Improvements in Girths for Horses.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1893--Accepted, 1st Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Girths for Horses.
We, GEORG REFARDT, Merchant, and CONRAD MEYER, Riding School
Proprietor, both of Hanover, in the Empire of Germany, 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 :-
It is well known to every rider or driver that the body of almost every horse
swells when its girth is buckled up or drawn tight. It is evident that as soon as
the swelling abates the girth becomes slack.
In the selfacting girth hereinafter described are arranged springs which expand
when the body of the horse swells and when the swelling abates contract so that
the tension of the girth is always the same and the latter can never become too
Black. The troublesome re-girthing is thus prevented and the girthing on the
whole made considerably easier.
The selfacting girth, which may be used for ladies' and gentlemen's saddles, as
well as for any kind of horse harness, consists in the first place of the girth a which
has on its ends between the leather caps b, b, a number of cylindrical springs c,
held in position by rods, stitched into the said leather caps. Simultaneously with
the said springs is inserted a device for limiting the expansion of the springs,
which in its extended position prevents the spring expanding too much.
This device is shown separately at an enlarged scale in Figs. 2-4 and consists
of two rods or bars d arranged parallel to each other and having eyes d', by
means of which they are connected to the bars to which are also attached the
springs. The inner ends of these rods or bars are each formed with a clip which
embraces the rod or bar of the other clip, so that on expanding the spring they
will abut against each other and prevent a further expansion.
In lieu of bars wires may also be used.
The said device may preferably be employed inside the spiral spring, as shown in
Fig. 4, which shows the spring expanded to the extent permitted by the said
device.
Every spring is not furnished with the said device as in practice it has been
found advantageous to provide only one third of the springs with the same, for
instance in the form of girth shown in Fig. 1 those at each side of both groups.
It will be evident that the number and arrangement of springs may be altered
according to requirements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim, is-
1st. A selfacting girth for horses characterized through the insertion of springs o
into the girth which when the body of the horse swells effects a selfacting enlarge-
ment and contraction of the girth, a device for limiting the expansion of the
spring being arranged in the said spring which in its extended position prevents
the spring being expanded too much.
2nd. A selfacting girth for horses characterized through the insertion of
springs c in the girth, which effect a selfacting enlargement and contraction of the
girth when the body of the horse swells, a device for limiting the expansion of the
spring being employed internally, formed of two parallel bars, rods or wires d,
the outer ends of which are fastened to the parts b, b' which hold the springs
and the inner ends of which embrace each other with clips in such a manner that
the clips will abut against each other when the rods, bars or wires are in their

page_text: extended position and thus prevent the further girthing and too much expansion
of the spring.
Dated this 14th day of February 1893.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicants.