Improvements in Horse Clothing.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1893
Complete. Specification Left, Sth Feb., 1894-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Horse Clothing.
I PATRICK TAAFFE, of Foxborough, in the County of Roscommon, Ireland;"
a Justice of the Peace, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to manufacture horse clothing which will allow
the free use of the horse's ears, and which can be more quickly and efficiently
fastened and maintained in position than the horse clothing heretofore in use.
*
i
The ear piece is made of a curved shape at the back and sides corresponding to
the shape of a horse's ear and the front part is perforated so that whilst affording..
the requisite protection against dust, chills &c., the ear piece will allow the sound
to pass to the ear of the horse. The ear piece is connected to the hood by a
flexible joint whereby when the horse moves his ear the ear piece will be turned:
so as to present the perforated front to the direction of sound in the natural manner...
To fasten the hood down the front I provide spring clips or hooks or rings on one
side which engage with eyes or loops or catches on the other side. To maintain
the hood in its proper position relatively to the body cloth and to keep it from
rising up on the horse's neck, I secure it at its lower front corners to the hood by
means of spring hooks or clips engaging with eyes or loops on the hood, or by
means of ordinary button over tabs. Along the bottom of body cloth and on each
side I secure rings, eyes, or loops, and at a suitable distance above them and in:
corresponding positions 1.secure hooks or equivalent devices on which the rings &c.
may be placed when it is required to tuck up the bottom edges of the body cloth
for trial gallops, or to tuck up only the hind quarters of the body cloth to wash
the horse's legs, or to prevent the body cloth from being soiled when the animal
lies down. 201
TYAGA SE1002
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Hi, I.,
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F. W. GOLBY,
36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Horse Clothing.
I, PATRICK TAAFFE, of Foxborough, in the County of Roscommon, Ireland,
a Justice of the Peace, 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 for its object to allow a horse to hear when it has a hood on,
to provide ventilation for the ear that is usually found wet on removing the hood;
to allow a horse with a hood on, the full use of his ear trumpet heretofore kept
rigidly fixed in one position, causing him much inconvenience and nervous suffering;
to provide a more convenient, comfortable, durable, and quicker means of fastening
the hood; to admit of attaching the hood to the sheet in such a way so as to keep
it from shifting on the neck, ruffling the mane, or being blown or tossed over the
horse's head; to admit of the sheet being tucked up when the horse is at work,
travelling in dirty weather, or in the stable at night in order to keep it clean; to
prevent scalding of 'abrasure of the skin such as results by the action of the horse's

page_text: jaw against the jowl strap heretofore used for fastening the hood at this point;
and to provide an imperishable breast fastening for use in lieu of the ordinary
breast strap which when left undone is liable to be gnawed off by. the horse.
And in order that the nature of my invention may be fully understood I will
proceed to explain the same by aid of the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a side view of a horse provided with clothing according to this
invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 are developed views illustrating the shape of the two parts of
which each ear-piece forming part of such clothing is made.
Fig. 4 is a developed view of a piece of soft, pliable or elastic material by
which the ear-piece is connected to the hood.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the ear-piece secured in place upon the hood.
The remaining figures are hereinafter referred to.
Each ear-piece, instead of being approximately conical in form and practically
an air-excluder, as heretofore, is made of a shape resembling that of the horse's
ear, and of two pieces A and B (see Figs. 2 and 3), one piece A, which is prefer-
ably of leather, being cut to the shape of the open portion of the horse's ear, and
made with perforations a a. This admits sound and provides for ventilation,
thereby allowing the horse to hear, and preventing or mitigating sweating of the
horse's ear.
The part B (Fig. 3) is of cloth. The two parts when sewn together
form an ear-piece such as represented to a reduced scale at A-B in Fig. 5. Ear-
pieces thus made have no seam at the back, are more comfortable, and look much
neater than those made in the old style.
Instead of the ear-pieces being rigidly attached to the hood C, as heretofore,
there is interposed between each ear-piece and the hood, a connecting piece D
(Fig. 4) of any soft, pliable, or elastic material, such as stockinette or elastic braid,
which is securely attached to the ear-piece and to the hood (Fig. 5) around the hole
therein provided for the ear. The connecting piece forms a sort of hinge or
flexible joint. By these means free play is allowed to the ears, about which horses
are peculiarly sensitive, and the horse is spared the torture that results when the
ears are held in an immovable position; an ordeal to which some horses refuse to
submit.
