally thought to have been manufactured of or before the Civil War period, and many private purchase or civilian horse rigs were pressed into service during the Civil War, particularly by southerners, including those confiscated during the 1862 and 1863 Maryland/ Pennsylvania campaigns. Rosette is stamped brass, solder filled, brass attachment hooks. This pattern depicts concentric rings.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 113.

M0874 Rosette from a civilian headstall, solder filled, concentric rings.

Rosettes were used to adorn the leather horse headstalls. Those which are stamped, and lead filled are generally thought to have been manufactured of or before the Civil War period, and many private purchase or civilian horse rigs were pressed into service during the Civil War, particularly by southerners, including those confiscated during the 1862 and 1863 Maryland/ Pennsylvania campaigns. Rosette is stamped brass, solder filled, brass attachment hooks. This pattern depicts concentric rings. Recovered: Maryland campaign.
Ref: Crouch Horse Equipment, pg. 113.