IMPROVEMENTS IN HARNESS HORSES OR OTHER DRAUGHT ANIMALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Wyke-Smith, of Islip, in the County of
Oxford, Surgeon, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARNESS FOR
Sealed the 25th February 1873, and dated the 31st August 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Wyke-Smith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 31st August 1872.
I, WALTER WYKE-SMITH, of Islip, in the County of Oxford, Surgeon,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HARNESS FOR HORSES OR OTHER DRAUGHT ANIMALS," to be as follows:-
:-
The object of this Invention is to dispense entirely with the collar and
hames of harness as ordinarily used, so as to leave the horse's shoulders free
to act in the best possible manner, which I propose to effect by making the
pull come from the pad which surrounds the least moveable part of the
chest of the horse instead of from the shoulders. To effect this the traces
are attached to the pad, and in order to prevent the pad from slipping back

page_text: towards the loins when the horse is badly shaped or the load is very
heavy, a breast plate is added, very like what is known as the "hunting"
breast plate; a great difference however exists between this improved
breast plate and the ordinary breast plate, the difference being that the
strap which comes on each side from the front of the saddle (or pad) 5.
instead of being fastened to the strap going over the withers by a ring
which allows very little play, passes through a loop, being itself rounded,
thereby allowing very greatly increased freedom of shoulder action.
The advantages of this improved plan are obvious, for example,―
First. The horse has not to carry on his neck the weight of the collar 10
and hames, which in ordinary harness weigh seldom less than 10 lbs.,
and frequently as much as 20 lbs., the average weight being 13 lbs.
Second. The rubbing and consequent wounding of the borse's neck
and shoulders, so common with even a well-fitted collar, cannot possibly
occur; this is an immense advantage to persons who use horses for both 1
harness and saddle work.
Third. The breast plate being entirely auxiliary the horse is able to
exert to the uttermost the muscles of his shoulder, which is an incal-
culable advantage over what is known as the breast collar.
Fourth. This harness being very light and showing so little furniture 2
on the horse gives it a very attractive appearance well adapted for the
use of ladies and for the leaders of tandems and four-horse teams.
The pad or saddle is nearly the same as that ordinarily in use, the
chief points of difference being as follows:-In the front of it coming
from the tree there is on each side a D shape piece for the attachment of 2
the straps which go to join the breast plate. Between the padding and
the leather on each side is an oval shaped plate of thin iron, which is
rivetted on to the pad; in this plate are made three holes, through one
of which passes an iron stud for the attachment of the traces; when in
position this stud is fixed by means of a screw, which screws into.its 3
interior; the head only of this screw is seen through the leather on the
outside, and as it is flat it cannot catch against the shaft; the object of
having this screw and three holes in the plate is that the traces may be
put on higher or lower according to the height of the horse wearing the
harness or the height of the splinter bar of the carriage; it is made to

page_text: screw on and off for convenience in cleaning. The pad is fastened round
the horse by a band rather broader than that ordinarily in use as the
strain comes on to the pad instead of (as is ordinarily the case) on to the
collar.
The traces have tugs (that is a strap and buckle) for shortening or
lengthening at the end attached to the splinter bar, instead of being at
the collar end.
The breast plate is nearly the same as the hunting breast plate, but
the strap coming from the front of the saddle on each side is rounded
and plays frecly through a loop at the end of the strap, coming over tho
withers instead of being buckled on to a ring at the end of this strap.
This strap (crossing the neck) is padded beneath. There is a heart
shaped (reversed) pad just over the point of the sternum or breast bone
of the horse.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Walter Wyke-Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
WYKE-SMITH, of Islip, in the County of Oxford, Surgeon, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Walter Wyke-Smith, Her special licence
that I, the said Walter Wyke-Smith, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Walter Wyke-Smith, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HARNESS FOR HORSES OR OTHER DRAUGHT ANIMALS," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that I, the said Walter Wyke-Smith, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Walter Wyke-Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to dispense entirely with the collar and
hames of harness as ordinarily used, so as to leave the horse's shoulder
free to act in the best possible manner, which I propose to effect by
making the pull come from the pad which surrounds the least moveable
part of the chest of the horse instead of from the shoulders. To effect
this the traces are attached to the pad, and in order to prevent the pad
from slipping back towards the loins when the horse is badly shaped or
the load is very heavy a breast plate is added very like what is known
as the hunting" breast plate; a great difference however exists between
this improved breast plate and the ordinary breast plate, the difference
being that the strap which comes on each side from the front of the
saddle (or pad) instead of being fastened to the strap going over the
withers by a ring which allows very little play passes through a loop,
being itself rounded, thereby allowing very greatly increased freedom of
shoulder action.
The advantages of this improved plan are obvious, for example,-
First. The horse has not to carry on his neck the weight of the collar
and hames, which in ordinary harness weigh seldom less than 10 lbs.,
and frequently as much as 20 lbs., the average weight being 13 lbs.
Second. The rubbing and consequent wounding of the horse's neck
and shoulders, so common with even a well-fitted collar, cannot possibly
occur; this is an immense advantage to persons who use horses for both
harness and saddle work.
Third. The breast plate being entirely auxiliary, the horse is able to