In place of the usual tapes for tying the hood C down the front I provide it with
fastening devices hereinafter called ring clasps such for example as is shown in
front elevation in Fig. 6 and in cross section in Fig. 7. Each of these ring clasps
comprises a ring E and two spring hooks or catches F which since they are
formed of a blank bent upon itself so as to somewhat resemble an oyster shell are
hereinafter referred to as oyster studs. These studs are arranged at opposite sides
of the opening down the front of the hood as shown. The ring E is of a section
that is wider in the direction of the ring's diameter than in a direction parallel to
its axis (Fig. 7), whereby the ring has a tendency, when the hood is fastened upon
the horse, to turn in the oyster studs so that its widest section lies across the necks
of the oyster studs, the ring being thus prevented from freeing itself. In the
modified arrangement of fastening device shown in Fig. 8, the ring E of Figs. 6
and 7 is replaced by a plate E¹ that is formed at each end with a comparatively
narrow slot E bounded at the outer side by a bar E³, the arrangement being such
that in order to engage or disengage either end of the plate with its respective
oyster stud F, it must be turned into a position at right angles to the base of the
hook. For this reason, such fastening devices cannot become accidentally
unfastened by the usual vertical movements of the horse.
By means of the rings or their equivalent and oyster studs described, the edges
of the hood are held together so as to form a "butt joint" in front instead of
overlapping as when tapes are used. This gives the hood a very neat appearance
and prevents internal friction or interference with the horse's respiration.
The edge of the head portion C' of the hood C may advantageously be made of
the form shown so as to peak down over the horse's face and curve upwards at the
sides so as to provide for the free action of the bit and not gag the horse's mouth.

page_text: "
This new formation of the lower edge of the head portion C₁ of the hood prevents
the "scalding or abrasure of the skin that usually results from the want of
elasticity in the ordinary straight cut of the hood at this place. To further provide
against gagging the horse's mouth, the lower free edges of the said head portion C¹
of the hood may be connected by an elastic jowl clasp of the kind shown in Fig. 9
and comprising two frames E" adapted to engage with the oyster studs F in like
manner to the slotted plate E' shown in Fig. 8, and an elastic device that may
advantageously cousist of a piece E* of india rubber tube, connecting the two
frames as shown.
Each of the oyster studs F may advantageously be made by bending a blank of
the shape shown in Fig. 10 into the form shown in Fig. 104, the blank being
provided with a tubular extension F¹. Each hook may conveniently be attached
to the required part of the hood by means of a perforated disc F' (Fig. 11), of
leather as follows:-The disc is formed with a narrow slot F³ about equal in length
to the width of the neck F* of the blank, and with a slit F connecting the slot
with the central perforation. The portion of the blank to form the outer side or
head of the hook is pushed through the opening in the disc formed by the central
perforation, the slit and the slot and the blank then adjusted so that the neck F*
thereof extends through the slot F3 and the tubular extension F1 through the
central perforation in the disc. A washer F is then placed around the protruding
end of the said extension which is then flanged, after the manner of an eyelet, over
the said washer, after which the projecting portion of the blank is bent over so as to
form the finished hook shown in Fig. 104. The leather washer with hook is then
sewn to the hood.
Figs. 11, 11 and 11B show a modified arrangement in which the tubular
extension extends from the back of the hook and is flanged over a washer F³
arranged on the back of the leather disc.
Figs. 13 and 134, show another arrangement in which the tubular extension of
the previous arrangements is replaced by a rounded protuberance Fe which, when
the disc and oyster stud are sewn to the hood, causes a part of the leather disc to
bulge outward as shown and act as a spring catch to prevent accidental disengage-
ment of the ring or equivalent engaged with the stud.
Figs. 14 and 144 show another arrangement in which one end of the blank is
cut to a spiral form so as to admit of this end being inserted through a comparatively
small hole in the leather disc.
Figs. 15 and 15 show a further modified arrangement in which one end of the
blank is of semi-circular form which can be inserted through a slit in the leather
disc of a length equal to the radius of such semi-circular end.
As will be obvious however the oyster stud can be attached in various other
ways to the material to which it is to be applied. Thus it may be attached by a
washer provided with a screw threaded extension that is passed through the
material and screwed into the back of the oyster stud which may be grooved
or corrugated to prevent it turning.
