Equine Stable Plaque ÔÇô Oak & Bronze

A stable plaque for a horse is not a small thing. It marks a door they walked through every day of a working life ??? the smell of hay, the half-light of early morning, the soft sound of a hoof on straw. We have made these in collaboration with a stable-yard saddler in County Cork and a bronze caster in Yorkshire who has been doing this work for thirty-two years.

The oak is FSC-certified English heartwood, oiled by hand. The bronze is lost-wax cast ??? the oldest metalworking technique we know, used for plaque-work in churches since the sixteenth century. Each plaque is inset by hand so the bronze sits perfectly flush with the wood. The patina is built up in three coats, then sealed.

The QR is recessed beneath a sapphire window in the lower corner. Tap a phone against it and the full memorial opens ??? photographs of foaling day, every show season, every quiet morning at the gate, every farrier visit. Audio notes, vet records, the names of every horsekeeper who ever held the lead rope. The memorial is private by default; share it only with the people you choose.

Salt-spray tested against ten years of British coastal weather. Comes with two solid brass mounting screws and a small leather pouch of beeswax for the oak. The bronze will darken slowly with the years ??? that is part of the design.