Improvements in Reins.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 12th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 30th Jan., 1897
Improvements in Reins.
1, EDWARD MAXWELL, Architect, of Board of Trade Buildings, Montreal in
the Province of Quebec, Canada do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention consists of an improvement in reins for use with driving or saddle
horses and secures by the operation and use of one set of reins only-all the
advantages at present obtained by the use of two sets of reins as for instance, the
two sets of reins adopted for control of saddle horses, viz., one set of bit reins and
one set of curb reins.
It is obvious that in any emergency such as a horse suddenly shying or attempting
to bolt, loss of valuable time must frequently occur in bringing the curb or check
rein into operation and in some cases confusion in dealing with the four leathers on
the part of the rider or driver affords the animal that temporary freedom which it
is one of the purposes of my invention to guard against.
My invention consists essentially in the insertion into the bit rein of a spring
which may be of a spiral or any other suitable form and may be manufactured in
steel cr other suitable metal or of india rubber or other elastic material which
allows of the rein being stretched or lengthened when strongly pulled; the
strength of the spring may be graduated to any power and to extend the rein any
desired length.
To the last mentioned rein at some point between the spring and the hand of the
rider or driver I make an attachment and by means of a chain, leather or other
material connect the bit rein up to that portion of bit actuating the curb, the
length of this second branch rein will be regulated so that when the spring of bit
rein is extended and the rein thereby lengthened, the subsidiary or short rein will
begin to operate and the power secured by the curb be instantaneously available,
thus ensuring by the use of one set of reins only in the hands of the rider or driver,
all the advantages and avoiding all the disadvantages inherent in the separate sets
of reins required to operate the bit and curb as at present in use.
Dated this Seventeenth day of February Eighteen hundred and ninety-six.
EDWARD MAXWELL Architect, Board of Trade Buildings Montreal Canada
London address c/o C. P. Kinnell & Co. 65 Southwark Street London S.E. 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 consists of an improvement in reins for use with driving or saddle
horses and secures by the operation and use of one set of reins only all the

page_text: advantages at present obtained by the use of two sets of reins, as for instance the
two sets of reins adopted, for control of saddle horses, miz. :-one set of bit reins and
one set of curb reins.
It is obvious that in any emergency such as a horse suddenly shying or attempting
to bolt, loss of valuable time must frequently occur in bringing the curb or check
rein into operation, and in some cases confusion in dealing with the four leathers
on the part of the rider or driver affords the animal that temporary freedom which
it is one of the purposes of my invention to guard against.
My invention consists essentially in the insertion into the bit rein of a spring
marked A on drawings which may be of a spiral or any other suitable forni and
may be manufactured in steel or other suitable metal or of india rubber, or other
elastic material, which allows of the rein being stretched or lengthened when
strongly pulled, the strength of the spring may be graduated to any power and to
extend the rein any desired length.
To the last mentioned rein at some point between the spring and the hand of
rider or driver I make an attachment and connect by means of a chain marked B
on drawings, leather or other non-elastic material, the bit rein up to that portion of
bit actuating the curb.
The length of this second branch rein will be regulated so that when the spring
of bit rein is extended and the rein thereby lengthened, the subsidiary or short rein
will begin to operate and the power secured by the curb be instantaneously available,
thus ensuring by the use of one set of reins only in the hands of the rider or driver
all the advantages, and avoiding all the disadvantages inherent in the separate set
of reins required to operate the bit and curb as at present in use.
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. Improvement in reins for horses by which both the bit and curb can be
manipulated with one pair of reins.
2. The insertion in section of reins actuating the bit of a steel, india-rubber or
other spring extending under tension.
3. The special arrangement and construction of reins as substantially set forth..
Dated this 2nd day of January 1897.
CHAS. P. KINNELL,
Agent for the Applicant.