Improvements in Ladies' or Side Saddles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 23th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ladies' or Side Saddles.
I HENRY REES-PHILIPPS of No. 13 Berkeley Street Piccadilly in the County of
Middlesex Manager of Inventor's Agency Limited do hereby declare the nature of this
Invention to be as follows:-
Ladies' or side saddles as ordinarily constructed when in use chafe the horse on the
off side of the withers and on the near side of the seat. This arises from the pressure
of the rider on the stirrup on one side only of the saddle.
My invention has for its object to remedy this inconvenience and consists of the
improvements hereinafter described in the tree of the saddle and in attaching the
stirrup thereto. Across the saddle tree and near the front thereof I make a depression
in which a strap is placed. This strap passes through guide loops on each side of the
saddle and terminates on the near side in a loop larger than the guide loop and
consequently the end of the strap on the near side cannot be drawn along the depression
in the saddle tree to the off side of the saddle. The other end of the said strap
descends nearly to the bottom edge of the flap of the saddle and is doubled or folded
at that part returning to within a short distance of the edge of the saddle where it
terminates in a ring. To this ring two straps are affixed at its middle making a right
angle or nearly a right angle with one another one of the said straps passing to the
front of the saddle and the other passing to the rear part of the saddle to which parts
they are respectively fixed. To the near side of the saddle a strap is attached which
strap when the saddle is in place on a horse is passed under the body of the. horse.
The strap terminates in a loop on the off side of the horse which loop is seated in
the fold or double hereinbefore referred to of the strap in the depression in the saddle
tree. The last described strap passing under the body of the horse is capable
of adjustment by means of buckles on the underside of the saddle.
-
The action of the parts is as follows -When pressure is exerted on the stirrup on
the near side of the saddle the said pressure is not transferred to the near side of
the saddle but to the strap crossing the saddle the stirrup strap being connected to
the loop which terminates the end of the said crossing strap on the near side of the
saddle. The pressure on the stirrup is thus transferred to the off side of the horse
tightening the strap on that side and shortening the double or fold in the said strap.
The shortening of the double or fold tightens the straps which pass to the front and
rear of the off side of the saddle and thus draw the off side of the saddle away from
the horse and prevent the saddle rocking and it also tightens the strap which passes
under the body of the horse which is thus drawn more tightly around the horse. The
tension put on the strap passing under the body of the horse is thus divided between
the near and off sides of the saddle one end of the said strap being actually connected
to the near side of the saddle and the other end being virtually connected to the off
side by the fold of the strap crossing the saddle tree the end of the folded or
loubled part of which strap is connected to the off side of the saddle as hereinbefore
explained.
By the use of side saddles or ladies' saddles made according to my invention
pressure on the stirrup on the near side of the saddle is divided between the two sides
of the saddle and the chafing of the horse produced by ordinary side or ladies' saddles
s entirely obviated.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1888
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ladies' or Side Saddles.
I HENRY REES-PHILIPPs of "No. 13 Berkeley Street Piccadilly in the County of
Middlesex Manager of Inventors' Agency Limited do hereby declare the nature of
my Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Ladies' or side saddles as ordinarily constructed when in use chafe the horse on
the off side of the withers and on the near side of the seat. This arises from the
pressure of the rider on the stirrup on one side only of the saddle.
My invention has for its object to remedy this inconvenience and consists of the
improvements hereinafter described in the tree of the saddle and in attaching the
stirrup thereto. Across the saddle tree and near the front thereof I attach an arch
shaped tube or depression or trough preferably of metal in which a strap is placed.
This strap passes through the ends of the tube or trough on each side of the saddle
and terminates on the near side in a loop larger than the mouth or end of the tube or
trough consequently the end of the strap on the near side cannot be drawn through
the tube or along the trough in the saddle tree to the off side of the saddle. The
other end of the said strap descends nearly to the bottom edge of the flap of the
saddle and is doubled or folded at that part returning to within a short distance of
the edge of the saddle tree where it terminates in a ring or dee. To this ring or dec
two straps are affixed at its middle making a right angle or nearly a right angle with
one another one of the said straps passing to the front of the saddle tree and the
other passing to the rear part of the saddle tree to which parts they are respectively
fixed. To the near side of the saddle a strap is attached which strap when the saddle
is in its place on a horse is buckled to a girth passing under the body of the horse.
The girth terminates in a loop on the off side of the horse which loop is seated in
the fold or double herein before referred to of the strap passing through the tube or
depression or trough in the saddle tree. The last described strap or girth passing
under the body of the horse is capable of adjustment by means of buckles on the
underside of the saddle.
