AN IMPROVED SAFETY SUSPENDER FOR STIRRUP-LEATHERS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WALTER JAMES BACON of Poole in the County of Dorset, Engineer and
Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED
SAFETY SUSPENDER FOR STIRRUP-LEATHERS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved safety suspension attachment for connecting
stirrup-leathers to the bars of hunting and other riding saddles and it has for its
object to so make the connection as to enable the stirrup-leather to be instantly
detached from the stirrup bar by an upward motion (as well as by motion
lengthwise of the stirrup-bar as usual) so that in whatever way the rider may be
unseated, should his feet remain entangled in the stirrups, any upward strain upon
the stirrup leather in the act of falling off will instantly detach the stirrup leather
from the saddle whilst under ordinary circumstances, the downward pressure of
the rider's foot in the stirrup in riding tends to make the attachment more secure.
Another advantage incidental to my invention is that the length of the stirrup
leathers may be more readily adjusted.
This improved stirrup leather suspender or attachment consists of three parts
hinge jointed together viz: a metal tab plate which is dropped behind the stirrup
bar on the saddle, a metal loop of rectangular or other suitable form which lies
outside of the stirrup bar and through which the stirrup leather runs freely, and
an intermediate connecting link which lies across the upper edge of the stirrup bar.
This connecting link is preferably made of a metal plate and may be jointed to
the other two parts by knuckles, its two opposite edges being curled or bent the
one round the upper bar of the rectangular loop, and the other round a similar bar
at the upper edge of the metal tab plate, both these bars being of round section
so as to pivot freely, but the parts may be hinged together by ordinary hinge
joints.
In either case the knuckles of the hinge joints project on the under side of the
intermediate link and admit the stirrup bar between them so that when by a
downward strain the intermediate link is slightly canted, the stirrup bar will be
gripped between these projecting knuckles. The metal tab plate drops loosely
behind the stirrup bar and is of such a length that its lower end will be pressed
upon by the stirrup leather at the point where the latter passes over the lower bar

page_text: of the rectangular loop, whereby the plate will be kept in its place by downward
pressure on the stirrup. The stirrup bar is provided with the ordinary safety
spring latch at the end (but has no upper bar as sometimes used) and is attached
to the saddle tree in the ordinary way.
I, WALTER JAMES BACON of Poole Dorsetshire, Engineer and Ironmonger, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED SAFETY SUSPENDER
FOR STIRRUP LEATHERS," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved safety suspension attachment for stirrup
leathers and it has for its object to permit the instant detachment of the stirrup
leather from the stirrup bar either by an upward or by a backward pull, so that in
whatever direction the rider may be thrown, he cannot by any possibility be
dragged in consequence of his feet remaining entangled in the stirrups.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings forming part of this specification
wherein figure 1 is a face view and figure 2 a cross section of the attachment.
Figure 3 is a rear view of the same as in use, the upward release of the attachment
being indicated in dotted lines.
This improved stirrup leather suspender consists in the combination with a stirrup
bar of the form hereafter described, of an attachment composed of a metal tab
plate a which is dropped behind the stirrup bar and a looped plate 6 of rectangular
or other suitable form which lies outside of the stirrup-bar and through which the
stirrup leather runs freely, these two parts being hinge jointed together by knuckles
and a joint pin at c forming an ordinary hinge joint which lies across the upper
edge of the stirrup bar d, the knuckles being suitably formed to enable the
parts a b to embrace the bar between them, as shown in figure 2. The tab plate a
drops loosely behind the stirrup bar d and is of such a length as to project
considerably below said bar so that any downward strain of the stirrup leather in
riding, will tend to keep the tab plate in its place by simply causing it to jam
between the stirrup bar and the adjacent surface of the saddle without the use of
any fastening whatever, so that it is left perfectly free to slip out as indicated in
dotted lines in figure 3, immediately an upward pull comes on it.
The stirrup bar d is much of the ordinary form so far as the part d is concerned,
except that it is cranked or bent slightly outwards at its point of junction with
the plate f to allow room for the tab plate a behind it. It is provided at its rear
end with the ordinary safety spring latch e and is attached to the saddle tree by
the plate fat its forward end. It is however of peculiar construction in as much
as the upper bar (which usually extends above the bar d and is attached at its rear
end to the saddle tree, immediately above the latch c) is dispensed with, so that the

page_text: bar & being fixed only at its front end to the saddle-tree, there is no obstruction
to the release of the stirrup leather attachment either in the upward or backward
direction, except the latch e which is much more easily opened by the pressure
against it of the metal attachment a b than by the ordinary stirrup leather.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
A stirrup leather attachment, consisting of a tab plate a and looped plate b,
hinged together and combined with a stirrup bar of the form and construction,
substantially as berein specified.