Improvements in Horse Collars.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1895-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1895
Improvements in Horse Collars.
I, THOMAS JOSEPH BOUCH-TREMAYNE, of Brighton Road, Marino, in the
Province of South Australia, Gentleman, 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 object of these improvements is to provide means which will render the
operation of harnessing horses to buggies, waggons or other vehicles easier and at
the same time safer than it is by present methods.
In harness embodying my improvements the collar is made of the same shape as
those at present in use but may have a plain outside surface without any piping or
groove. Instead of having external hames separate, detachable and fastened
together by two straps one at the top and the other at the bottom I embed a steel
frame constituting my hames in the stuffing of the collar whereby the collar and
hames form one article encased in the same covering and secured by the same
fastening. The collar opens at the top and on being closed after being lifted up
into place is held together by a clip formed by extending the hames upwards and
hending the tops into hooks which engage together and this secures them so as to
leave both hands of the attendant free to buckle the single strap which completes
the fastening and thoroughly secures the collar.
It will be observed that by this construction of the collar and hames and the
connection and disconnection of the traces at the collar end the whole operation of
harnessing and unharnessing may be performed by the attendant without leaving
the horse's head and for the accomplishment of this purpose I provide a fastening
on the end of the trace tug of any convenient kind but preferably an eye attached
to the tug and a spring hook attached to the trace.
Another advantage of this arrangement is that if it should be desirable to free
the horse in the event of an accident the traces may be disconnected either by the
spring hook at the collar or at the swingletree as may be most convenient.
Many accidents are caused by one of the hame straps breaking, allowing the
hames to fall out of place and the traces to become disarranged, or because the
hames are not strapped up tightly-into position in the first place. The first of
these defects is minimised and the second rendered impossible by my construction
of the collar and hames in one.
The operation of harnessing or unharnessing will be much simpler and can be
done in much less time. In place of putting on the collar first and then fitting the
hames to the collar, often a matter of difficulty with a restive horse, my collar with
embedded hames is put on and secured by the one action.
It is obvious that the saving of wear and tear will be very great as the hames
being embedded in the stuffing of the collar are not only preserved from damage
or breakage but the collar retains its shape and appearance much better.
The hames being enclosed they do not need to be polished or plated and the
collar does not require to have any piping or grooving, whereby the expense of
manufacture is greatly reduced.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the collar with portion of the covering and stuffing
removed shewing on one side the tug attached and on the other side the portion of
the hames to which the tug may be attached.

page_text: Figure 2 is a similar view with portion of the covering and staffing removed to
shew the embedded hames.
Figure 3 is a side view of the collar and trace attachment.
Figure 4 is a side view of the collar with portion of the covering and stuffing
removed to shew the embedded hames and the clip at the top.
Referring first more particularly to Figures 1 and 3 it will be seen that the
collar has a plain outside covering A of substantially the same shape as that now
in use, except that it has no piping or groove. Trace tugs B B, rein tunnets E E
and a ring or link H for the breast strap are provided in suitable positions. The
collar is fastened when in position firstly by a clip formed by the two specially bent
tops of the embedded hames and secondly by a strap and buckle K.
The Lug B to which the trace is attached is shewn in the form of a leather strap
one end of which encircies portion of the embedded haine, while the other end is
provided with an eye B' to which the trace C is attached by any convenient
means preferably a spring hook C¹ the other end of the trace being connected in
the usual way to the vehicle.
The embedded hames are inserted within the stuffing of the collar as shewn more
particularly in Figures 2 and 4. They consist of two steel bars M M formed and
bent to suitable shape, connected by a ring or link H at the bottom and having
the top of each bent into the form of a hook so that when placed on the horse's
neck they hold the collar together. The ring or link H projects through the
casing and takes the breast strap. Tapped holes are provided in the bars M M
into which the shanks of the rein tunnets are screwed after the covering has
been put on.
Rims M¹ are also provided to hold the trace tugs in the correct
position.
Collars can be made, according to this invention, in any size or style to fit the
horse and in any material and of any thickness or strength with or without
ornamentation as may be required or preferred.
The trace tugs may be connected to my collar and hames by buckles, swivels,
hooks or any other kind of attachment of any size or shape so as to suit all
kinds or forms of harness but I prefer spring hooks as being most convenient.
Having now, particularly described and ascertained the nature. of. my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A collar in which the hames are embedded and form an integral part thereof
as and for the purposes set forth.
2: A pair of bames surrounded and encased or partly surrounded and encased
by a permanent casing of straw or other padding within a suitable covering,
forming a collar and hames in one, and secured first by a clip formed by bending
the tops of the hames aud by one strap and buckle substantially as described and
illustrated.
3. A pair of hames surrounded and encased or partly surrounded and encased
by a permanent casing of straw or other padding within a suitable covering and
provided with tugs having eyes to which the traces are attached and detached
substantially as described and illustrated.
4. The combination of a collar and hames such as described with trace tugs
connected at the front end to such collar and hames and having an eye at the
back end and traces attached in the usual manner to the vehicle and having a
fastening preferably a spring hook at the forward end to connect and disconnect
with the eye of the tug substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 5th day of June 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.