A Detachable Bit for Horses.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Sept., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Detachable Bit for Horses.
I, ERICH VON DAMNITZ, of Krietschien near Oels, Silesia, Germany, Lieutenant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to form a bit which is easily taken apart in order
to allow the rider or cavalry man in the manoeuvres or on the field to give food
or drink to the most spirited and unmanageable horse without difficulty and without
taking off the head piece or loosening the curb chain.
This is performed by the left hand cheek-bar (as seen from the saddle) being
detachable so that when it is separated from the mouth-bar the latter can be drawn
away and the horse fed; afterwards the mouth-bar is pushed back, and the cheek-
bar is made fast to it again by means of a bolt arrangement.
My invention is designed for bits having long side or cheek-bars, and not for
those which have only a ring in place thereof.
In my improved hit the right cheek-bar remains the same as usual, that is, it is
immovably fixed to the mouth-bar.
A deep groove cuts through the left end of the said mouthbar, deep and
broad enough to allow the admission of the detachable cheek-bar with the bolt
which holds it firmly in position.
This groove is rounded out below the surface and its diameter is therefore
broader than the width of the slot above and leading to it and into which the safety
bolt fits.
The advantage of this is that the cheek-bar, which at the place where it is
introduced into the end of the mouth-bar is of oblong section and which is pushed
into the said slot sideways, has only to be turned half round into its proper
position, symmetrical with the right cheek-bar and it is impossible to withdraw it
so long as it remains in that position, because the widest part of the oblong
check-bar is turned against the exit. In order to steady and strengthen it in
its position when fixed the cheek-bar may have a semi-circular aperture on one
side into which one of the semi-circular half ends of the mouth-bar fits.
The bolt, which owing to the secure arrangement above described, is not an
absolute necessity, is attached to the outside of the cheek-bar and enters the end
of the mouth-bar, where there is a special slot made for it, also outside the cheek-
bar. On the underside of the bolt is the spring having at one end a notch which
fits into two indentations, one at each extremity of the bolt's journey, and thus
assists to hold the bolt in its two positions, viz. drawn out from or pushed into the
mouth-bar slot. This spring might however be omitted, as in most cases, the bolt
would remain from its own weight in its right position.
The curb and guiding reins which are attached to the rings at the extremities of
the cheek-bars may be made fast thereto, as it is not necessary that they should
ever be undone, the taking off and putting on of the harness being managed by
means of the detachable cheek-bar.
To take the bit out of the horse's mouth the bolt is drawn back and the cheek-
bar turned round 90° whereupon it can be withdrawn with ease from the slot.
The whole may for convenience be put together again under the horse's chin until
he has finished feeding, when to put it back it must be undone again and the
mouth-bar slipped from the side or the front into the animal's mouth, the cheek-bar
slipped into its slot and turned 90° into position and the bolt pushed forward.
Dated this 25th day of February 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Detachable Bit for Horses.
I, ERICH VON DAMNITZ, of Krietschien near Oels, Silesia, Germany, Lieutenant,
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 this invention is to form a bit which is easily taken apart in order
to allow the rider or cavalry man in the manoeuvres or on the field to give food or
drink to the most spirited and unmanageable horse without difficulty and without
taking off the head piece or loosening the curb chain.
This is performed by the left hand cheekbar (as seen from the saddle) being
detachable so that when it is separated from the mouthbar the latter can be drawn
away and the horse fed; afterwards the mouth bar is pushed back and the cheek
bar is made fast to it again by means of a bolt arrangement.
My invention is designed for bits having long side or cheekbars and not for those
which have only rings in place thereof.
I will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of my improved bit and
Fig. 2 shows a side view of the same.
Fig. 3 shows a vertical section taken at line -y, in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4. shows a horizontal section of part of the mouth bar on the line a¹-y¹ of
Fig. 1. with the loose cheekbar B¹ and bolt C in position.
Fig. 5. shows the same sectioned end as in Fig. 4. but without the loose cheek-
bar B, and bolt C.
Figs. 6 to 11 show the various parts on an enlarged scale,
Fig. 6 being a front view of the loose cheekbar B¹, and
Fig. 7. a side view of the loose cheebar B¹.
Fig. 8 is a front view of the bolt C,
Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the same, and
Fig. 10 is a horizontal section of the same at the line 3-y².
Fig. 11 is a horizontal section through the cheek bar B', at the line ³y³
Fig. 7.
Figs. 12 and 13 show the two positions of the loose cheekbar B¹, in the mouth
bar.