page_text: exert to the uttermost the muscles of his shoulder, which is an incal-
culable advantage over what is known as the breast collar.
Fourth. This harness being very light and showing so little furniture
on the horse, gives it a very attractive appearance, well adapted for the
use of ladies, and for the leaders of tandems and four-horse teams.
The pad or saddle is nearly the same as that ordinarily in use, the
chief points of difference being as follows:-In the front of it coming
from the tree there is on each side a D shaped piece for the attachment
of the straps which go to join the breast plate. The pad is fastened
round the horse by a band rather broader than that ordinarily in use, as
the strain comes on to the pad instead of (as is ordinarily the case) on to
the collar.
The traces have tugs (that is a strap and buckle) for shortening or
lengthening at the end attached to the splinter bar, instead of being at
the collar end.
The breast plate is nearly the same as the hunting breast plate, but
the strap coming from the front of the saddle on each side is rounded,
and plays freely through a loop at the end of the strap, coming over the
withers instead of being buckled on to a ring at the end of this strap.
This strap (crossing the neck) is padded beneath. There is a heart
shaped (reversed) pad just over the point of the sternum or breast bone
of the horse.
And in order to explain my said Invention more fully I will now
proceed to describe the means by which it may be carried into practice,
reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of Drawings accompanying
this Specification, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon respectively, as follows:-
:-

page_text: Figures 4 and 5 are detached views of parts herein-after particularly
described and referred to.
At each of the above-mentioned Figures similar letters of reference
are employed to denote corresponding parts.
As regards Figures 1 and 2, A marks the saddle or pad; B, D shaped
piece of metal to which is connected one end of the straps C, C, which
pass over the horse's shoulders; D is a broad padded leather strap resting
on the horse's neck in front of the withers, as shewn; E, E, are loops
through each of which the straps C, C, pass for keeping them in proper
position to allow of the free action of the joints and muscles which move
the shoulders and fore legs of the horse; F, pad arranged to come in
front of the breast bone of the horse; this pad is fixed to a strap G, one
end of which passes between the horse's fore legs; this strap is connected
by a ring a to the ends of the straps C, C, the other end of the strap G
is formed with a loop 6 for fastening it to the belly band which passes
through the said loop; H, trace connected to the saddle or pad by a pin
or stud at c fixed between the two layers of the pad; K, position of back
strap to support shafts.
I would here remark that if necessary the straps C, C, may be fitted
with buckles for lengthening or shortening them to suit horses of
different heights. I now proceed to describe the arrangement of the
double harness, represented at Figure 2 as follows:-The improved
harness, suitable for a pair of horses, differs from the single set before
described and represented at Figure 1 in the following respects:-A
strap or light chain comes from a point corresponding to the hollow
behind the last rib of the horse, the said strap being fastened to the
pole L at a point about level with the horse's shoulder. The aforesaid
strap is substituted in place of the ordinary pole chains which have been
heretofore made to pass from the bottom of the collar to the end of the
pole; M are the pole chains connected to the breeching N. The saddle,
breast plate, and other parts are similar to those before described with
reference to Figure 1.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Harness for Horses or other Draught Animals," and manner of
adapting it to animals, I would remark in conclusion that I hereby
declare my Invention to consist in, and I claim the methods above

page_text: described of manufacturing harness by which the collar and hames
heretofore used may be dispensed with, and animals fitted with my
improved harness be enabled to exert their force with more ease and
advantage than heretofore, as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Wyke-Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
WALTER WYKE-SMITH. (L.S.)