Can anyone identify what these brass items are?

I assume these are used for suspending or tipping something over a fireplace, but I can't be sure. Can anyone definitively identify what they are? Thank you!

 

Looks more like some pieces off a harness of some sort.

 

I thought that, however the chains (vs. straps) and hooks (injurious to an animal) wouldn't be something I would expect for a harness.

 

They are called hanes.
For a harness.
Need to put in Horse hanes or you will get the Hanes shirt company.

 

haMes

 

I saw similar in my Grandfather's drive barn. He was the last farmer to use horses in his County.
Except his were wooden. I think someone liked their horses to be well-dressed.

 

Thank you. I appreciate your assistance.

 

We had one of these for years ...... slightly different, but essentially the same, with a mirror and collar!!! I also think only the tops of these are brass.....

 

Sniped by Aquitaine! -The hames fit around the padded leather collar that rests on the horse's shoulders, and provides attachment points for the rest of the harness and the reins.

 

How about now ??

 

No wonder the shirts came up first.

 

The brass hearts and the disks at the bottom of the hames are "horse brasses", and are collectible in their own right.
"A horse brass is a brass plaque used for the decoration of horse harness gear, especially for shire and parade horses. They became especially popular in England from the mid-19th century until their general decline alongside the use of the draft horse, and remain a collectors item today." (wikipedia)

http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/articles/collecting-horse-brasses/

 

I've got half a harness like that as a garden ornament.

Horse brasses aren't what they once were in terms of collectability, sadly.