Improvements in Safety Saddle Bars.
Year: 1891

page_text: RARY
INGTON
STREET
Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1891
LEIC
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1891-Accepted, 20th June, 1891ER
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Saddle Bars.
We, HENRY WOODMAN, of Dodington, near Chipping Sodbury, in the County
of Gloucester, Bailiff, and JOHN JENKINS, of Old Sodbury, in the said County of
Gloucester, Smith do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in saddle bars, whereby the stirrup
leather and bar will be automatically released from the saddle whenever the
tension on the stirrup is in any other than a downward direction, so that when a
horse throws its rider, it will be almost impossible for the rider to be dragged along
the ground by the stirrup, the bar being immediately detached.
With many safety saddle bars now in use, the leather or the bar which holds
the leather is only released from the saddle when the jerk is in one or two
directions, but by our invention no matter in which direction a person is thrown,
the jerk will be sufficient to liberate the stirrup from the saddle.
Our invention is carried into effect by first providing a plate which is fastened
to the saddle tree in the usual position for saddle bars, on this plate is a central
jaw, made in two parts, the lower part being fixed, and the upper part hinged,
but kept tightly down on the lower jaw by a strong spring placed (conveniently)
at the back of the plate, these jaws form a strong ring, to which is suspended the
saddle bar, the bar is made with an eye at the top part by which it is passed into
the jaw and works freely in any direction when the bar and the plate are parallel
to each other, but when the bar is at any considerable angle with the plate, and a
jerk is given to the bar, the pressure of one side of the eye on the lower jaw will
raise the upper jaw, and liberate the eye of the bar, so that when a rider is thrown
from a horse, the jerk of the stirrup leather will press one side of the eye on the
lower jaw and the other side will unlock the upper jaw and the bar will be
immediately detached and the stirrup freed from the saddle, and the rider will not
be liable to further injury from dragging along the ground as is frequently the case
with saddle bars now in use.
Dated this 20th day of March 1801
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicants' Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Saddle Bars.
We, HENRY WOODMAN, of Dodington, near Chipping Sodbury, in the County
of Gloucester, Bailiff, and JOHN JENKINS, of Old Sodbury, in the said County
of Gloucester, Smith 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 improvements in saddle bars whereby the stirrup
leather and bar will be automatically released from the saddle whenever the
tension on the stirrup is in any other than a downward direction, so that when a
horse throws its rider, it will be almost impossible for the person to be dragged
along the ground by the stirrup, the bar being immediately detached.
With many safety saddle bars now in use, the stirrup leather or the bar in
which it is fastened, is only released from the saddle when the jerk is in one or two
directions, but by our invention, no matter in what direction a person is thrown,
the jerk will at once liberate the stirrup and bar from the saddle.

page_text: Our invention is carried into effect in the following manner :- -We first provide
a plate of metal, which is fastened to the saddle tree in the usual position of
saddle bars, on this plate is a central clutch, made in two parts, the lower part or
jaw being fixed to the plate, and the upper part or jaw hinged to two projections
on the plate, and kept tightly pressed on the lower jaw by a spring placed (con-
veniently) at the back of the plate, the clutch is so shaped as to form a strong
ring to which the saddle bar is suspended; the bar is made with an eye at the top
part, by which it is passed between the upper and lower jaw into the clutch on
the plate, and is so constructed that it works freely in any direction when the bar
and plate are parallel to each other; but when the bar is jerked to any consider-
able angle with the plate, the pressure of one side of the eye on the side of the
lower jaw, will raise the upper jaw and detach the eye of the bar, so that the
jerk given to the clutch when a rider is thrown from a horse will immediately
release the stirrup and bar.
Our invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings; in which
Fig. 1 is a front view of the plate with the clutch ready to receive the bar.
Fig. 2 is a section of the plate and clutch.
Fig. 3 is a back view of the plate with a ledge on which the spring is placed
to operate on the back of the upper jaw.
Fig. 4 is a view of the saddle bar with the eye and an ordinary spring at the
end for inserting and detaching the leather; and
Fig. 5 is a general view showing the bar resting in the clutch.
A is the plate with holes by which it is fastened to a saddle; B is the lower
jaw of the clutch fastened to the plate, C is the upper jaw, pivotted to ears a a at
the side, D is a projection at the back of the plate on which the spring dis
fastened; the lower jaw B, the ears a a, and the projection D are conveniently
made on the plate A, the whole being formed from one piece of metal; E is the
saddle bar, which by means of the eye e engages in the clutch on the plate, the
top of the bar is extended at e', so that if a rider is thrown, and the tension of
the stirrup is in a backward direction, this extension will be forced against the
upper part of the clutch, and the bar at once be detached from the saddle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The construction of a catch or clutch which will automatically release the
saddle bar when the strain on the stirrup is in any other than the normal direction,
substantially as herein set forth and described.
2. The construction of loose saddle bars which engage in clutches so that they
can be easily disengaged, substantially as herein set forth and described.
3. The combination of a clutch and saddle bar so that the stirrup may be
immediately released in case of accident, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth and described, and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of May 1891.
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicants' Agent.