Tavern Puzzles get their name from their history of being available in Taverns to entertain and challenge their customers.In order to withstand lots if heavy use,they were made of forged iron by local blacksmithsAlso, they are much larger and heavier than conventional wire puzzles.Therefore ,they can often be offered as smaller wire puzzles.
This particular puzzle has been around for a long time and goes by various names and made by various companies and even by local puzzle makers.
Where the name Conestoga comes from,I don't know;but an older name for it is the Gingerbread Man Puzzle.That name is obvious from the man shape at the top of the puzzle.
As to difficulty,it has to be rated as fairly easy ,particularly for anyone who is familiar with the Horseshoe puzzle.It would be a good choice as a starter puzzle,but would provide very little challenge to an experienced puzzle solver.It would be a great choice to bring out to challenge a group of people as an ice breaker or table topic.

I find the Tavern Puzzles unique, interesting, and fun. They are extremely durable being made out of metal with a seal coat to prevent rusting. And its all welded together so there's no cheating on solving the puzzle. I plan to collect them all.

Great starter puzzle. The construction of the Tavern Puzzles is unparalleled. It will never ever break or bend. It feels nice and heavy in the hand. The Conestoga puzzle is too easy for an experienced adult puzzler. I had never done this particular one before, and it only took me a few minutes to figure out how to get the ring off. But I've done puzzles like this before. I think it will probably be a challenge for my bright 9-year-old nephew. It's certainly too difficult for my 5-year-old son, who tried to pry the ring apart with his bare hands. I would say that, depending on their experience with puzzles, this would be appropriate for anyone from 8yrs to 18yrs. The Tavern Puzzles are ranked according to their difficulty levels, and the skills learned with the easier puzzles will help as you progress to the more difficult puzzles. This one is in the easiest grouping. If you're looking for a puzzle that's even easier than this one, I'd start with the Iron Heart puzzle. These are really wonderful puzzles to collect. I still have several that I received as gifts when I was in high school. It comes in a little cloth storage bag.