Improvements in or relating to Bits.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bits.
I FRANK SWALES of 25 Mienosa Street, Munster Park, Fulham Road in the
County of Middlesex, Horse Dealer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The chief object of this invention is to prevent horses from taking the bit between
their teeth and running away.
According to this invention I place loosely on a bar (made curved and taper at
each end) a number of balls made of rubber or other suitable material or combina-
tion of materials such balls extending between the curved portions of said bar, the
said bar being suitably attached to the branches of an ordinary bit so as to go
inside the mouth of the horse, or it may be used by itself as a "snaffle."
Dated this 10th day of January 1893.
1
BROWNE & Co.,
9, Warwick Court, W.C., Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bits.
I, FRANK SWALES, of 8, Brompton Road, Kensington, in the County of London,
Horse Dealer, formerly of 25 Mienosa Street, Munster Park, Fulham Road, in the
County of London, 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 :-
.
My invention relates to bits for riding and driving.
It is well known that a bit in order to be effective must have the bar or mouth-
piece located between the incisors and grinder teeth, but in practice it is found that
a horse will frequently learn to work the bar or mouth-piece between or against
the grinder teeth, in which position a person riding or driving can exert very little
if any control over the animal being driven.
Many persons without knowing the reason why a horse cannot be managed with.
an ordinary bit have endeavoured to overcome the difficulty of management by
using bits which more or less punish the horse's mouth, or by using in combination.
with an ordinary bit a snaffle bit, such bits, however, frequently injure the animal's
mouth and cause ulceration whereby the horse in many cases loses his temper and
so becomes unsafe either to ride or drive.
Now the object of my invention is to prevent horses from taking the bit between
their teeth and running away the bit being at all times retained in the proper:
position in the mouth notwithstanding the efforts of the horse to get it against or
between the teeth and at the same time to do this in such a way that no pain is
caused to the horse.
In carrying out my invention I employ a bar which is made curved and taper at.
each end which bar extends through the mouth and has the tapered ends bent to
an angle or curved relatively with the straight portion in such a manner that the
said curved and taper ends form a kind of wedge which will force the horse's teeth
apart in case he should get the bar against his teeth and prevent the horse from'
getting the said bar between his teeth. Upon the said bar I mount a number of
rollers or balls made of india-rubber or other suitable material or combination of
materials, such balls being placed between the curved portions of the said bar.

page_text: These balls have a soothing effect upon the animal, and assist in keeping the mouth
"alive."
The above appliance forms a kind of bridoon and it may be used by itself as a
"snaffle or it may be used in combination with an ordinary bit.
"
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figures 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to each other of an ordinary
coaching or Liverpool bit having my improved bridoon applied thereto :
Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 respectively shewing my
bridoon applied to a riding bit with a revolving sliding mouth-piece:
Figures 5 and 6 are elevations shewing two different forms of my bridoon.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the straight portion of my bridoon, b, b are the tapering bent ends thereof,
and c, c are the balls or rollers upon the bridoon, which should be rather larger in
diameter than the mouth-bar of the main bit.
In practice one or both of the ends b is made detachable so as to enable the
rollers to be placed on the bridoon and replaced in case they become injured and
the said rollers are preferably so adjusted that they are free to turn, but have little
freedom of movement in a lateral direction.
In Figures 1 and 2 wherein my invention is represented as applied to the ordinary
Liverpool or coaching bit my bridoon is shewn as provided at the ends with hooks
which engage with the billet rings d, d of the bit, and in order to retain the said
bridoon in its proper position relative with the ordinary bar or mouth-piece e of the bit,
I advantageously connect the bridoon and the bar by means of an india-rubber band
such as f.
In using a bit provided with my bridoon as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 it
will be obvious that in no case can the horse get the bar e either against or between
his grinder teeth as my bridoon by coming in the angle of the animal's mouth will
prevent it; neither will the horse be able to get the straight portion of the bridoon
against his teeth, as in practice such straight portion is made of a length slightly
less than the width between the outsides of the grinder teeth so that the bent ends
of the bridoon will first bear against the teeth and owing to their shape act as
wedges to force the teeth apart. If, when owing to any pull upon the bit the
bridoon should be pulled back between the animal's teeth still he will be unable to
grasp it as the roundness and taper of the bent ends will cause the bridoon to slip
from between his teeth.
In the arrangement of my invention shewn in Figures 3 and 4 the bridoon is
represented as provided with rings g, g at the ends instead of, with hooks and as
connected to the mouth-piece or bar e by means of a pivot h; the action of the
bridoon with this construction, however, is precisely the same as hereinbefore
described.
Horses with very sensitive mouths may be provided with a bridoon only, as the
length of the straight part of the bar and the roundness of the bent portions prevent
the animal from getting the bar against or between his teeth. The separate bridoon
is shewn in Figures 5 and 6, that shewn in Figure 5 being provided with metal
rollers cc (as also is the bridoon shewn in Figure 3) whilst that shewn in Figure 6
is provided with india-rubber rollers.
'
In addition to the control which my bridoon enables me to maintain over a horse
it possesses the further advantage that it is perfectly effective, without the usual.
curb chain although the latter may, if desired, be used for the sake of appearance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A bridoon or bit for riding or driving comprising a bar having a straight por-
tion carrying a series of balls or rollers and provided with tapering ends curved or
bent at an angle to the straight part of the bit, substantially as described.

page_text: 2. A bridoon or bit for riding or driving furnished with curved and taper ends,
substantially as described.
3. The combination with an ordinary driving or riding bit of a bridoon having
curved and taper ends with or without balls or rollers, substantially as described.
4. The combination with a bit, of a bridoon having tapering bent ends provided
with hooks, with or without balls or rollers, substantially as described with reference
to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination with a bit of a bridoon having tapering bent ends provided
with rings, with or without balls or rollers, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of August 1893.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.