Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 27th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 14th Dec., 1888
I, SAMUEL WITHERS trading as Samuel Withers and Company of Park Works,
West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Safe Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
With ordinary stirrups, short legged men, and also men of short stature, are unable
to mount ordinary sized horses, in consequence of the height at which the stirrup is
elevated from the ground; and furthermore, ordinary sized men, are debarred from
riding tall and powerful horses, from the fact of them being unable, to mount them.
The object of my said invention, is to so construct or add to ordinary stirrups, that
such difficulties as herein-before named, are overcome; this I effect by providing
the stirrup proper, with a supplementary hanging stirrup or step, depending some
distance below the tread; and which supplementary part, is taken automatically from
its depending position, by the act of the rider placing his foot in position after
mounting.
As the two stirrups in riding are alike, I will only describe one of them.
The depending inner ends of the bow, to which the stirrup leather is connected, are
made forked, with the inner cheek provided with a stop or inner extension, against
which the opposite ends of a movable tread, take their bearings, when the stirrup
proper is in use.
Working between the forks, or the cheeks at the ends of the bow, are the pivoted
and box ends of a secondary bow or loop, whose semi-circular part hangs downwards,
and forms the tread, and upon which a person in mounting, places his foot, for prysing
himself upwards. This bow or supplementary stirrup, hangs from the tread of the
stirrup proper, and is preferably of a like conformation and size to that of the bow of
the said stirrup; so that when turned up, the parts come together.
The box ends of the supplementary part, have volute springs surrounding their
turning axes, and with the inner and outer ends of each of the said springs connected
to the axis, and box end respectively.
The periphery of each box end has a notch, wherein the fore part of a catch
engages, whilst the tail end of the catch is pressed upwards, by a spring placed
thereunder

page_text: The end plates of the tread have inwardly directed snugs, which press upon the tail
ends of the catches, when pressure is placed upon the said tread, by the foot, after
mounting.
Thus, when a person dismounts a horse, he turns down the supplementary step part,
which is kept in its downward position, by the noses of the catches engaging with the
notches on the box ends.
In order to mount, he places his foot upon the tread of the supplementary step or
stirrup part, and then throws himself across the horse, places his foot upon the tread
proper, in the ordinary way, when the pressure thus exerted by him, lowers the tread,
causing the outwardly directed snugs, carried by it, to press upon the tail ends of the
catches, when the supplementary stirrup or step part, is free, and turns upwardly by
the tension of the springs enclosed within the box ends.
When in the turned up position, the supplementary stirrup, and stirrup proper, are
coincident, and with the said supplementary stirrup secured from falling, unless pulled
down, which winds up the swings.
As a modification, the supplementary stirrup loop may be automatically raised, by
jointing it upon pin centres, with angular formed ends, against the sides of which, flat
springs take their bearings.
The parts above the joint centres of the loop, are slotted and directed obliquely
upwards, like a cranked arm, and within the slot of which, studs or snugs carried at
the two opposite sides of a movable tread, passes; so that by the pressing downwards
of the said tread, the studs or lugs depress the short arm, and raise the loop.
As the movement of the movable tread, is limited, I arrange that the fully folding
of the supplementary stirrup should be effected by the action of the spring, tending to
make itself lie flat with one of the flats of the angular sides of the turning axes,
thereby causing the said supplementary part after it has passed its centre of motion,
(by the thrust of the tread) to be then taken home by the spring.
11
1
1
T 1
1000