Figs. 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 show a variation in the construction of the loose
cheekbar, in which the bent portion 6', is dispensed with.
The mouth bar A, with the tongue space a, carries on the right hand side
(viewed from the saddle) the fixed cheekbar B, as is customary in curb-bits and on
the left hand side the detachable cheek bar B'. The mouthbar A, has at one end
the peculiarly formed recess a', a', which passes entirely through the bar as
shewn in Fig. 5, the inner portion a', of which receives the loose cheekbar B₁,
(Fig. 4), and the outer dovetail-shaped portion a², receives a small movable bolt C,
mounted on B. This bolt C, slides up and down in the guides b, b', along the
surface of the cheekbar B¹. A spring catch c, arranged on C, serves to lock the
bolt in its lower position by means of a small stud c', which enters the recess b³ of
the cheekbar B¹ (Figs. 3, 6 and 7). A knob c³, (Figs. 3, 8 and 9) screwed into C,
serves for pushing up the bolt, and a shoulder c³, for pushing down the same.
cheekbar B', is so shaped at the place where it falls into the recess a¹, in the
mouthbar A, that the rounded portions 3, 6, (Figs. 7, 11, 12 and 13) correspond
to the diameter of a', and the flat portions 6º, 6º, correspond to the width of a³.
The bent portion of the cheekbar B¹ serves to strengthen the latter, but may
be dispensed with as shown in Figs. 14 to 18.
The
The cheekbars B, B', also carry rings d d' at their upper ends for buckling on

page_text: the headpiece and curbchain (which latter may be fastened to the cheekbars), and
at their lower ends the rings e e' for fastening the reins.
The spring catch c, may also be omitted, because the bolt C, will remain in its
lower position by its own weight. The cheekbar B', will also be secure without a
bolt, as soon as the curb chain comes into operation by the rider pulling the reins.
When the cheek bar B', lies in the recess a¹, in the bar A, in the position shown
in Fig. 4. and the bolt C, in the recess a³ (Fig. 1), so that the rear surface of the
bolt C, bears against the flat portion 66 (Figs. 7, 11 and 13) of the cheekbar B',
then the latter cannot turn in a, because the upper surfaces of B and C, are
opposite to each other, so that the cheekbar B', is firmly fastened to the bar A,
forming so to speak one single piece therewith. When it is desired to remove the
mouth bar from the horse's mouth, without having to remove the head piece and
undo the curbchain, the bolt C, is pushed out of the closed position (Figs. 1 to 3)
into the position (Figs. 6 and 7). Then the cheekbar B₁, is turned out of the
fixed position (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 13) through a distance of about 90° forwards into
the position Fig. 12, after which B', can be removed laterally from out of A,
because now the flat sides 6° 6° can pass past the narrow part a' of the recess in A.
The mouth bar A, can now be removed out of the horse's mouth laterally or
towards the front. The cheekbar B', can be attached again to the bar A, behind
the lower jaw.
To bit the horse again, the curbbit is again opened, the bar A, is pushed into
the horse's mouth from the side or from the front, the cheekbar B¹, is inserted, as
shewn in Fig. 12, and is turned round 90° to the rear, and the bolt C, is again
pushed into the recess a², whereby lateral turning of the cheekbar B', is securely
prevented. The cheekbar B¹, shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 18, has no strengthening
bowshaped piece, and the recess a² of the mouth bar A, (Fig. 15) is not of dove-
tail shape as in Figs. 4 and 5, but simply flat. Consequently, the bolt C, (Figs. 16
and 17) is shown only as a retangular pin and also without a spring catch. That
portion of the cheekbar B', which is adapted to lie in the recess a', of the mouth
bar A, has on one side and opposite to the other side a further projecting portion 68.
The front end of the mouth bar A, (Fig. 14) is correspondingly notched at the
place to fit b. This serves to prevent B', when it is inserted in A, from being
turned round beyond the position at right angles to the position for locking
whereby the proper engagement of the bolt would be hindered.
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 I
claim is:
(1.) A curb-bit in which the loose cheekbar B¹, is removably connected to the
mouth bar A.
(2.) A form of construction of the curbbit specified in Claim 1, in which a
cheekbar provided with the flat surfaces 65, 66, at the place of connection with the
mouthbar A, but otherwise round, is inserted in a round portion a¹ of a recess in
the mouthbar A, and is here locked by means of a bolt C, situated in the flat
portion a² of the same recess, said cheekbar being however capable of being
removed from the recess on being suitably rotated, after the bolt Chas been drawn
back.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1893.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.