Year: 1886

page_text: I, JOSEPH WILLIAM CHENEY, of Palmer, in the County of Hampden and State
of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention consists, primarily, in the combination with a harness of a frame
work attached thereto for supporting or holding the tail of an animal in such a
manner as to control its position and prevent or limit its switching.
In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 show modified
forms of my invention.
Figure 4 shows my invention as applied to an animal.
Referring to Figure 1, the rods R, R, of iron, or like suitable material, are
covered with leather, and pass down within the hip straps H, H, and are secured
to the back strap S. A crupper C, of ordinary construction, is attached thereto,
and an additional crupper-like appendage C connects between the rods R, R.
When a harness with this attachment is placed upon a horse, and the tail of the
animal is passed through crupper C, it will fall between the rods R, R, into the
crupper-like part C³, and may then be secured in that position by the strap T.
The tail of the animal being thus enclosed and secured in the frame-work thus
formed, cannot be moved by the animal heyond the range of movement desired and
provided for in the adjustment given by the strap T, crupper C, and piece C¹.
The straps H, H, being stiffened, as stated, and the rods R, R, being of suitable
thickness, the animal thus equipped can be prevented from switching its tail over
the lines, or from raising its tail beyond a predetermined degree with obvious
advantages.
Horses that have an acquired habit of carrying their tails to one side, or in any
other undesirable manner, may be prevented from so carrying their tails by the use
of my invention.
Figure 2 shows the hip straps H, H, adjustable at A, A, and the rods R, R,
adjustable at B, B, by the sliding of these parts which may be secured, when in
desired position, by the screws e, e; other means of adjusting my Harness
attachment to fit horses of varying size' are obvious; the crupper C may be
adjusted in its location upon the rods R, R, by a series of buttons h, h.

page_text: In addition to the mode of adjusting the Harness Attachment shown in Figure 2,
and described, the hip straps, cropper, and other parts can be lengthened and
shortened in the ordinary manner.
The crupper-like piece C¹ may be jointed at j, or a strap may be employed for
the crupper C, and the crupper piece C².
Instead of the rods R, R, being interlocked as shown at B, B, the rods may be
adjustable by a telescopic-like joint.
Figure 3 shows the rods R, R, without the hip straps H, H, when it is desired to
secure a horse's tail in position, rather than to prevent switching.
Figure 4 shows the crupper C, crupper piece C¹, strap T, and rods R, R, upon the
tail of a horse, and held from rocking by the rigid hip straps H, H, as described.
Fig. 5 represents some additional features: R, R, are curved so as to lay partially
under the tail, (out of view), an additional crupper C is shown to prevent the
animal from allowing its tail to curve downward as some will do, giving it a sort
of broken appearance. The back strap S is made rigid, has a joint, hook or eye to
attach the same to a saddle of a harness so that it will move up and down freely
but not sidewise.
This back strap S is made more flexible at the point than along its whole
length, so that it will yield to motion and curve downward (as shown by dotted
lines); the rods R, R, are also made flexible at y, y, so that, with the yielding at a,
the motion of the appliance is natural as if of leather, being rigid at + but yielding
at x, and y, y. A place for inserting hip strap is shown in rigid strap S at J.
It is not necessary that the hip straps H, H, should be attached to a breeching,
as shown, but they may be a suitable length, and lay over the hips of the animal
Referring to Figure 6, S is a back-strap that is rigid, and is preferably made of
wrought iron and covered with leather. Ath a hook or joint is provided to attach
the back-strap S to the saddle of a harness. When used with heavy harness on
horses that will be required to back heavy loads, the said back-strap should be
attached to the saddle, when one is used, or to the harness, by a hinge or joint-like
connection, to allow suitable yielding, motion as the animal curves his body in the
áct of backing.
When the said back-strap is to be used with harness it should be divided at the
hips of the animal and pass down along each side, and may be made of steel or iron
wire covered with leather.
•
At the point i a hip-strap hole is provided in the leather covering.
The rods R, R, which are usually welded to the strap S and are leather covered,
are curved at the point where' the crupper C is placed, so as to pass beneath the
tail of the animal. By the word "beneath " I mean at a point below the tail but
not under the tail.
•
:
The advantage of placing the rods R, R, along the tail of the animal and beneath
the tail, is, that the tail can be held to control its position and prevent or limit its
switching when the strap T is fastened over the tail, and yet allow the animal to
whisk its tail when the strap T is unfastened, so that when the animal is left
standing it will not be unnecessarily annoyed by flies, the tail being free to move
except directly downwards. By placing the rods R, R, beneath the tail, the hairs
fall over the rods without any care being exercised on the part of the person
adjusting the device to the animal.
"
•
1
The back-strap S and rods R, R, may be made slightly flexible at the points
and y, to give a degree of freedom in the movement of the tail, up and down.
Although the strap T is shown as passing over the tail of the animal, and the
crupper C³ placed under the tail, their relative positions may be changed with no
change in the result.
The device consisting of the back-strap S and rods R, R, crupper C¹, and strap T,
has been used without covering the back-strap with leather, by placing it tem-
porarily over the leather back-strap of a harness, with hook h booked into the
harness saddle and the crupper of the harness fastened by ‘small straps' 'to the
roda R. R
•
+387
fi
4. E