K is an elastic wind tab of which there is one at each side of the hood, by means
of which and buttons or studs L, the hood C is attached to the sheet Mat each side,
the points of connection between the said tabs and the sheet being so arranged as
shown that they approximately coincide with the centre of a circle, an arc of which
is described by the horse's head when he tosses it. Thus the attachments do not
involve any interference with the horse's movements and they obviate all liability
of the hood being blown or tossed over the horse's head and thus of cold wind
blowing under the hood which would be liable to give the horse a chill. These
elastic tabs may advantageously be made as shown in side elevation and edge view
in Figs. 16 and 17 respectively. In this construction each tab comprises a
sheath K and two straps K' K³ for engagement with studs L on the hood and
sheet M respectively. One of the straps (K) is arranged partly within the sheath
to which it is attached by an elastic connection and the other (K³) is attached to a
buckle K on the sheath. A suitable stop is provided to prevent the strap K¹ being

page_text: drawn out beyond a predetermined distance. By the construction described the
tabs are enabled to stretch when the horse moves his head and thus obviate tearing
out of the studs L, and they are also capable of being lengthened or shortened to
adapt them to different horses.
The studs L have mushroom shaped heads as shown in Figs. 18 and 19 and 5
large bases (Fig. 20) each of which is slit as shown at L* to admit of its being
inserted through a slot in a leather disc by which it is attached to the hood or
sheet; as the case may be.
At N, N (Fig. 1) are spring studs that may be similar to the oyster studs F
hereinhefore described. A row of such studs is attached, in the manner herein-
before explained, at each side of the sheet M at suitable distances apart, and a like
number of rings or loops O are attached to the bottom edge of the sheet, so that
the whole, or a part of it, may be tucked up as required, and as shown at M' in
Fig. 1. Preferably rectangular metal loops O of the shape shewn in Figure 21 are
used, the width of the loop opening being such as to render it necessary to turn the
loop at right angles to the base of the hook to admit of its engagement therewith
and disengagement therefrom, thus obviating accidental disengagement by vertical
movement of the horse. The loop O is preferably attached to the lower edge of
the sheath by a leather disc O' (Fig. 21A) formed with two perforations through
which the sides of the loop extend and bent around the lower edge of the sheet so
that it can be secured to the opposite sides thereof. By this means the loop is
retained in its proper position. Fig. 22 shows a modified form of loop adapted to
be engaged with the hook by placing it laterally in the hook and then moving it
downward, to engage the hook, these movements being reversed for disengaging it.
Ju the latter case the oyster stud may be closed at the top.
Figs. 23 and 24 are front elevations and Figs. 23 and 244 are corresponding
cross sections, of a modified form of tuck-up device suitable for use in cases where
it is desired that the device shall be as flat as possible on the sheet. This tuck-up
device comprises a flat loop N' of sheet metal having its ends passed through a
strip N of leather that is sewn to the sheet, and a sheet metal clip N that is
secured to the lower inner side of the sheet and the turned over hook portion N* of
which is adapted to enter the flat loop N¹.
The front edges of the sheet M may be connected together by an imperishable
fastening device such as shown to a reduced scale in Fig. 25 instead of by leather
straps which are perishable and when left undone are liable to be gnawed and thus
destroyed by the horse. Each of these fastening devices (Fig. 25) comprises a
pair of studs F, that may be mushroom or oyster spring studs, and interlocking
rings E forming a short curb chain. Where however a breast cloth P is provided,
as in the example shown, the front edges of the sheet need not be connected. The
breast cloth may advantageously be supported by a pair of fastening devices of the
kind shown in Fig. 25 but with a longer length of chain between the two studs F,
one of such devices being arranged at each side of the horse, the upper stud F of
each fastening device being secured to the body cloth say at the point Q and
the lower one to the breast cloth. The horse clothing is preferably trimmed with
leather laid on, this being more durable, appropriate serviceable and effective than
the braid or cloth heretofore employed.
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 :-
1. In horse clothing, a hood having ear-pieces perforated at the front for the
admission of sound to the horse's ears and for ventilation thereof and each attached
to the hood by means of a flexible joint or connection substantially as herein
described.
2. The improved horse clothing comprising a hood provided with ear-pieces
constructed as specified in the preceding claim, and with metallic fastening devices
⚫ such as described for fastening it down the front, a sheet provided with studs and

page_text: rings or loops by which its lower edges can be tucked up, and wind tabs for
connecting the hood to the sheet, these parts being constructed and arranged
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings annexed for the
purposes specified and whether the elastic jowl clasp, or the breast cloth with the
means for supporting the same, or both, be employed or not.
Dated this 8th day of February 1004
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.