IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR SADDLES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Garnett, of Walsall, in the County of
Stafford, Wholesale Saddler, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SAFETY APPARATUS FOR SADDLES."
Sealed the 3rd November 1871, and dated the 20th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Garnett at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th May 1871.
I, WILLIAM GARNETT, of Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Whole-
sale Saddler, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY APPARATUS FOR SADDLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to those parts of saddles called the spring
bars, to which spring bars the stirrup straps are connected, and my
said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
constructing the said spring bars and connecting them to the saddle.
By my improvements the defects of the ordinary spring bar are
remedied, and the stirrup strap is liberated when a rider either falls or
is thrown from his horse, whether the foot of the rider is engaged with

page_text: the stirrup on the side of the horse opposite to that on which he falls
or with the stirrup on the same side. In place of the ordinary spring
bar to which the stirrup strap is connected I employ a spring bar of
the kind herein-after described, and connect it with the saddle in the
following manner:-To the side of the saddletree I attach a fixed hook-
like support having a semi-cylindrical depression on its upper side. To
this support a moveable piece is jointed, the said moveable piece working
in a vertical plane, and being pressed downwards by a spring. The
under side of this moveable piece is semi-cylindrical. To the upper
side of the spring bar a loop is jointed, and when the spring bar is
attached to the side of the saddle the head or cross bar of the loop fits
into the semi-cylindrical depression in the fixed hook-like support on
the side of the saddle, the semi-cylindrical depression on the under side
of the moveable piece bearing upon the joint at the bottom of the loop
and holding it in its place. When the several parts are in the positions
described the spring bar and stirrup strap are securely connected to the
saddle. If by the shying of the horse, or otherwise, the rider is thrown,
say on the right-hand side of the horse, and his left foot remains engaged
in the stirrup, the stirrup strap and spring bar are raised from the
vertical into a horizontal or nearly horizontal position. Before arriving
at the horizontal position the moveable part of the joint which connects
the loop described with the spring bar raises the moveable piece, when
the joint being no longer engaged in the depression in the under side of
the said moveable piece the loop, spring bar, stirrup strap, and stirrup
become immediately detached from the saddle. In order to connect the
spring bar with the saddle it is only necessary to place the upper end of
the jointed loop on the fixed hook-like support, the spring bar being
raised into a horizontal position. By pressing the loop towards the side
of the saddle and lowering the spring bar into a vertical position, the
moveable piece is raised, and the joint part of the loop snaps under it,
and the connection of the spring bar to the saddle is thereby effected.
In order to facilitate the escape of the stirrup strap from the spring
bar by motion parallel to the flap of the saddle I construct the said
spring bar as follows:-The said spring bar consists essentially of an
oblong rectangular frame. I make the upper side and the front end of
the said frame in one piece, and I joint the lower side to the bottom of
the front end of the frame by a hinge joint.
The rear end of the frame
I joint to the rear end of the upper side of the frame, and provide the

page_text: said rear end with a hooked termination which engages with the free
end of the lower side of the frame, snapping therein by the action of a
spring. Pressure on the stirrup strap in a vertical direction has no
tendency to open the spring bar, but when the pressure is oblique and
the stirrup strap is drawn forcibly towards the rear end of the spring
bar, the pressure against the said rear end causes it to turn upon its
joint, and the lower side being no longer supported falls into a vertical
position, the stirrup strap slipping off it without obstruction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Garnett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GARNETT, of Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Wholesale Saddler,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Garnett, Her special licence that
I, the said William Garnett, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Garnett, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY
APPARATUS FOR SADDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Garnett, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Garnett, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: το
following statement, reference being nau the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
My Invention has reference to those parts of saddles called the spring
bars, to which spring bars the stirrup straps are connected, and my
said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
constructing the said spring bars and connecting them to the saddle.
By my improvements the defects of the ordinary spring bar are
remedied and the stirrup strap is liberated when a rider either falls or
is thrown from his horse, whether the foot of the rider is engaged with
the stirrup on the side of the horse opposite to that on which he falls
or with the stirrup on the same side. In place of the ordinary spring
bar to which the stirrup strap is connected I employ by preference a
spring bar of the kind herein-after described and connect it with the
saddle in the following manner :—To the side of the saddletree I attach
a fixed hook-like support having a semi-cylindrical depression on its
upper side. To this support a moveable piece is jointed, the said
moveable piece working in a vertical plane and being pressed downwards
by a spring. The under side of this moveable piece is semi-cylindrical.
To the upper side of the spring bar a loop is jointed, and when the
spring bar is attached to the side of the saddle the head or cross bar
of the loop fits into the semi-cylindrical depression in the fixed hook-
like support on the side of the saddle, the semi-cylindrical depression
on the under side of the moveable piece bearing upon the joint at
the bottom of the loop and holding it in its place. When the several
parts are in the positions described the spring bar and stirrup strap
are securely connected. If by the shying of the horse, or otherwise,
the rider is thrown, say, on the right-hand side of the horse, and his left
foot remains engaged in the stirrup, the stirrup strap and spring bar are
raised from the vertical into a horizontal or nearly horizontal position.
Before arriving at the horizontal position the moveable part of the
joint which connects the loop described with the spring bar raises the
moveable piece, when the joint being no longer engaged in the depression
in the under side of the said moveable piece, the loop, spring bar, stirrup
strap, and stirrup become immediately detached from the saddle. In
order to connect the spring bar with the saddle it is only necessary to
place the upper end of the jointed loop on the fixed hook-like support,

