IM- PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO BITS AND BRIDLES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Griffiths, of Mount Street, Grosvenor
Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO BITS AND BRIDLES."
Sealed the 4th June 1869, and dated the 10th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Griffiths at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th December 1868.
I, WILLIAM GRIFFITHS, of Mount Street, Grosvenor Square, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO BITS AND BRIDLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements applicable to bits and
bridles, the object being to enable the rider or driver of the horse to
obtain perfect control over the horse's mouth and to effectually check
his efforts to bolt or to grip the bit bar and prevent its action. In order
to accomplish this result I propose to supply each end of the bit bar (in
addition to the ordinary rings to which the reins are attached) with
another smaller ring through which the safety reins are to be passed, the
bit bar being made in one piece or by preference jointed in the centre.
The safety reins pass through these small rings and are then crossed
beneath the horse's mouth continuing through sliding spaces in the head

page_text: strap over the upper surface of the mouth, on each side of the bit bar
and at the sides of the horse's mouth a rod of iron or other metal is
fixed to preserve the position of the bit bar, and one portion of each of
these rods is secured by a loop from the head strap ascending to it
between the safety rein coming over the horse's mouth and the bit bar,
by which means the action of the safety rein is rendered more effectual
by the prevention of the rising of the rear portion of the bar without a
corresponding elevation of the crossed under rein and the compression
of the same extending over the mouth of the horse. The rings to which
the driving reins are buckled are formed in one piece with each bar
passing through the ends of the bit bar, and the rings through which the
safety reins pass are set in bearings in the extremities of the bit bar
outside the cross bars on the sides of the horse's mouth. In ordinary
cases the bit bar may be made in one piece, but where extra power or
control over the horse is necessary the bit bar should be jointed in the
centre, so that whereas in the former instance the horse might grip the
bar, in the latter the pull of the safety reins would cause the rings to
collapse under the jaw of the horse, so that the point of junction would
be elevated against the roof of the horse's mouth, and thus aid materially
in checking or controlling the animal. A stop may be applied to each
side of the safety rein above the head strap to prevent too great a pull
being given to cause injury to the horse, and these stops may be in
the form of studs or rivets or even of projecting pieces of leather which
are incapable of being drawn through the loops or slide bearings in the
head strap, the stops could of course be adjusted in the requisite
position to suit the size of or external measurement round the horse's
mouth. The effect of pulling the safety reins will be to force or draw
the cross under straps and bit and the upper portion of the strap together,
thus closing the horse's mouth (and when the bit bar is jointed) causing
the centre of the bar to assume an upward obtuse angular form pressing
against the roof of the horse's mouth and causing him to be stopped.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Griffiths in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 3
GRIFFITHS, of Mount Street, Grosvenor Square, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Griffiths,. Her special
licence that I, the said William Griffiths, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Griffiths, my
exccutors, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO BITS AND BRIDLES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Griffiths, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Griffiths, my do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Inventiou, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say :-
My said Invention relates to certain improvements applicable to bits
and bridles, the object thereof being to enable the rider or driver of the
horse to which they are applied to obtain perfect control over the horse's
mouth and to effectually check his efforts to bolt or to grip the bit bar
and prevent its action. In order to accomplish these results I provide
each end of the bit bar (in addition to the ordinary rings to which the
reins are attached) with another smaller ring through which the safety
reins herein-after mentioned are to be passed, the bit bar being made
either in one piece or jointed in the centre. The safety reins pass
through these small rings and are then crossed beneath the horse's
mouth, continuing through sliding spaces in the head strap. over the
tipper surface of the mouth.. On each side of the bit bar and at the

page_text: sides of the horse's mouth a rod of iron or other metal is fixed to preserve
or maintain the position of the bit bar, and one portion of each of these
rods is secured by a loop from the head strap, ascending to it, between
the safety rein coming over the horse's mouth and the bit bar, by which
means the action of the safety rein is rendered more effectual. The rings
to which the guiding reins are buckled are formed in one piece with each
bar passing through the ends of the bit bar and the rings through which the
safety reins pass are set in bearings in the extremities of the bit bar outside
the cross bars on the sides of the horse's mouth. In ordinary cases the
bit bar may be made in one piece, but where extra power or control
over the horse is necessary the bit bar should be jointed in the centre
so that whereas in the former instance the horse might grip the bar in
the latter the pull of the safety reins wonld cause the rings to collapse
under the jaw of the horse so that the point of junction would be elevated
against the roof of the horse's mouth and thus aid materially in checking
or controlling the animal. A stop may be applied to each side of tho
safety rein above the head strap to prevent too great a pull being given
to cause injury to the horse, and these stops may be in the form of studs
or rivets or even of projecting pieces of leather which are incapable of
being drawn through the loops or slide bearings in the head strap, these
stops could of course be adjusted in the requisite position to suit the size
or external measurement round the horse's mouth. The effect of pulling
the safety reins will be to force or draw the cross under straps and bit
and the upper portion of the strap together, thus closing the horse's
mouth (and when the bit bar is jointed) causing the centre of the bar
to assume an upward obtuse angular form pressing against the roof of
the horse's mouth and causing him to be stopped. The cross bars at the
side of the horse's mouth need not traverse across the centre line of the
bit bar but may be made to extend on one side only of the bit bar or
if desired a disc or plate may be substituted for the cross bar so as to
rest against the side of the horse's mouth and steady the bit bar instead
of employing the side cross bars attached to the bit.
In order that my Invention may be more completely understood I
will now refer to the accompanying Drawings in which Figure 1
represents a riding bit in its ordinary open position, Figure 2 a bit with
a joint midway in the bit bar, and Figure 3 a bit with the improved
bridle and reins attached; this example is shewn with a rigid curved
bar, but it may be in two parts, having a central joint as shewn in

page_text: Figure 2. The driving bits are made on the same principle, but with
extended side bars for the extra leverage of the reins; similar letters
denote corresponding parts in each Figure.
a shews the bit bar; b, b, the rings attached thereto for the guiding
reins; c, c, are supplementary rings for the purpose of the traverse of
the extra reins.
It will be observed in Figure 3 that the safety reins shewn at d, d,
are passed through the supplementary rings crossing each other
underneath the jaw of the horse and passing over his upper jaw nearly
in a line with the bit bar. The other end of the reins is held by the
rider or driver. It is also evident that in the event of the horse
"bolting" these sliding reins may be pulled through the rings and
consequently compress the jaws of the horse and arrest his progress
without risk of injuring his mouth as is at present the case by the use
of the curb chain.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I
do not limit myself to the precise details or configuration of parts I
have herein described, as the same may obviously be somewhat varied or
modified without in any degree departing from the principles of my
Invention, but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the
herein in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and arrange-
ment of parts and mechanism substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described and set forth or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Griffiths, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
E. P. H. VAUGHAN,
Patent Agent,
54, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM GRIFFITHS. (L.S.)