Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 18th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 20th Dec., 1887
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The wooden saddle frames usually employed are incapable of adjusting themselves
correctly to the body of the horse or other animal, and consequently they are apt to
cause sores after long continued use, no matter how carefully they are fitted.
The present invention has for its object to obviate this defect, and it consists in
constructing the saddle frame with separate side plates, formed by preference of very
thick leather strengthened by steel plates, such side plates being connected to the
middle part of the frame by hinge-joints lying in the direction from front to back.
On the accompanying drawing is shewn a saddle frame constructed according to
the above described invention. Fig. 1 shows a plan of the frame, Fig. 2 a right hand
side view thereof without the leather seating; Fig. 3 a left hand side view with the
leather seating, Fig. a front end view and Fig. 5 a back end view; Fig. 6 is a
perspective view of the complete saddle.
g
a a are the above mentioned side plates formed of thickest leather, such as is used
for boot soles, to which are attached by means of leather caps 6 steel plates c having
eyes c¹ for hinges lying in the direction from front to back. In these eves fit loosely
corresponding pins y formed or fixed on the front and back central bridge pieces d d¹
of the frame, constituting the pommel and cantel, so that on placing the saddle on the
horse, the side plates always adjust themselves closely to his back. The steel plates cat
the front ends of the plates a also carry the loops for the stirrup leathers. In order
to impart to the side plates the requisite stiffness to prevent deformation, there are
provided on them steel bars f extending from the one steel plate c to the other. These
bars are secured to the plates a by means of leather sheaths h sewn to the latter and
which carry the girth straps kk. The bars are not connected rigidly to the plates c,

page_text: but only butt with rounded ends against the rounded ends of the latter, so that the
ends of the side plates a a can assume any angular positions relative to the middle part
to enable them to fit closely to the varying configuration of the horses sides.
In order to prevent permanent deformation of the side plates a through long
continued use, the pins g on the bridge pieces d d' are made to project over the ends
of the bars f, and on the back ends of the latter are formed eyes f¹ into which the
pins fit, the ends of the front pins being by preference left free. The mode of
connecting the bars f with the plates c may however be differently arranged.
Fig. 3 shows the seating leather m attached to the pommel and cantel and side
plates a.
The saddle is completed as at Fig. 6 by hanging the sides p on to the pommel and
cantel and by fixing on the leather seat o, padding not being required.
Dated this 10th day of February 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Saddle Frames.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex Consulting Engineer, and Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
:-
The wooden Hungarian saddle frames, hitherto usually employed are incapable
of adjusting themselves correctly to the body of the horse or other animal, and
consequently they are apt to cause sores after long continued use, no matter how
carefully they are fitted.
This drawback is peculiarly felt, when equipping cavalry troops, as in such cases
the existing material is to be dealt as well as possible to a certain number of horses,
the number of sores horses then being unavoidably very considerable after the first
marches.
The present invention has for its object to obviate this defect and it consists in
constructing the saddle tree with separate side plates or bars, formed by preference
of the thickest sole leather strengthened by steel plates such side plates being
connected to the front and rear forks by hinge joints lying in the direction from front
to back.
In the drawing accompanying my Provisional Specification is shewn a Hungarian
saddle frame constructed according to the above described invention.
Fig. 1 shows a plan of the same; Fig. 2 shews a right hand side view thereof
without the leather seating, Fig. 3 a left hand side view with the leather seating,
Fig. 4 a front end view and Fig. 5 a back end view; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of
the complete saddle.
a a are the above mentioned side plates or saddle tree bars formed of thickest
leather, such as is used for boot soles, to which are attached by means of leather caps b,
steel plates c having eyes c¹ for hinges lying in the direction from front to back.
In these eyes c¹ fit loosely corresponding pins 9 formed or fixed on the front and
rear forks d and d¹ of the frame constituting the pommel and cantel, so that on
placing the saddle on the horse, the side plates a a always adjust themselves closely to
its back.
The steel plates e at the front ends of the plates or saddle tree bars a also carry the
loops n for the stirrup leathers. In order to impart to the saddle tree bars the requisite
stiffness to prevent deformation there are provided on them steel plates extending
from the one steel plate c to the other. These steel plates fare secured to the side
plates or bars a by means of leather sheaths h sewn to the latter and which carry the
girth straps kk. The stiffening plates f are not connected rigidly to the plates c but
only butt with rounded ends against the rounded ends of the latter, so that the ends
of the saddle tree bars a a can assume any angular positions relative to the middle
part, to enable them to fit closely to those parts, where the back of the horse ends on
the one side in the shoulders, and on the other side in the hips.

page_text: In order to prevent permanent deformation of the tree bars a through long continued
use, the pins 9 on the forks dd are made to project over the ends of the stiffening
plates and on the back ends of the latter are formed eyes f¹ into which the pins g
fit the ends of the front pins being by preference left without eyes, because the eyes
might be disagreeable to the rider.
The mode of connecting the plates f with the plates c may however be differently
arranged.
Fig. 3 shows the seating leather m attached to the front and rear forks d and d¹;
and saddle tree bars a.
The saddle is completed as at fig. 6 by hanging the side flaps p on to the forks and
by fixing on the same the stitched and stuffed seat o. It is obvious that the shown
padding may be dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention.
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A Hungarian saddle tree, the bars a a of which are connected to the forks d d'
by means of hinge joints extending in the direction from front to back, substantially
as herein described.
2. In a Hungarian saddle tree of the kind referred to in the first claim, bars a which
are made of a flexible material, such as thick sole leather, and the ends and middle
portion of which are stiffened by steel plates, connected together by swivel pins which
extend in the direction from front to back, so that the middle portion of each saddle
tree bar is free to assume any angular position relative to the end portions, substantially
as herein described.
Dated this 19th dow of N1007