Improvements in and relating to Harness Saddles, and the Attachment of their Fittings.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Harness Saddles, and the
Attachment of their Fittings.
We, FREDERICK RATHBONE, of 'the Firm of E. Butler & Sons, of 74, Park
Street, Walsall, Manufacturer, SAMUEL BATES, of 74, Walsingham Street,
Walsall, Foreman, and WILLIAM MINER, of 31, Newhall Street, Walsall, Clerk,
all in the County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to harness saddles having wooden yokes or trees, and
consists, firstly, in the construction of the said yokes or trees, secondly, in the
arrangement and fitting of their leather saddle caps, and, thirdly, to the attach-
ment of their metallic fittings such as terrets or rein guide rings and bearing
rein parts or hooks; the object of the said invention being to render more strong
the saddle tree, to dispense with a large amount of work and ugliness in the
attachment and appearance of the saddle caps, and to enable the fittings set forth
to be more rigidly and effectively attached without in any way weakening the
yokes or trees or damaging the leather coverings.
It is usual in harness saddles used for gigs, traps, carts, and the like, to form
their crowns with cantles, which have no useful effect in the harness and which
considerably weakens the tree, because that part of the tree is made from a
separate piece of wood from the tree body and is either rivetted on or attached
by glueing. Further, the extreme front of the wooden saddle tree adjacent to
the gullet plate is generally bored or pierced for the purpose of attaching the
terrets and bearing rein post or hook, the screwed shanks of which are passed
therethrough and are fitted with a screw nut. This boring or piercing of the
tree and also the attachment of the cantle weakens the said tree terribly, and
so to obviate this is the chief factor in the design of this invention. In carrying
the invention into effect the wooden saddle-tree is formed in the ordinary shape
minus the cantle, the front and rear parts each side the back band groove being
left full strength and so as to form the said groove with adequate edges. The
back strap loop is attached in the ordinary way upon the rear under-side of the
saddle tree, and the gullet plate is rivetted and attached in the forepart as usual.
The terrets and the bearing-rein post or hook are formed with short length
screwed shanks, which are adapted to screw into bosses or screw box parts
standing up from and made preferably in one piece with a curved metal plate,
which is adapted to be connected to the extreme front of the wooden yoke or
tree by rivetting or other suitable devices, so that the said curved plate carries
the said terrets and post or hook or any one of them and constitutes their or its
means of connection to the saddle tree. These terrets and the post or hook
can be unscrewed from the bosses of the curved attachment plate when required
and again replaced by a layman, and this without in any way damaging the
connection or the leather covering. The said bossed parts or screwed boxes are

page_text: preferably formed from the metal of the curved attachment plate by a stamping
process, which considerably reduces their cost of production.
In covering the saddle tree and fittings attachment means according to this
invention the absence of the cantle part enables the leather cap, which surmounts
the skirts or side flaps, to be made from one piece of leather, which extends
across the head from the one skirt of the saddle to the other and forms a
covering or cap to the said skirts.
It will be evident from the last described that the cost of constructing and
fitting the cap is reduced, and also that the head of the said saddle is more
water proof than it would be if a cantle was fitted and joinings were made in
the cap.
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in and relating to Harness Saddles, and the
Attachment of their Fittings.
I, FREDERICK RATHBONE, of the Firm of E. Butler & Sons, of 74, Park
Street, Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer, SAMUEL BATES, of
74, Walsingham Street, Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Foreman, and
WILLIAM MINER, of 31, Newhall Street, Walsall, in the County of Stafford,
Clerk, 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;-
-
This invention has distinct reference to that class of harness saddle having a
wooden yoke or tree which is in contra-distinction from a pad saddle inasmuch
as a back band for supporting the shafts of a vehicle is mounted and clung
thereon. The object of the said invention is to render the saddle tree more
strong, especially at the crown of the gullet, to dispense with a large amount.
of work and ugliness in the attachment and appearance of the saddle's leather
cap, and to enable the fittings theic of such as the terrets and bearing rein post
to be more rigidly and effectively attached without in any way weakening the
yoke or tree, damaging the leather covering, or presenting any protuberanco
on the underside of the saddle tree which may cause injury to a horse's back.
Hitherto it is usual in a harness saddle of the kind before referred to, to form
the rear part of its crown with a cantle which has no useful effect in the
harness and which considerably weakens the tree because that particular part
of the tree is made from a separate piece of wood to the tree body and is either
rivetted onto the latter or attached by glueing. Further, the extreme front of
such a wooden saddle tree, adjacent to the gullet plate, is generally all-through
bored or pierced for the purpose of attaching the terrets and the bearing rem
post or hook. This boring or piercing of the tree, and also the attachment of a
cantle terribly weakens the tree, and so to obviate this is the chief purpose of
this invention.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings the invention is clearly set forth as
applied to the tree or yoke of a gig saddle; Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the
said tree, Fig. 2 a vertical side section thereof, and Fig. a vertical cross section
taken through the tree's head or extreme front. From these three figs. it will

