Object number
55/181
Description
This is a farrier's fly switch. It was used to keep the flies off horses while they were being shod. The switch is made of horse hair so the animal thinks it is his own tail - the donor said that brushing the flies off by hand made the horses restive and difficult to shoe.
Physical description
1 fly switch: metal; leather; horsehair
Label Text
Fly switch. Produced in the early 20th Century (1900 - 1924), the main components of this fly switch / twitch are made from metal, leather, and horsehair. This item served two purposes. One is a decorative twitch that is used to sooth horses during stressful situations, such as shoeing. The other is to brush flies off horses during the shoeing process.
Archival history
Letter, J. K. Roberts to the Curator, 18 June 1959 – ‘This was described as a fly switch is, I think more likely to be a decorative twitch used, as you doubtless know, to quieten restive horses by twisting and compressing the upper lip. // Very much enjoyed my visit.’, MERL ‘Associated information’ form – 'Used for keeping flies off spirited horses while they were being shod. Usually wielded by person who brought the animal in. As animal thinks it is his own tail all goes well - Mr Underwood said that brushing flies off by hand tends to make the horse restive and difficult to shoe. He has another whisk which he made from a horses tail he docked over 40 years ago. // (This is the first time I have seen or heard of this use of this article. JA)'
Production date
1900-01-01 - 1924-12-31
Production period
Early-twentieth century
Object name
Material
Associated subject
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_732.tif - High resolution image
