Improvements in Spring Attachment Devices for Stirrups.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Attachment Devices for Stirrups.
I, WILLOUGHBY FITZGREEN HOLLISTER, Tanner, residing at Cowen, in the
County of Webster, and State of West Virginia, United States of America, 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:—
My invention relates to certain novel improvements in spring-stirrups for the
saddles used in horseback riding, and the object is to provide a simple, inexpensive
and effective device of this class to contribute to the ease and comfort of the rider,
both in mounting and while travelling on the road.
To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrange-
ment of the device as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly
pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing the same reference characters indicate the same
parts of the invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a riding saddle, showing my improved spring-
stirrup attached thereto;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the spring detached; and
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the spring and stirrup straps.
1 represents the saddle and 2 the adjusting strap for supporting the spring
stirrup 3 and 4 represent coiled springs constructed of different sized wire, and
owing to this construction, the normal tension of the spring 3 is about one-half
that of the spring 4.
A supporting yoke 5 is formed with a cross-bar 6, on which is mounted a friction
sleeve 7, to receive the saddle strap 2, and the cross-bar 6 is formed with integral
parallel arms 8-8 which extend downwardly inside of the springs 3 and 4, and
the lower ends of these arms terminate in oppositely disposed hooks 9-9, which
engage the lowermost coil of the spring 4.
An inverted yoke 10 is likewise formed with a cross-bar 11, on which is
mounted a sleeve 12, over which passes the stirrup-strap 13, and the integral
parallel arms 14-14 of this cross-bar 11 extend upwardly through both springs,
and their upper ends terminate in oppositely disposed hooks 15-15 which engage
the uppermost coil of the spring 3.
The free end of the lowermost coil 16 is turned downwardly and inwardly to
form a straight dog 17, which is adapted to pass through a vertical slot 18 in the
loop of the stirrup-strap 13, and extend under the cross-bar 11 of the yoke 10,
so that when adjusted by hand to this position, and a person mounts, the entire
weight of the person's body comes on the dog 17 and cross-bar 11, thus entirely
relieving the springs 3 and 4; and after the person has mounted, a slight jar or
forward movement of the foot will release the cross-bar 11 from the dog 17 and
allow the springs 3 and 4 to have full play.

page_text: 19 represents the fender leather, and its forward vertical end is turned back
upon itself to form an integral sleeve 191, which encompasses the springs 3 land 4
and forms a protecting guide for the same.
20 represents a flexible metallic strip interposed between the end of the sleeve
and the contiguous face of the fender leather, and 21-21 represent the rivets
which pass through the leather and the interposed spring metal strip to secure
the parts together and form the sleeve. The lower end of said sleeve is formed
with an integral car 22, which is secured to the stirrup-strap 13 by a rivet 23
which serves to prevent the vertical displacement of the sleeve and fender.
The combination of the springs 3 and 4 of unequal tension is such that it
requires a greater power to compress the spring 4 than it does to compress the
spring 3, so that a person of comparatively, light weight will readily affect the
spring 3, while he will have little or no effect on the spring 4, and the weight of
a heavier person will fully compress the lighter spring, and then the weight will
be taken up by the heavier spring 4.
The meeting coils of the contiguous ends of both springs are finished off in a
true plane, and consequently one forms a true bearing for the other.
°
In employing two or more springs in the manner shown, by using their com-
pressed energy to sustain the weight of the rider in contradistinction to that class
of devices in which the expansive force of the spring is employed to sustain a
weight, a very important advantage is gained, in that it often happens that the
spring in the latter instance is stretched or expanded beyond its limit, and con-
sequently rendered worthless, while in the present instance, an unusually heavy
weight will only close the coils until they rest against each other, beyond which
point it is impossible to compress the spring further, and which does not in the
least affect the retractile energy of the springs.
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: —
1. The combination with the saddle and its adjusting strap 2, of the stirrup
and its strap 13, the reversely arranged yokes 5 and 10 connecting said straps,
and the springs 3 and 4 encompassing said yokes, substantially as shown and
described.
2. The combination with the saddle and its adjusting strap 2, of the stirrup
and its strap 13, the reversely arranged yokes 5 and 10 connecting said straps,
and the springs 3 and 4 connecting the opposite ends of said yokes, substantially
as shewn and described.
3. The combination with the saddle and its adjusting strap 2, of the stirrup
and its strap 13, the reversely arranged yokes 5 and 10 connecting said straps,
the springs 3 and 4 connecting said yokes, and the fender leather formed with
the integral sleeve encompassing said springs and secured at its lower end to the
stirrup strap 13, substantially as shown and described.
4. The saddle provided with the strap 2, in combination with the yokes 5 and 10
formed with the oppositely disposed hooks 9-9 and 15-15, the springs 3 and 4
encompassing said yokes and having their opposite ends engaging said hooks 4
and the stirrup and its strap 13 engaging said yoke 10, substantially as shown and
described.
5. The saddle provided with the strap 2, the yoke 5 formed with the cross-bar 6
engaging said strap, and having its parallel arms terminating in the oppositely
disposed hooks 9-9, the yoke 10 formed with the cross-bar 11 and 5
having its parallel arms terminating in the oppositely disposed hooks
15-15, the springs 3 and 4 encompassing said yokes, the lowermost
coil of the spring 4 terminating in a dog 17 adapted to engage the cross-bar 11
of the yoke 10, and the stirrup and its strap 13 secured to said cross-bar 11, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
6. The combination with the saddle, the adjustable strap secured thereto, the
5

page_text: springs 3 and 4, the yokes 5 and 10, the fender leather formed with an integra
sleeve encompassing said springs, and the strap 13, engaging the yoke 10, and
secured to the fender by the rivet 23, substantially as shown and described.
1 this 96th day of October 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE
40 Chancery Lane London W.C. Agents.