AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STOPPING OR CONTROLLING Runaway Horses, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ANIMALS.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Armstrong Brodribb, of Woolwich,
in the County of Kent, late of the Civil Service, Cape of Good
Hope, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STOPPING
OR CONTROLLING Runaway Horses, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ANIMALS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Armstrong
Brodribb at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 19th June 1875.
I, WILLIAM ARMSTRONG BRODRIBB, of Woolwich, in the County of
3 Kent, late of the Civil Service, Cape of Good Hope, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STOPPING
OR CONTROLLING RUNAWAY HORSES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ANIMALS,” to be as
follows, that is to say :—
-
This Invention consists in the construction of an improved apparatus
> for stopping or controlling runaway or restive horses without injury by
compressing the nose of the horse so as to impede or render breathing
difficult

page_text: The apparatus is constructed of a strip or band of metal bent to the
shape of the horse's nose, and which takes the place of the ordinary nose
band; the ends of this metal band are connected to a rein, as herein-
after described. In the said metal band, at the parts which come over
the nostrils of the horse, I form two apertures, and in each of these t
apertures I hinge a hollow metal thumb-shaped piece of the same shape
as the apertures. These thumb pieces open inwards and are kept in
their normal position by means of a suitably placed spring. Each end
of the metal band can move on a stud or pin fixed to an upright bar
attached to the head strap, and the uprights are connected by wires to 1
the free ends of the said thumb pieces respectively. The said band is
kept in its normal position by springs operating against the lower ends
of the uprights and a rein is connected to the ends of the band. The
whole of the parts of the apparatus may be covered with leather so as
to give it the appearance of an ordinary nose band, and the inner side of 1
the said thumb pieces may be padded to prevent them injuring the
horse's nostrils.
If an apparatus of this construction be applied to a horse and the
horse should take fright or become unmanageable or restive, it will be
merely necessary to pull the said rein connected to the herein-before
described band (in the same way as the ordinary curb, which may be
now dispensed with), whereby the free ends of the said thumb pieces
will be drawn inwards and will press against the nose of the horse so
as to impede or stop his breathing and thus control his motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said William Armstrong Brodribb in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARMSTRONG BRODRIBB, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, late of
the Civil Servce, Cape of Good Hope, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-

page_text: eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Armstrong Brodribb, Her special
licence that I, the said William Armstrong Brodribb, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Armstrong Brodribb, 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 "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STOPPING OR CON-
TROLLING RUNAWAY HORSES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ANIMALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Armstrong
Brodribb, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain 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 William Armstrong Brodribb, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
3 thereon, that is to say :—
This Invention consists in the construction of an improved apparatus
for stopping or controlling runaway or restive horses without injury by
compressing the nose of the horse so as to impede or render breathing
difficult.
The improved apparatus is constructed of a strip or band of metal
bent to the shape of the horse's nose, and which takes the place of the
orninary nose band; the ends of this metal band are connected to a rein
which takes the place of the ordinary curb or bearing rein, as herein-
after described. In the said metal band I form two apertures and in
5 each of these apertures I hinge a hollow metal thumb-shaped piece of
the same shape as the apertures. These thumb pieces open inwardly
and are kept in their normal position by means of a suitably placed

page_text: spring. Each end of the metal nose band can move on a stud or pin
fixed to an upright bar attached to the head strap, and the uprights are
connected by iron or steel connecting pieces to the free ends of the said
thumb pieces respectively. The whole of the parts of the apparatus are
covered with leather so as to give it the appearance of an ordinary nose
band, and the inner side of the said thumb pieces are padded to prevent
them injuring the horse's nostrils.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will now pro-
ceed to more particularly describe the same, and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect by reference to
the accompanying Drawing, in which,―
Figure 1 is a half plan of my improved apparatus arranged for use
when riding with a bit, no snaffle being required; Figure 2, side eleva-
tion of the same; Figure 3, front elevation of the same, one of the
connecting pieces and uprights being removed.
Figure 4, side elevation of the apparatus in the position it is drawn
into when put into action; Figure 5, plan of the same on the line A, B,
Figure 4.
Figure 6, part elevation of the apparatus shewing the arrangement
preferred for use when riding with a snaffle.
Figure 7, part elevation, shewing the apparatus applied to the side
bars or cheeks of a bit, preferably for use in driving.
Figure 8, a plan, and Figure 9, a front elevation of a modification of
the apparatus suitable for breaking in young colts, and other similar
purposes.
Figure 10 is an elevation of an apparatus similar to that shewn
in Figures 8 and 9, but with the addition of two projecting hooked bars
or clippers and suitable for controlling oxen.
Figure 11, side view of a horse's head with the apparatus shewn in
Figures 1 to 5 applied thereto; Figures 1 to 7 are drawn full size; and
Figures 8, 9, and 10 to a scale of about half full size.
Similar letters in all the Figures represent similar or corresponding
parts.
In the Drawing the parts are all shewn without the leather covering,
but it will be understood that in practice the various parts are covered