By the arrangement described pressure on the stirrup on the near side of the
saddle is divided between the two sides of the saddle as hereinafter particularly
explained.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in perspective and Figure 2 in
front elevation partly in cross section the saddle tree of a lady's or side saddle to
which my invention is applied. In Figure 1 the off side Hap of the saddle is
represented but the other or near flap and the leather covering and ordinary appliances
of the saddle are omitted for the purpose of the better exhibiting the parts constituting
my invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
a is the arched tube situated across the saddle tree b near the front thereof. The
said arched tube a is flat in cross section (see the separate view of Figure 2) and is
frequently made of copper but may be made of steel or other hard and ductile metal
or alloy. The mouths or ends of the said arched tube a are expanded or slightly
bell-mouthed. Through the arched tube a a strap c is passed the near side of the
strap c being furnished with a loop d larger than the tube a so that the end of the
said strap c on the near side cannot be drawn through the said tube a on the saddle
tree to the off side of the saddle. To the loop d on the end of the crossing strap c
the stirrup strap or leather e is connected by passing the said stirrup leather through
the said loop d the stirrup leather e being provided with the ordinary adjusting
buckle is the stirrup. The crossing strap c carrying the stirrup leather e at the
near side of the saddle tree descends to nearly the bottom edge of the flap h on the
off. side of the saddle tree and passing through a slot i in the said flap returns or
ascends on the inside of the flap to within a short distance of the bottom end of the
saddle tree (see Figure 1) so as to form the doubled or folded part at c. The end

page_text: of the doubled or folded part terminates in a ring or dee marked k. To the middle
of the ring or dee & the two straps Im are affixed the long strap passing to the rear
of the off side of the saddle and the other strap m passing to the front of the saddle
tree on the same side. The ends of the said straps l m are nailed or otherwise
affixed to the saddle tree. n is the girth which when the saddle is in its place on a
horse passes under the body of the horse. One end of the girth n at the near side is
attached to the saddle tree by means of the short strap p nailed to the saddle tree the
said girth n being buckled at q to the said short strap p. The other and lower end
of the girth n at the off side of the saddle terininates in a loop which seats itself
in the folded or doubled part 2 of the top crossing strap c
tube a.
passing through the arched
The girth n can be adjusted by the buckle q by which it is connected to the
strap p at the near side of the saddle and by the buckle f* of the crossing strap cat
the off side of the saddle.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When pressure is exerted on the stirrup g
and stirrup leather e on the near side of the saddle the said pressure is not transferred
to the near side of the saddle but to the crossing strap c passing to the off side of the
saddle and connected by the ring or dee k and straps l m to the saddle tree at the off
side. The pressure on the stirrup is thus transferred to the off side of the horse
tightening the strap e on that side and shortening the double or fold c³ in the strap c.
The shortening of the double or fold tightens the straps 1 m on the off side of the
saddle tree which siraps Im thus draw the off side of the saddle away from the horse
and prevent the saddle rocking. At the same time the girth n is tightened and drawn
more tightly round the body of the horse. The tension put on the girth a passing
under the body of the horse is thus divided between the near and off sides of the
saddle one end of the girth n being actually connected to the near side of the saddle
by the
strap P and the other end being virtually connected to the off side by the
fold of the crossing strap c the end of the folded or doubled part c² of the strap c
being connected to the off side of the saddle in the manner herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
By the use of side saddles or ladies' saddles made according to my invention
pressure on the stirrup on the near side of the saddle is divided between the two sides
of the saddle and the chafing of the horse produced by ordinary side or ladies' saddles
is entirely obviated.
Although I have represented the crossing strap c to which the stirrup leather e is
buckled as passing through an arched tube a crossing the saddle tree and, which
arrangement I prefer to use yet a metallic trough or depression in the saddle tree may
be used in place of the arched tube a.
The saddle tree of the lady's or side saddle to which my invention is applied is covered
with leather and is provided with stuffed pannels preferably stuffed with curled horse
hair or the outer faces of the pannels of the tree may be covered with cork or
sheet zinc.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
ind the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
Invention of " Improvements in ladies' or side saddles "
The construction and arrangement of the parts for connecting the stirrup strap or
eather to the saddle tree of the said saddles hereinbefore described and illustrated in
he accompanying Drawing whereby the pressure exerted on the stirrup at the near
ide of the saddle is partly transferred to the off side of the saddle so that the said
ressure is divided between the two sides of the saddle and the chafing of the horse
by the saddle prevented substantially as described and illustrated..
Dated the 20th day of August 1889
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.