page_text: the spring bar being raised into a horizontal position. By pressing the
loop towards the side of the saddle and lowering the spring bar into a
vertical position the moveable piece is raised, and the joint part of the
loop snaps under it, and the connection of the spring bar to the saddle
is thereby effected.
In order to facilitate the escape of the stirrup strap from the spring
bar by motion parallel to the flap of the saddle I construct the said
spring bar as follows:-The said spring bar consists essentially of an
oblong rectangular frame. I'make the upper side and the front end
of the said frame in one piece, and I joint the lower side to the bottom
of the front end of the frame by a hinge joint. The rear end of the
frame I joint to the rear end of the upper side of the frame, and provide
the said rear end with a hooked termination which engages with the
free end of the lower side of the frame, snapping therein by the action.
of a spring. Pressure on the stirrup strap in a vertical direction has no.
tendency to open the spring bar, but when the pressure is oblique and
the stirrup strap is drawn forcibly towards the rear end of the spring.
bar the pressure against the said rear end causes it to turn upon its.
joint, and the lower side being no longer supported falls into a vertical
position, the stirrup strap slipping off it without obstruction.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to.
describe, with reference to the accompanying, Drawings, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation and Figure 2 in side elevation
an ordinary spring bar for a saddle, provided with safety apparatus
constructed according to my Invention; Figure 3 is a vertical section.
of the same taken on the line a Figure 1; Figures 4 and 5 represent
the spring bar in the act of being connected to or disconnected from. the
saddle; Figure 6 represents in front elevation and plan of under side,
Figure 7 in vertical section, and Figure 8. in side elevation. that part
of the safety apparatus which is fixed on the saddle,, and Figure 9
represents in side elevation and front elevation the spring bar. to. which
the stirrup strap is connected. The same letters of reference indicate
the same parts in Figures 1 to 9.
To the side of the saddletree I secure a plate by the said plate carrying
a fixed hook-like support c having a semi-cylindrical depression. d on
its upper side. To this hook-like support c. a moveable piece e is jointed

page_text: at e, the said moveable piece e being pressed downwards by the spring f
The under side of the moveable piece e and the bottom of the fixed
support care concave, and together form a nearly semi-cylindrical
depression g. The outer side of the moveable piece e is flat; is the
ordinary spring bar, to the upper side of which bar a loop i is jointed
by the knuckle piece k on the said bar. The upper end of the knuckle
piece is semi-cylindrical. The head or cross bar of the loop i is
cylindrical and of a size proper to fit in the semi-cylindrical depression d
in the top of the hook-like support c, and the semi-cylindrical top of the
knuckle piece k of the said loop is of a size proper to be engaged with
the bottom of the hook-like support c and moveable piece e. In
connecting the spring bar with the hook-like support e fixed on the
side of the saddle the loop i and spring bar h are arranged with respect to
the fixed support c in the manner illustrated in Figure 5, that is to say,
the cross bar is of the loop i is introduced into the top depression d of
the support c, and the knuckle piece k of the loop is placed against the
flat face of the moveable piece e. By pressing the loop i towards the
side of the saddle the moveable piece e is lifted and the knuckle k passes
below the fixed support c, as illustrated in Figure 4. By now turning the
spring bar h from the horizontal position represented in Figure 4 into the
vertical position represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the moveable piece e
snaps upon the semi-cylindrical end of the knuckle k, and thereby holds
the loop firmly in its place. The spring bar and the stirrup strap
held therein are thus securely connected to the saddle. If by the
shying of the horse, or otherwise, the rider is thrown, say, on the right-
hand side of the horse, and his left foot remains engaged in the stirrup,
the spring bar h carrying the stirrup strap is raised from the vertical
position shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 to the horizontal position shown
in Figure 4. As the spring bar h is raised from the vertical to the
horizontal position the knuckle k of the loop i lifts the moveable piece e,
and in doing so removes its end from the depression in the under side
of the moveable piece e, as seen in Figure 4, and thus releases the
spring bar from the said moveable piece. By the continued raising of
the spring bar the knuckle k passes from under the fixed support c and
moveable piece e, and occupies the position represented in Figure 5,
when the loop i, bar h, and stirrup strap, and stirrup carried by the
said bar become immediately detached from the saddle. Should the foot
of the rider be engaged with the stirrup on the side of the horse on
which he falls the stirrup strap slips from the spring bar h by the