page_text: with leather, and where required are padded, so that the apparatus
presents the appearance of and takes the place of an ordinary nose band,
as shewn in Figure 11.
In Figures 1 to 5 a, a, represent the strip or band of metal bent to the
shape of the horse's nose, as shewn in Figure 5; to each end of the band
a, a, is fixed a ring A, such rings taking the place of the usual snaffle rings,
a rein B taking the place of the ordinary curb or bearing rein is attached
to these rings A, as shewn in Figure 4, and serves to operate the appa-
ratus, as herein-after described; b, b, are the apertures in the band a, a ;
and c, c, are the hollow metal thumb-shaped pieces (which in practice
are padded on the inside) hinged at d, d, so as to allow the thumb-
shaped pieces a, c, to open inwardly; e, e, are the springs of the thumb
pieces c, c; the outer ends of the springs e, e, are rivetted to the band
a, a, atff; the inner ends of the springs e, e, are slotted so as to fit
over and press against the pins g, g, fixed to the thumb pieces c, c;
h, h, are the studs or pins on which the ends of the band move or turn,
the said studs or pins h, h, screwing into the uprights O, C, attached to
the head strap (Figure 11); j, j, are the metal connecting pieces
(one of which is removed in Figure 3), the outer ends of which pivot
on the studs or pins K, K, screwed into the uprights O, O; 1, 1, are
curved slots in the ends of the connecting pieces j, j, through which
the studs or pins h, h, (on which the band a pivots) pass; the inner ends
of the connecting pieces j, j, are also slotted at m, m, and through these
slots m, m, pass the screws n, n, screwed into the nose band a, a, so as
to keep the ends of the connecting pieces j, j, against the band a, a,
but allowing them to slide on the screws n, n; the connecting pieces j, j,
are also slotted at o, o; the pins 9, 9, of the thumb pieces c, c, passing
through these slots O, O.
The action of this improved apparatus when applied to a horse, as
shewn in Figure 11, is as follows:-Should the horse take fright or
become restive or otherwise unmanageable, it will be merely necessary
to pull the curb or bearing rein B which will act on the ring A. and
cause the band a to move on its studs h, h, and take the position
shown in Figures 4 and 5; the band a in moving also moves with it
the connecting pieces j, j, which turn on their studs k, k. The con-
necting pieces j,j, in addition to being moved down with the band a, a,
are also drawn a certain distance along the band by means of the studs
h, h, acting on the slots 1, 1. As the connecting pieces j, j, are drawn

page_text: The arrangement of apparatus preferred for controlling oxen, as
shown in Figure 10, is similar to that shown in Figures 8 and 9, with
the addition of the hooked bars or clippers q, q, fixed to and descending
from the thumb pieces c, c. When the thumb pieces are moved
inwardly as herein-before described to pinch the animal's nose, the
hooked bars q, q, will in addition be moved against and pinch the
cartilage of the nose, and the animal will thus be brought under
control. The ends of the clippers q, q, are padded to prevent injury to
the animal.
Having thus described my said Invention and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that what I claim is,—
First. The peculiar arrangement and construction of apparatus taking
the place of the usual nose band and operated by means of an ordinary
curb or bearing rein for stopping or controlling runaway horses, as
herein-before described and represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 11 of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The modification of the apparatus for breaking in young
colts, as herein-before described and shewn in Figures 8 and 9 of the
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The employment of hooked bars or clippers for controlling
oxen, as herein-before described and represented in Figure 10 of the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Armstrong Brodribb,
have hereto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The employment of hooked bars or clippers for controlling
oxen, as herein-before described and represented in Figure 10 of the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Armstrong Brodribb,
have hereto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
30
Witness,
W. A. GILBEE,
4, South St., Finsbury.
W. A. BRODBIBB. (L.S.)