31/10/2026
That heavy lump of iron in the back of the buggy wasn’t ballast.
When a driver stopped somewhere with no hitching post, he lifted out a cast-iron weight, set it on the ground and tied the horse’s reins or a strap to it.
A calm horse wouldn’t drag several pounds of iron far, so the weight held it in place while the driver went into the store or the house.
Some people describe it as an early parking brake for a horse and wagon.
Many of these weights were plain blocks with a ring on top. Others were cast in fancy shapes, and today they often turn up in antique shops being used as doorstops.
