Improvement in Stirrups.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvement in Stirrups.
A communication from ALBERT MAYER, of the City and County of San Francisco,
State of California, United States of America, Baker..
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, London, in the County of
Middlesex, M.I.M.E., 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 relates to stirrups, that is to say, to that class of attachments for
riding saddles in which a horseman's foot rests, and has for its object to provide
means for releasing the foot of the rider, in case he is thrown off his mount.
As is well known, stirrups-whatever be their design-consist of a base plate or
foot-support connected with a loop surrounding the foot and terminating in a staple
through which are rove leather straps depending from the saddle. The present
invention comprises substantially the same elements, with this difference that the
staple of the stirrup is made detachable and provided with means adapted to keep
it firmly in position when all is normal, but which will quickly set it free, if any.
thing goes wrong.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation of the stirrup complete, looking at the rear thereof, that
is to say the side next the rider;
Fig. 2 is a top view of the same;
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section from the centre of Fig. 1, the staple being
removed;
Fig. 4 is a plan of that part of the stirrup-iron which receives the staple,
showing how the latter is released; and
Fig. 5 is a detailed view, in perspective, of the detached staple.
The letter A represents the base or foot-plate, which may be made of any
suitable material and given any desirable shape.
Secured to this base and rising upwardly from the ends thereof, is an arched
piece, B, which forms a loop, through which the foot may project, and constitutes
together with the base the stirrup-iron proper.
The stirrup-iron does not vary from the ordinary construction, except that it is
made without the usual staple for the saddle-thongs, and presents instead slits, b, b',
cut lengthwise and at right angles to each other into its top and side, and a hole 6³,
facing the side-slit. 6 runs through from the upper to the lower edge of the top-
most part of the iron; 6', from the rear side of the iron to the vertical slit; and b³,
from the latter to the face of the iron.
C is the improved staple, which consists of an elliptical ring adapted to receive
the stirrup-leathers, and of a lug, c, depending therefrom. The base of the ring is
made wide to afford it a good seat upon the arched piece B, into the vertical
slit 6 of which the lug c is inserted. The lug c has a T-shaped opening, the upper
part of which registers with the side-slit and hole above described.
Through the lug of the staple C passes a flat-headed or T-shaped pin, D, which
is fitted and adapted move longitudinally in the slit 6' and hole 63, across the
top-part of the stirrup-iron, the stem of the pin running through the hole b³ and the
head through the slitted side. It is the head of this pin which keeps the staple
in position, when lying across the slit b, as it is then engaged by the inwardly-
projecting ends of the lug c. The lug is freed only when the stem of the pin lies
within its opening.
The pin D is kept up and normally held in engagement with the staple C by
means of a spring, E. This spring is riveted or otherwise secured to the lower part

page_text: of the stirrup-iron and follows the curve of the arched piece, from which it stands
off at the upper end, at the point where the pin is fastened to it, so as to keep the
head of the latter well drawn in in the lug of the staple. E is nearly elliptical in
cross-section or else rounded at the edges in order not to cut nor chafe the boots of
the rider, when coming in contact therewith. It also varies somewhat in thickness,
being stronger at the points where it holds the locking-pin and where riveted to
the loop, but of slender form and of more resilient nature where it deflects from the
face of the stirrup-iron.
The operation is obvious: Should one using a pair of stirrups provided with the
above-described improvement be thrown off his horse and by mischance his feet be
caught in the loops, the point of his feet will naturally encounter and strike
against the spring E, upon which the whole weight of his body will be thrown.
This will draw back the spring close to the stirrup-iron, as shown at Fig. 4,
thereby pushing back the pin D, the stem of which only will remain in the lug of
the staple. And as then the body of the rider will lean toward the ground and
the animal bearing the saddle will be going in an opposite direction, the stirrup-
iron and staple will readily pull apart and liberate the rider.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
The combination with a stirrup-iron having a vertical slit through its upper part,
a side-slit at right angles thereto and a hole opposite said side-slit, of a staple
provided with a depending lug having a T-shaped opening and fitting in said
vertical slit, a T-shaped pin longitudinally movable across said opening, through
said side-slit and hole, and a round-edged spring of varied thickness secured to and
following the loop of said iron, but normally standing out from the upper part
thereof, and connected with the stem of said pin, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 25th day of April 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.