1) In the cutlery trade in Sheffield the horsing was a wooden framework attached to the grindstone, and it was provided with a ‘saddle’ on which the grinder sat while at work.
The early history of this contrivance is not well documented but examples of 'horse' are on record in the 1500s and 'horsing' features in Sheffield inventories from the early eighteenth century. In 1717, Joseph Leech had Horseing braces kit and bands, 3s 0d, 3 pulleys 1 Newstone and 2 axle trees, 12s 0d’, and in 1739 a scissorsmith called George Greaves possessed 4 grinding stones, 4 caulks valued at 15s
4 glazers, 9 pulleys, 2 horsings, 4 axle trees, etc.. A lease of Rowell Bridge Wheel in 1755 required the horsings to be chained down.