18thC Brass & Steel Fleam for Bleeding Horses spurs Ref : whip1755

Ref : whip1755

The case has a shoulder strap and a belt loop on its reverse side

There are patent stamps on the mouthpiece and bit rings

depth of tread 6" (15cm)Weight : 1

This book was published by Blackie & Son Ltd

18thC Brass & Steel Fleam for Bleeding Horses spurs Ref : whip1755This antique veterinary tool consists of three steel blades in a brass caseOne of the blades is stamped "BAM +", this was the mark of Jonathan Sutton, a cutlery maker registered in Sheffield in the late 18th Century. A fleam was used to cut into a horse's jugular vein to "let blood", which was believed to be therapeutic until the mid nineteenth century. Apparently the actual process involved hitting the fleam with a wooden club to cut into the vein