page_text: opening of the jointed end by the pressure of the strap upon it. Thus
the stirrup strap is liberated when a rider either falls or is thrown from
his horse, whether the foot of the rider is engaged with the stirrup on
the side of the horse opposite to that on which he falls or with the
stirrup on the same side. The construction of the safety apparatus may
be simplified by omitting the spring moveable piece e and making the
knuckle k of the loop engage under the bottom of the fixed hook-like
support c.
This modification of my Invention is illustrated in Figures 10, 11, 12,
and 13 of the Drawings, in combination with a spring bar constructed
according to my Invention, Figure 10 representing the spring bar and
safety apparatus in front elevation; Figure 11 a vertical section of the
same, and Figures 12 and 13 the same, exhibiting the spring bar in the
act of being connected with or disconnected from the fixed support on
the saddle; Figure 14 represents a horizontal section of my improved
spring bar detached, and Figure 15 represents the same open. The
fixed support c on the saddle has a semi-cylindrical depression d and d³
at top and bottom for receiving respectively the cross bar and
knuckle k. To connect the spring bar to the fixed hook-like support c on
the saddle, the loop i is placed nearly at right angles to the spring bar,
and the said loop engaged by its cross bar with the top depression d
of the support c, as illustrated in Figure 13. The loop i is next pressed
down into the position shown in Figure 12, so as to bring the knuckle k
of the loop under the bottom depression d² of the support c.
turning down the spring bar into a vertical position, as
Figures 10 and 11, the semi-cylindrical end of the knuckle k engages
with the bottom depression d² of the fixed support, and securely connects
the spring bar with the saddle. The releasing of the spring bar, loop,
and stirrup strap and stirrup from the saddle is effected by first raising
the spring bar into a horizontal position so as to withdraw the end of
the knuckle k from the hook support c, as shown in Figure 12, and then
lifting the spring bar, as shown in Figure 13. I construct the spring
bar represented in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 in order to
facilitate the escape of the stirrup strap therefrom by motion parallel to
the flap of the saddle in the following manner:-The said spring bar
consists of an oblong rectangular frame. The upper side h, carrying the
knuckle k, and the front end 12 are made in one piece. To the front
end of the frame the lower side ³ is jointed at 7*. The rear end h³ of
By finally
shown in

page_text: the frame is jointed at hº to the rear end of the upper side h. The
lower part of the rear end ³ is provided with a hooked termination h²,
which engages with the free end of the lower side h³. A strong spring /
is situated in the lower side h³, and when the rear end ³ is engaged
with the said lower side the said spring snaps upon the hooked termi-
nation h', and thereby fixes the jointed parts of the spring bar securely
together, as illustrated in Figure 14. When the stirrup strap is engaged
in the spring bar pressure on the said strap in a vertical direction has
no tendency to open the said bar, but when the pressure on the stirrup
strap is oblique, and the said strap is drawn forcibly towards the rear
end h³, the pressure against the said rear end causes it to turn on its
joint *, and release itself from the spring h³. The lower side h³ of the
spring bar being no longer supported falls into a vertical or nearly
vertical position, as illustrated in Figure 15, and the stirrup strap slips
off the spring bar without obstruction.
My arrangement of safety apparatus for releasing the stirrup strap
from the saddle by motion in a vertical direction, and my improved
spring bar may be used independently of one another, but I prefer to
use them in combination.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in safety
apparatus for saddles,-
Firstly. The construction and combination of parts herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 13, both inclusive, of the
accompanying Drawings for connecting the spring bar to and dis-
connecting it from the saddle, whereby the spring bar, stirrup strap, and
stirrup are immediately liberated from the saddle, when by the rider
being thrown or falling from his horse an upward motion is given to a
the said spring bar, that is to say, attaching to the side of the saddle-
tree a fixed hook-like support, with or without a moveable spring piece,
and jointing to the upper side of the spring bar a loop, the said loop
being connected with and disconnected from the said fixed hook-like
support, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The construction and combination of the parts of spring
bars of saddles herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 10 to
3

page_text: 14, both inclusive, of the accompanying Drawings, whereby the escape
of the stirrup strap from the spring bar by motion parallel to the flap
of the saddle is facilitated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Garnett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM GARNETT. (L.S.)