IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES RIDING SKIRTS to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHANN BERNARD HÖHNE of 90 Great Portland Street in the County of
Middlesex, Tailor and Habit Maker do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES RIDING SKIRTS to be as follows:-
"
My Invention relates to an improved ladies' riding skirt especially intended for
use in the hunting field and it has for its object to provide such a construction
and arrangement of the skirt as, in the event of the rider being thrown, will be
free from the liability (to which existing forms of riding habit are subject) of
catching on the pommel of the saddle and causing the rider to be dragged, as
sometimes happens.
The Invention consists in such a form of skirt that no portion of it lies between
the pommels and the legs of the rider, the skirt covering the lower part of the
rider's limbs on the outer side only, or that farthest from the horse so that the
skirt is held quite free of the pommel. With this object the skirt is slit up or
divided at the right side from the bottom upwards to a point above the height of
the knees and is attached near either edge of this opening to the riders legs in
such manner that although to all appearance it is still a complete skirt, it is
virtually only an apron from the knees downwards.
When mounted the front part of the skirt is attached to the right leg by means
of a sort of gaiter formed by a loose flap of material on the inner side of the skirt
which encircles the leg below the knee and is secured by buttoning or by any
other suitable fastening an elastic or other loop being provided near the lower part
of the skirt through which the rider's foot is passed in order to retain the skirt in
its proper position, a similar loop at the back part of the skirt being passed over
the left foot of the rider to retain the other part of the skirt in place.
This semi-skirt or apron may be converted into a complete skirt when dis-
mounted by detaching the fastenings from the legs and feet and buttoning together
the edges of the opening a loose flap being provided for the purpose of completely
closing the said opening.

page_text: I JOHANN BERNARD HÖHNE of 90 Great Portland Street in the County of
Middlesex, Tailor and Habit Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LADIES RIDING SKIRTS 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 an improved ladies' riding skirt especially intended for
use in the hunting field and it has for its object to avoid all liability of the skirt
catching on the pommel of the saddle in the event of the rider being thrown and
so causing the rider to be dragged, as sometimes happens with riding habits as
heretofore made.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein Figure 1 represents the skirt as it appears when the rider is
mounted and viewed from the near side by which it will be seen that it does not
differ in outward appearance from a riding skirt as usually made. Figure 2
represents the skirt and the legs of the rider as they would appear could they bo
viewed from the off side through the body of the horse. Figure 3 shows in the
flat the side of the skirt in which the alteration hereafter described is made.
The Invention relates to such a form of skirt that the lower part of the rider's
lega are covered on the outer side only, or that farthest from the horse so that the
skirt is held quite free of the pommel. With this object the skirt has an opening
made in it at the right side of a width approximating to the distance between the
rider's feet when mounted and extending from the bottom upwards to a point
above the height of the knees and is attached near either edge of this opening to
the rider's legs in such manner that although it is virtually only an apron from
the knees downwards, it remains a complete skirt to all appearance as shown in
Figure 1.
When the rider is mounted, the front part of the skirt is attached to the right
leg by means of a strap a passed round the right leg of the rider above the knee
and secured by buttoning or otherwise to a tab a¹ stitched to the inside of the
skirt as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 and also by means of a sort of gaiter b
formed by a loose flap of material attached at b¹ to the inner side of the skirt as
shown in Figures 2 and 3 which encircles the leg below the knee and is secured
by buttoning or any other suitable fastening, the buttons or other fastening being
situated on the inner or left side of the right leg and not next the saddle, so as to
avoid all liability of chafing the rider an elastic loop e being also provided near the
lower part of the skirt in which the rider's right foot is placed in order to retain
the skirt in its proper position.
When this portion of the skirt is thus attached, the part of the skirt comprised
between the dotted line e-e (more or less) and the edge becomes partially
wrapped around the lower part of the rider's right leg as shown in Figure 2 and
so prevents any interruption in the continuity of the skirt being visible when
viewed from the near side as in Figure 1. Another elastic loop d attached to the
back part of the skirt is passed over the left foot of the rider to retain the rear part

page_text: of the skirt in place and this part also becomes partially lapped around the left
leg of the rider as shown in Figure 2.
Before the rider dismounts this semi-skirt or apron may be converted into an
apparently complete skirt by detaching the fastenings from the legs and feet and
hitching a loop g onto a hook so as to support the skirt in the position shown by
dotted lines in Figure 3 thus concealing the aperture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I am
aware of Busvine's Patent dated Aug. 14. 1884 N° 11287 and what I claim is
A riding skirt having an aperture in such position and of such extent that the
lower part of the skirt covers the rider's legs on the outerside only in the manner
of an apron the skirt being provided at front of the aperture with the particular
means of attachment to the rider's leg substantially as described and shown in the
drawings.