page_text: I, SAMUEL WITHERS trading as Samuel Withers and Company of Park Works,
West Bromwich in the County of Stafford, Safe Manufacturer, do hereby declaré
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 :-
With ordinary stirrups, short legged men, and also men of short stature, are unable
to mount ordinary sized horses, in consequence of the height at which the stirrup is
elevated from the ground; and furthermore, ordinary sized men are debarred from
riding tall and powerful horses, from the fact of being unable to mount.
The object of my said invention is to so construct stirrups, that the aforesaid
difficulty is overcome.
I provide the stirrup proper, with a supplementary hanging stirrup or step,
depending some distance below the tread, and which supplementary part, is taken
automatically from its depending and step position, into a folded position, by the
rider placing his foot on the stirrup tread, after mounting by the supplementary
stirrup.
The depending ends of the bow, to which the stirrup leather is connected, are
broadened out, gapped, and made box form, and through the gaps of which, studs
or lugs, of a movable tread, take, and jointed to the said ends of the stirrup, proper,
is a secondary bow, which when in position, hangs down, and forms the step, and
upon which a person in mounting, first places his foot. The supplementary stirrup or
step, is of a like shape as the stirrup bow; so that when turned up or folded, they
come coincidently together.
•
The pivots or joints of the step part, are encircled by coiled or volute springs, and
by means of which the said step stirrup, on being released, by the removal of catches
engaging within notches.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, represents partly in front elevation, and
partly in section, an automatic rising step-stirrup, constructed and arranged according
to my said invention.
The stirrup is shown with its step unfolded, and its right-hand side end partly in
section.
Figure 2 represents a transverse vertical section on the dotted lines A B figure 1,
and figure 3 shows a like section as figure 2, but with the step folded or turned up.
Figure 4 represents a vertical section upon the dotted lines CD figure 2, while the
section of the end of figure 1, is upon the dotted lines E F.
Figure 5 represents the inner side of one of the end plates of the bow, and figure 6
is an edge view of figure 5.
Figure 7 is an outside view of one end of the stirrup tread, and figure 8 is an edge
view of the same.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a is the tread of the stirrup, the bow thereof, and c a hanging step. of a like shape
to that of the bow; so that when folded as in figure 3, the sides and top or parts
become coincident.
The tread a, has end plates a², with square shaped standing out lugs a³ on the two
opposite outsides thereof. The former end plates a² slide and take their bearing upon
the opposite inside faces of bow-ends 6, of the how , whilst the lugs as work
through gaps in the said bow-ends 6', and come upon the tops of the tail ends of
jointed catches d, whose fore or nose parts d' engage with bents or notch depressions c³,
formed or cut within the periphery of the box-ends e³ of the said step.
Directed through the box ends of the step, are fixed axes e, around which, the said
box ends turn as centres; and enclosed within the boxes, surrounding the axes, are
volute or coiled springs, whose inner and outer ends are connected to the said
box and spindle respectively; so that on the step being pulled down from a position
figure 3 to that of figure 2, the coils of the spring are compressed, and held in
that condition or a state of tension, by the nose d', of the jointed catch d, engaging
behind the shoulder of the bent c³.
The catch and tread a' are automatically taken into position by pillar coiled
springs g, disposed under the catch tail ends, as best seen in figures 2, 3 and 4.
The bow-ends, have upon their undersides, ledge-stops, which determine the
vertical thrust of the tread, and forms a rest also for it, on pressure being applied, by
the foot of a rider.
The catch is prevented from rising too far, by studs d, on the inside box part
of the bow ends, whilst the bow top part, has a loop 65, wherethrough leathers for
suspending the stirrups, pass.
The tread of the step is marked ct, and when out of use normally comes in front of
the loop of the bow, as in figure 3, but when in use, hangs down, as represented in
figures 1 and 2.
A horseman, after dismounting turns down the step, (preferably left stirrup) so as
to allow it to depend or hang downwards, and when in this position, the rider
remounts by placing his left foot upon the tread of the step, and throws himself
across the horse having done this, he the rider, then immediately places his foot
upon the tread of the left stirrup, which presses through the intervention of the
snugs as the tail ends of the catches d, thereby removing the noses d', from the
notches, when the step is automatically folded into the position figure 3, by
the tension of the spring which was compressed or wound up, by the opening out
of the step as aforesaid.
Thus it will be seen that the step, is automatically folded, by the act of the rider
placing his feet in the stirrups after mounting.
By using step stirrups as aforesaid, riders of short stature, or with short legs, are
capable of mounting tall and powerful horses, although the said stirrups are
applicable for all riders.
Both stirrups may be provided with automatic closing steps, although the left one
generally is only so provided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to he performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First Folding or turning up the steps of step stirrups, by a coiled or volute
spring or springs, wound up, compressed or put into a state of tension, by the act of
opening out the said step, substantially as set forth.
Secondly Employing in connection with an automatic folding step stirrup, of a
lever catch or its equivalent, which engages with a notch or shoulder, cut within, or
formed upon, the joint end of the said step, whereby the said step is held in its
unfolded position, and released for folding, substantially as set forth.
1 .2

page_text: :
Thirdly Providing step stirrups with a movable tread, whose opposite sides carry
lugs for acting upon step releasing means, substantially as set forth."
Fourthly: The improvements in the construction and arrangement of the parts
of automatic folding step stirrups as described and illustrated, in the several figures
of the drawing, whereby the act of unfolding, puts a spring or springs in a state of
tension, and the act of placing a foot upon the tread of the stirrup, folds the step;
and which said parts are constructed, arranged, and operate in the manner as set
forth.