page_text: Referring to Figure 7, the strap S is provided at h with a link ; to make a
hinge-like connection between said back-strap and the saddle of the harness.
One or more joints d, d, are provided at the hip point that will yield upwards
only when the animal curves its body in the act of backing, these joints d, d,
causing the device at all times, to fit the animal.
By means of the hinge like joint; and the joints d, d, the greatest freedom in
motion is reached in backing, or other movements of the animal. By means of
the sleeve piece A provided with screws the back-strap S may be lengthened or
shortened in an obvious manner, the back-strap S being in two pieces slipped into
said sleeve, A.
There is also shown a crupper-like piece C² between the rods R, R, which may
be used to advantage on some horses, which require an extra long device, as it
prevents the tail from sagging. An extra strap can be put over.the tail at the
point where the crupper is placed.
In Figure 4 it can be seen how the back-strap S is normally above and out of
contact with the horses' backs, and a horse naturally lifts the rigid back-strap clear
of his back when travelling, when the crupper C, C¹, is properly adjusted, resulting
in advantages not realized in the use of any other back-strap. The crupper C is
made in the ordinary manner of making cruppers, preferably being of leather
stuffed with flaxseed, and may be adjustable; preferably by curves or offsets in
rods R, R, at the point where the crupper C connects with said rods by means of
straps connected to said offsets, the crupper O being provided with buckles, as
shown in Figure 8.
The crupper-like pieces C¹ and C being used for rests or supports, are made
rigid but covered with some soft material. The rods R, R, may be of flattened
strips, but I prefer round strap-like rods, and by the use of such and a flat back-
strap covered with leather the device has every appearance of the parts of a
harness.
•
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
Ist. In a horse harness, a frame-work or attachment adapted to receive and hold
the tail of the horse against undue lateral or vertical movement, substantially as
shown and described.
2nd. In a horse harness a frame-work or attachment adapted to receive and
hold the tail of the horse in a desired vertical position by ineans of side arms,
lying parallel with the sides of the tail and one or more transverse bars connecting
the said side bars and underlying and holding up the tail at any desired point,
substantially as shown and described.
3rd. The combination with a harness of a frame-work attached thereto, and
consisting of the rods R, R, crupper C, piece C³, strap T, and the rigid hip
straps H, H, the whole arranged and operating substantially as described.
"
4th. The combination with the rods R, R, or either of them, of the crupper C,
and the piece C¹, and strap T.
5th. The combination with the rods R, R, and rigid hip straps H, H, of the
crupper C, and mechanism for adjusting the extent of movement of the tail in
the frame-work thus formed.
6th. The combination with a frame-work, substantially as described, of the
rigid hip straps, or their described equivalent, for preventing the device from
rocking.
7th. The combination with a harness, and as a part thereof, of the hip
straps H, H, and rods R, R, made adjustable as and for the purpose set forth.
8th. A harness attachment consisting of a rigid back-strap terminating in a
frame-work composed of curved rods, and means for securing the tail of an animal
5 in said frame-work, substantially as described.

page_text: 9th. A frame-work consisting of rods curved to pass beneath the tail of an
animal, crupper-like pieces passing under the said tail, and a strap or its equivalent
for securing temporarily the said tail in said framework, with means for connecting
said framework to a harness, substantially as described.
10th. A harness attachment consisting of a back-strap, and framework, that is
rigid in regard to lateral movements, but is jointed and yielding at points h, d, a,
and y, or either of them, substantially as described.
11th. The combination with the back-strap S having the opening i, of the
hook h, rods R, R, crupper pieces C, C, and strap T, the whole arranged and
operating substantially as described.
12th. The method of and apparatus for controlling the tail of an animal by
rigid rods beneath the said tail and means for securing said tail to or releasing it
from said rigid rods at will, substantially as described.
ALLISON BROB,
Agents for the Applicant.