Improvements in Safety Saddle Bars or Suspenders for Stirrup Leathers.
Year: 1893

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Saddle Bars or Suspenders for Stirrup
Leathers.
I, GUSTAVE BIEBUYCK of 52 Rue de Spa Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to an improved construction of safety saddle bars
or suspenders for stirrup leathers of the class described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me and dated 14 November 1889 No. 18194 by means of
which the disadvantages attending the arrangements heretofore employed are more
effectually obviated and the stirrups are released with great precision whenever the
rider falls or is thrown in such a manner as to be liable to be injured through the
feet catching in the stirrups.
The apparatus is constructed with a base plate screwed or rivetted to the saddle
tree and having attached to it a fixed plate or bracket the upper surface or edge of
which is slightly hollow or presents two inclines rising from the centre or middle
part towards the extremities. The base plate is also provided with a pivoted plate
capable of oscillating upon a pivot and provided at the sides with projections or
lugs rounded at the back to enable them to slide over pins or projections on the
ends of springs attached at their other extremities to the aforesaid base plate
preferably at the back of the latter. The lower edge of this pivoted plate is
recessed for the reception of a stud on the loop attached to the stirrup leather and
which engages between projections formed on the lower side of the said pivoted
plate and rests in the hollow or depression formed in the upper edge of the fixed
bottom plate.
When the stirrup leather owing to a fall or other cause is subjected to a sudden
strain in an oblique or inclined direction the stud on the loop being forced against
one of the projections on the under side of the pivoted plate causes the latter plate
to rock or swing to one side or the other and assume an inclined position. In this
movement one of the projections on the said plate is caused to press back the end
of one of the springs. The stirrup leather loop being thus liberated is free to slip
out and fall away clear of the horse and saddle. In order to replace it in position
the pivoted plate must be placed in an inclined position as before.
The lugs or projections provided on the said plate for acting on the springs may
be dispensed with. In this case the plate is provided at the parts acted upon by
the ends of the two blade springs with two small recesses into which the said ends
are sprung in order to retain the plate in position.
Dated the 9th day of February 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: '
Improvements in Safety Saddle Bars or Suspenders for Stirrup
Leathers.
I, GUSTAVE BIEBUYCK of 52 Rue de Spa Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer 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 present invention relates to an improved construction of safety saddle bars
or suspenders for stirrup leathers of the class described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me and dated 14th November 1889 No. 18194 by means
of which the disadvantages attending-the-arrangements heretofore-employed are
more effectually obviated and the stirrup leathers are released with great precision
whenever the rider falls or is thrown in such a manner as to be liable to be dragged
or injured through the foot catching in the stirrups.
In fact when an accident occurs the so called safety saddle bars as heretofore
constructed either do not act at all or act in an imperfect manner that is to say not
until after the falling rider has reached the ground. It also sometimes happens
that the rider is thrown forwards over the head of the animal or in dismounting the
left foot gets entangled in the stirrup. The safety saddle bars or suspenders
heretofore constructed do not provide against such contingencies as they are not
arranged to open in front or release the stirrup under a pull in the forward
direction.
With the safety saddle bars or suspenders constructed according to this invention
this class of accidents is provided for the apparatus coming into action whenever
the rider falls and (this being a most important feature) the stirrup leather is
released before the rider touches the ground. The same effect takes place when
the rider is projected forwards.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures I, II and III of the accompanying drawings represent in front elevation,
side elevation and plan respectively that part of the apparatus which is permanently
attached to the saddle.
Figures IV, V and VI illustrate in front elevation, side elevation and plan
respectively a pivotted plate forming part of the said apparatus as hereinafter
explained.
Figures VII and VIII represent in front and side elevation the loop or part
directly connected to the stirrup leather.
Figure IX represents a complete apparatus and Figures X and XI illustrate a
modified form of the pivotted plate illustrated in Figures IV, V and VI.
The apparatus is constructed with a base plate X Figures I, II, III and IX
screwed or rivetted to the saddle tree and having attached to it a fixed plate or
bracket A the upper surface or edge of which is slightly hollow or presents two
inclines rising from the centre or middle part towards the extremities as represented
in Figures I and IX. The base plate X is also provided with a pivotted plate 1
Figures IV, V and IX capable of oscillating upon a pin 2 screwed into the
plate X and forming a pivot. The plate 1 is provided at the sides with projections
or lugs 3 and 3 rounded at the back to enable them to slide over two pins or
projections 4 and 4ª on the ends of springs 5, 5" attached at their other extremities
to the aforesaid base plate X. The lower.edge of the plate 1 is recessed at 7 for
the reception of a stud F (Figure VIII) on a loop E attached to the stirrup
leather and which engages between two projections 6 and 6* formed on the lower
side of the said pivotted plate and rests in the hollow or depression formed in the

page_text: upper edge of the fixed bottom plate A. So long as the strain on the stirrup
leather is in a normal or approximately vertical direction the stud F is retained in
position by the projections 6 on the plate 1 but when the stirrup leather owing to
a fall or other cause is pulled either backwards or forwards in a horizontal or
inclined direction the stud F being forced against the projections 6* for example
causes the projection 3ª to force back the yielding pin 48 thus enabling the plate 1
to rock or swing to one side and assume an inclined position as represented by
dotted lines in Figure IX. The stud F being thus liberated slips off the plate A
and the loop E with the stirrup leather attached thereto is perfectly free to fall
away clear of the horse and saddle. In order to replace the parts in their original
position the plate 1 must be pushed to one side and placed in an inclined position
so as to enable the stud F to be replaced upon the plate A after which the plate 1
is returned to its normal position as represented by the full lines in Figure IX
and retains the plate 1 in position so long as it is not subjected to any abnormal
strains.
The lugs or projections 3 and 3ª on the plate I may be dispensed with. In
this case the plate being made flat at the back is provided at the parts acted upon
by the pins 4 4 on the two blade springs 5 with two small recesses 8 Figures X
and XI with which the said pins engage in order to retain the plate 1 in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:-
1. A safety saddle bar or suspender for stirrup leathers having a base plate a
provided with a fixed plate or bracket A a movable plate 1 oscillating on a centre
or pivot 2 in combination with springs 5 5 and a stirrup leather loop E as and for
the purpose herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improvements
in safety saddle bars or suspenders for stirrup leathers substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.