Improvements in Horses' Bridle-bits.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
We ARSENE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Horses' Bridle-bits.
AUGUSTE BOURY, ALFRED CHAMPAGNE and EUGENE
SCHMIDT of 109 Rue Ransfort Molembeck-lez-Bruxelles in the Kingdom of
Belgium Machinists do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide a bridle-bit by which horses may be
gradually stopped or if desired, stopped almost instantly.
The mouth piece consists of a round rod having a flat plate fastened thereto at
the centre so that it projects more at one side of the round rod than at the other.
When the flat plate is turned by the rotation of the round rod the longer side
reaches the roof of the horse's mouth and the shorter side bears upon the tongue.
The extremities of the round rod which represent the catches in an ordinary
bridle-bit are made square in order to rigidly attach thereto the dependent levers
which carry the special reins for operating the bit so as to rotate the flat plate
when desired.
Upon the round rod at each side of the flat plate we provide a tubular sleeve
encasing the round rod in a manner to prevent the horse from seizing the bit
between his teeth and so avoid the rotation of the flat plate. The tubular sleeves
alone can be seized between the teeth of the horse and the rod is free to rotate
within the tubular sleeves.
The bridle-bit is carried in side pieces preferably made in the form of a ring with
a cross bar perforated at its centre to pass the extremities of the round rod upon
which the dependent levers for the special reins are fixed. The side pieces have
eyelets to receive the bridle straps which support the bit and others to receive the
ordinary reins.
The dependent levers which carry the special reins are prolonged beyond the
centre of rotation for the mouth piece and terminate in eyelets in which split rings
are fixed to carry swivel clasps in which the curb is held. We make the curb in
the form of a spiral spring having at each extremity a short length of chain by
means of which it may be regulated to the required length between the swivel
clasps.
The operation of our improved bridle-bit is as follows. When the horse
behaves in a calm manner the bridle-bit acts in the same way as an ordinary bridle-
bit being pulled by the ordinary reins which do not cause any rotation of the
mouth piece.
But if the horse threatens to run away, by acting upon the special
reins the lower ends of the dependent levers are drawn towards the driver and
these levers, causing the round rod to rotate, turn the flat plate from its normal
position of rest flat upon the horse's tongue towards a vertical position. The horse
is thereby compelled to open his mouth on account of the pressure of the ends of
the flat plate upon the roof of his mouth and upon his tongue. If the horse seizes
the bit between his teeth he can only hold the tubular sleeves and cannot avoid the
operation of the bit to rotate the plate which compels him to release the bit when
required.
Dated this 26th day of June 1891.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Horses' Bridle-bits.
We, ARSENE AUGUSTE BOURY, ALFRED CHAMPAGNE and EUGÈNE
SCHMIDT, Machinists all of No. 109 Rue Ransfort Molembeck-lez-Bruxelles in
the Kingdom of Belgium, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to provide a bridle-bit by which horses may be
gradually stopped, or, if desired, stopped almost instantly.
The following is a description of our invention reference being had to the
accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the bridle-bit complete.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the bridle-bit having its detachable fittings
removed.
Figure 4 is a plan partly in section, of one of the tubular sleeves.
In all the figures the same letters of reference indicate the same parts.
The mouth picce consists of a round rod X having a flat plate X2 fastened
thereto at the centre so that it projects more at one side of the round rod than at
the other.
The flat plate X is preferably perforated with the sole object of making it as
light as it may be consistently with the required strength of material. When it is
turned by the rotation of the rod X the longer side reaches the roof of the horse's
mouth and the shorter side bears upon the tongue.
The extremities of the rod X which represent the catches in an ordinary bridle-
bit are made square in order to rigidly attach thereto the dependent levers O
which carry the special reins for operating the bridle-bit so as to rotate the flat
plate X when desired.
Upon the rod X at each side of the flat plate X we provide a tubular sleeve A
encasing the rod X in a manner to prevent the horse seizing the bit between his
teeth and so avoid the rotation of the flat plate X. The tubular sleeves A alone
can be seized between the teeth of the horse and the rod X in that case remains
free to rotate within the sleeves.
The bridle-bit is carried in side pieces B preferably made in the form of a ring.
with a cross bar perforated at its centre to pass the extremities of the rod X upon
which the dependent levers O for the special reins are fixed. The side pieces B
are formed with eyelets N to receive the bridle straps which support the bridle-bit
and other eyelets R to receive the ordinary reins.
The dependent levers O which carry the special reins are prolonged beyond the
centre of rotation for the mouth piece and terminate in eyelets in which split
rings D are fixed to carry swivel-claspsy in which the curb S is held. We make
the curb S in the form of a spiral spring having at each extremity a short length
of chain by means of which it may be regulated to the required length between the
swivel clasps y.
The operation of our improved bridle-bit is as follows:-When the horse behaves
in a calm manner the bridle-bit acts in the same way as an ordinary.bridle-bit
being pulled by the ordinary reins which do not cause any rotation of the mouth
piece. But if the horse threatens to run away, the driver may, by pulling the
special reins, draw towards him the dependent levers O, causing the rod X¹ to.
rotate and so carry the flat plate X from its normal position of rest, flat upon the
horse's tongue, towards a vertical position. The horse is thereby compelled to
open his mouth on account of the pressure of the extremities of the flat plate X'
upon the roof of his mouth and upon his tongue. If the horse seizes the bit
between his teeth he can only hold the tubular sleeves A. and cannot avoid the

page_text: operation of the bridle-bit to rotate the flat plate X which compels him to release
the bit when required.
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. In a bridle-bit of the kind hereinbefore described the form of the bit applied
as a flat plate resting normally upon the horse's tongue and capable of being rotated
to apply pressure between the tongue and the roof of the mouth substantially as
described.
2. In a bridle-bit of the kind hereinbefore described the use of the sleeves A.
encasing the rod traversing the horse's mouth to prevent the horse stopping
the action of the bit by seizing the same between his teeth substantially as
described.
3. The combination of side bearing pieces B and the dependent levers () whereby
the bridle-bit may be used for leading a horse in the usual way or for arresting
him by creating a pressure between his tongue and the roof of his mouth substan-
tially as described.
4. The general construction and combination of parts constituting our improved
bridle-bit substantially as described and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of March 1892.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicants.