Improvements in Rocking or Galloping Horses.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Rocking or Galloping Horses.
I, JOHN THOMAS MILSON HIRCOCK, of 34, Priestley Road, Sparkbrook, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:
My invention has for its object improvements in rocking or galloping horses
which are very useful in teaching children and young people to attain a firm
seat and also as affording considerable exercise for the body whether as a rocking
horse in a room or as a galloping horse on ordinary roads or in larger buildings
affording sufficient space for turning corners.
The
The simplest form is that of the rocking horse which consists of a single
action. In this form the horse itself is fitted underneath the fore legs or there-
abouts or between the fore and hind legs with a pivot plate or plates which are
screwed or otherwise fastened laterally underneath the body. The horse is then
mounted upon a cross bar which is carried by a frame which is supported upon a
suitable base and as I prefer upon four feet or base boards or plates.
supporting frame is by preference in the shape of a V when viewed at the side,
the junction of the two legs of the V carrying the pivots or pivot bar when the
V frame stands inverted. Across the two front legs of the frame a cross shaft is
mounted in bearings with a crank and pedal at each end in such a position as to
enable the rider to work the pedals when sitting comfortably on the back of the
horse. Intermediate between the legs of the frame the pedal shaft is cranked or
is fitted with an eccentric to which a connecting rod is connected the end of the
rod being pivoted to a connection under the body of the horse--say between his
front legs. When the pedal is worked by the rider motion is transferred to it
from the pedal shaft through the connecting rod which rocks the horse thus
To add forward action to the horse the frame is
imitating the action of a horse.
mounted upon wheels--say three wheels though there may be more or less than
three. Then upon the pedal shaft a large sprocket wheel is fixed and a smaller one
on the driving shaft which are coupled by a chain or other driving medium such
for instance as a couple of cranks or a connecting shaft with bevel wheels. In
the case of a three wheel frame one of the back wheels would run loose upon the
shaft for convenience of turning or a differential gear box may be added which
will allow the wheels to run at varying speeds to each other. To carry the steer-
ing wheel the frame is carried forward and turned round and formed to embrace
the pivot of a fork rising from and above the pivot wheel. One piece or strip of
metal may be bent at its centre to carry the steering wheel and may then rise on
each side to the underside of the horse and carry the pivot and then continue down
on each side to carry the back axle which is a very cheap and steady mode of
making the frame and mounting the horse upon its pivot. It will now be seen
that as the rider works the pedals the horse is propelled along and the rocking
or galloping action is also given at the same time. Upon the pivot of the steering
wheel I mount a cross bar and attach to each end a wire or connecting cord which

page_text: pass over guide rollers and then up to the riders hands where he holds the reins
so that as he uses the reins the horse is guided in any desired direction.
Dated this 11th day of January 1898.
Pop Rocking or canoping horses.
I, JOHN THOMAS MILSON HIRCOCK, of 34, Priestley Road, Sparkbrook, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:.
My invention has for its object improvements in rocking or galloping horses
which are very useful in teaching children and young people to attain a firm
seat and also as affording considerable exercise for the body.
In carrying my invention into practice the horse is fitted underneath the fore
legs or thereabouts or between the fore and hind legs with a pivot plate or plates
which are screwed or otherwise fastened laterally underneath the body. The
horse is then mounted upon a cross bar which is carried by a frame
supported upon a suitable base and as I prefer upon four feet or
base boards or plates. The supporting frame is by preference in the
shape of a V when viewed at the side the junction of the two legs of
the V carrying the pivots or pivot bar when the V frame stands inverted.
Across the two front legs of the frame a cross shaft is mounted in bearings with a
crank and pedal at each end in such a position as to enable the rider to work the
pedals when sitting comfortably on the back of the horse. Intermediate between
the legs of the frame the pedal shaft is cranked or is fitted with an eccentric to
which a connecting rod is connected the end of the rod being pivoted to a con-
nection under the body of the horse-say between his front legs. When the
pedal is worked by the rider motion is transferred to it from the pedal shaft
through the connecting rod which rocks the horse thus imitating the action of a
horse.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto a double sized sheet of drawings
upon which I have illustrated examples of my rocking or galloping horses.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rocking or galloping horse constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of the frame and crank arrangement for operating
the rocking horse as shewn at Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of an eccentric arrangement for imparting the
rocking or galloping movement to the horse.
In carrying my invention into practice the horse A is fitted underneath the
fore legs a or thereabouts or between the fore legs a¹ and the hind legs a³ with
the pivot plate 61 or plates screwed or otherwise fastened laterally underneath
the body of the horse. The horse is then mounted upon the cross bar 2 which
passes through holes formed in the pivot plate 61 and this cross bar is carried
by the frame B supported upon and fixed to the base plates D. The supporting

page_text: frame B is by preference in the shape of an inverted V when viewed at the
side. Mounted in suitable bearings between the two front legs of this frame is
the cross shaft E to the ends of which the cranks F are fixed and these cranks are
fitted with the pedals f¹ in such a position as to enable the rider to work the pedals
when sitting comfortably on the back of the horse. The shaft E is cranked at e¹
intermediate between the legs of the frame B as clearly shewn at Figure 2 and
to this cranked portion e¹ the connecting rod H is pivotted the other end being
pivoted to a connection fixed under the body of the horse-preferably between
the fore legs a¹ as shewn at Figure 1. When the pedals f¹ or worked by the
rider motion is transferred to the horse from the shaft E through the medium of
the connecting-rod H thereby rocking the horse and thus imitating the action
of a horse when galloping.
At Figure 3 I have shewn an eccentric arrangement for giving the rocking or
galloping movement to the horse in place of cranking the shaft E. In this case
I fix the disc P eccentrically on the shaft E and mounted on this disc are the
straps either with balls interposed between or plain. The connecting rod H is
fixed to one of the straps p¹ so that as the shaft E and consequently the eccen-
tric P revolves the rocking or galloping motion is imparted through the medium
of the connecting rod H to the horse.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
CLAIMS.
First: The improvements in rocking or galloping horses consisting essen-
tially in pivoting the horse upon a frame such as B and imparting a rocking or
galloping motion to the same by the connecting rod such as H which is operated
by the cranked axle or by an eccentric from pedals worked by the rider in 'the
manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and as shewn upon
the drawings.
Second: In rocking and galloping horses the subject of the previous claim
mounting the horse upon a frame B by pivots in combination with the cranked
or eccentric shaft and connecting rod in such a manner as to be operated by the
rider as herein set forth and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of Amount 1900
JOHN THOMAS MILSON HIRCOCK.
By George Barker,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicant, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.