Horse Trapping, Milton, Beattock

Found by a metal detector at Milton, Beattock, a horse trapping is an ornamental covering for a harness. This example shows a high level of workmanship, and under magnification appears to be a copper alloy with white metal (probably silver or tin) surface plating. There are also distinct areas of textile preserved in the metal which appear to lie sandwiched between the copper alloy and the plating layer but this may be a result of corrosion overgrowth.   Roman decorative pieces from clothing, horse harness and armour.   Copper alloy objects were often tinned or silvered. Tinning simply requires the object to be dipped in molten tin, while silvering was achieved by beating out silver foil and attaching it to the object with lead/tin solder. Tinning was used for helmets, scabbard and belt fittings, cavalry harness and even armour. Silvering was used on cavalry equipment. Dagger sheaths were sometimes decorated with silver, brass or gold inlays. From the second century AD onwards enamel inlay became popular.