page_text: be clearly seen that the terrets and the bearing rein post are carried by the
head plate which is attached to the head or front part of the saddle tree, and that
the said head is not weakened by being bored or pierced, especially at its crown
part, but in Fig. 4 a slight modification is shown in which the terrets are con-
nected to the tree's head as ordinarily but the bearing rein post to the head
plate, the latter being shorter in length. Fig. 5 shows an elevation of a com-
pleted saddle according to this invention.
The invention will now be described in connection with the sheet of drawings,
reference letters being used to indicate the different parts.
In Figs. 1 to 3 the wooden saddle tree a is formed of the ordinary shape minus
the cantle, the front and rear parts, a², a³, each side the back band groove, a*,
being left of full strength and so as to form the said groove with adequate abut-
ment edges a³, a. The back strap loop c is attached in the ordinary way upon
the underside of the rear part of the saddle tree, and the gullet plate c² is
rivetted and attached to the underside of the tree's head or front part a² as usual.
The terrets d, e, and the bearing rein post or hook, f, are formed, respectively,
with short length screwed parts or shanks d², e, f, which are adapted to take into
internally screwed bosses or socket parts d, e, f, standing up from and carried
by a curved metal head plate g, which is fashioned to straddle and to be con-
nected to the extreme front or head a² of the tree or yoke a by rivets g² which
are common as a connection means to the said head plate and the gullet plate.
This head plate g is the carrier to the said terrets and bearing rein post, and
constitutes their means of connection to the saddle tree. The terrets and bearing
rein post can, when required, be simply detached from the screwed bosses of
the head plate g and again place in position by a layman without in any way
damaging the leather covering or the cap.
It will be obvious to anyone connected with this art of the advantage in
strength and neatness which is obtained by the absence in the saddle tree of a
cantle, as the leather saddle cap, which surmounts the skirts or side flaps, can
be a single stitched on piece h, as shown in Fig. 5, which will cover the whole
of the crown part of the saddle and will also preserve the crown of the saddle
padding and, as a consequence the back of a horse, against damp or wet in
rainy weather, which would in the ordinary saddle find its way through the
stitching holes of the leather piece covering the cantle; furthermore, by the
absence of a cantle the cost of constructing and fitting the cap is reduced.
In Fig. 4 the terrets e, d, are attached to the saddle tree's head, in the ordinary
manner, by passing their screwed shanks through the wood and fitting nuts on
their ends, but the bearing rein post, which is to be connected to the weakest
part of the saddle tree's woodwork, is attached by a head plate g and a screwed
boss f3 of the kind described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3.
The part of this invention which relates to the attachment of the saddle's
metallic fittings will be found of great utility when cleaning a harness, as the
said fittings can be easily taken bodily from the saddle and when cleaned again
placed in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. In a harness saddle whose terrets and bearing rein post are carried
by the tree, the use of an extended head plate which is fastened rigid to the
tree's head so as to straddle it in line, and which has screwed bosses or sockets
upon its top side, and saddle fittings, such as the terrets and bearing rein post,
which have screwed shanks or parts upon them to engage the said sockets for
their attachment to the head plate so as to leave the wood of the trees head
intact and strong, substantially as described and set forth in Figs. 1 to 3.
Second. In combination in a harness saddle, a tree the crown portion of whose

page_text: head part is not pierced or weakened, a head plate having a screwed socket standing
up from it and which is connected to the said head and adjacent parts so as to
straddle them in line, a bearing rein post or similar fitting having a screwed
shank to engage the said socket, and terrets which are connected directly to
the wood of the tree's head through piercings in the latter, substantially as set
forth in Fig. 4.
Third. In harness saddles having provision for a back band for supporting
shafts, the combination of a saddle tree whose rear part a³ is left of full strength
and minus a cantle, and a leather saddle cap h made from one piece and which
surmounts the saddle's side flaps, substantially as set forth.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also of Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
Patent Agents for the Applicants.