Improvements in the Skirts of Ladies' Riding Habits.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1993
Complete Specification Left, 18th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 18th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Skirts of Ladies' Riding Habits.
1 ALICE HAYES of 34 Montpelier Street in the County of London Professional
Lady-rider and Authoress of "The Horsewoman, a Practical Guide to Side Saddle
Riding" the wife of Matthew Horace Hayes of the same place Fellow of the
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
I
Firstly, in so making the skirt that in the event of the wearer being displaced in,
or thrown from, her saddle, the skirt shall not be liable to catch in or upon the
pommel or pommels or any other part of the saddle. Secondly in so making the
skirt that when the wearer is not on horseback it shall appear and act like an
ordinary riding skirt and shall consequently be comfortable and becoming and
Thirdly, in an improved way for keeping the skirt in position and holding down the
skirt in its proper place when the rider is mounted so that it shall have the
I am aware that various devices have been
appearance of an ordinary skirt.
proposed to effect the first and third part of this invention but I believe with only
partial success. To effect the first part of this invention I cut and arrange the
material of which the skirt is made in the following entirely novel manner.
make on the right side of the skirt a more or less triangular opening which has its
apex when the wearer is on horseback at a point on the upper and right side of the
wearer's right thigh being the side next the horse and well above the level of the
saddle. I secure the two edges of the upper portion of the opening to the right
leg of the breeches or trowsers by buttons or other suitable attachment. I claim
that
my
invention in part consists of so cutting the material forming the skirt that
the apex of the opening above described being brought up to a point on the right
thigh of the wearer when mounted the skirt can be made so that no recess or
pocket is formed making the skirt liable to catch the pommel or other part of the
saddle in case the wearer is unseated or thrown and by attaching the skirt near the
apex of the above mentioned triangular opening to the breeches or trowsers
further prevent the skirt from catching on the pommel or other part of the saddle
under any circumstances and by the means described I do away with all knee
sleeves and other contrivances such as have previously been used in all other
so called safety habits. To effect the second part of this invention I make the
above mentioned triangular opening in the skirt so that when the wearer is on foot
the portions of the skirt forming the two sides of the triangular opening can be
connected by means of buttons and the skirt will then have the appearance of an
ordinary riding skirt and will neither be uncomfortable inconvenient or unbecoming
and I claim that in this respect a skirt made in the manner described in this
Specification differs from all other so-called safety skirts.
To effect the third part of this invention, I attach a piece of cloth to the portion
of the skirt forming the rearmost side of the triangular opening in such a way as to
cover that part of the wearer's right thigh as would be otherwise exposed to view
when the wearer is mounted, attaching the skirt to the wearer's breeches or trowsers
by means of such piece of cloth and buttons or other suitable arrangement and to
prevent the portion of the skirt forming the rearmost side of the triangular opening
from shifting or rucking up when the wearer is mounted I so shape this portion
of the skirt that it will lie flat between the under part of the wearer's right thigh
and the saddle & I fix an elastic loop in such a manner to the inner side of that
part of the skirt which is nearest the shoulder of the horse when the wearer is
mounted that the wearer can pass the material forming the loop from the inside
round the lower part of the right ankle just above the heel & then place the loop
I

page_text: over the toe of the right boot. I claim that this elastic loop so arranged is an
entirely novel invention and that it will partly wran the lower part of the front
edge of the triangular opening hereinbefore described round the right foot and will
absolutely retain the skirt when the wearer is mounted in its proper position. I
place a similar loop on the rearmost edge of the said triangular opening for use by
the rider with her left foot in the same manner.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Skirts of Ladies' Riding Habits.
I ALICE HAYES of 87 Newgate Street E.C. in the County of London (late of
34 Montpelier Street in the County of London), Professional Lady Rider,
Author of "The Horsewoman: a Practical Guide to Side Saddle Riding," the
wife of Matthew Horace Hayes of the same place, Fellow of the Royal College
of Veterinary Surgeons 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 skirt is so constructed that, firstly, in the event of the wearer being
displaced in, or thrown from her saddle, the skirt will not be liable to catch in or
upon the pommel or pommels (crutch or crutches), or any other part of the saddle;
secondly, that it will keep in its proper place when the wearer is in the saddle, and
will have the appearance of an ordinary riding skirt; and, thirdly, when the
wearer is on foot, it will appear like an ordinary riding skirt and will be as
comfortable, as decent, and as easy to manipulate as an ordinary riding skirt.
I know that several attempts have been made to obtain the first and second
objects of this invention; but with, I believe, only partial success.
To effect the first and second part of this invention, I cut and arrange the
material of which the skirt is made, in an entirely novel manner. I make on the
right side of the skirt, a more or less triangular opening (as shown in Fig. 1),
which opening has its apex, when the wearer is on horseback, at a point (see Fig. 3)
on the right side of the wearer's right thigh, and well above the level of the seat
of the saddle, so as to avoid the formation of a recess or pocket in which the
pommel or pommels (crutch or crutches) might get caught, in the event of the
rider becoming displaced. I secure the two edges of the upper portion of
the opening to the right leg of the breeches or trousers by buttons or other
suitable attachment, and I thus do away with all knee-sleeves, or other contrivances
such as have been previously used in other so-called safety skirts.
I attach a
piece of cloth to the portion of the skirt forming the rear side of the triangular
opening, at the top of this opening, in such a way as to cover that part of the
breeches or trousers of the wearer's right thigh, which would be otherwise exposed
to view when the wearer is mounted. I connect the skirt to the breeches or
trousers by means of this piece of cloth and by buttons or other suitable arrange-
ment, so as to prevent the portion of the skirt which forms the rear side of this
triangular opening, from shifting or getting out of position when the wearer is
mounted; and by thus keeping the skirt close against the right thigh, 1 avoid the
formation of a recess or pocket in which the pommel or pommels (crutch or
crutches) might get caught in the event of the wearer becoming displaced. I so
shape this portion of the skirt that it will lie flat between the under part of the
wearer's right thigh and the saddle. I also fix an elastic loop in such a manner to
the inner side of that part of the skirt which is nearest to the shoulder of the
horse when the wearer is mounted, that the wearer can pass the loop from the
inside, round the right ankle just above the heel, and place it over the toe of
the right boot. The loop fixed and arranged in this manner, will wrap a portion
of the lower part of the front edge of the triangular opening, hereinbefore

page_text: described, round the right foot, and will retain the skirt, when the wearer is
mounted, fixed in its proper position. I place another loop, for the left foot, on
the rear edge of the said triangular opening.
To effect the third part of this invention, I make the above mentioned triangular
opening in the skirt, so that, when the wearer is on foot, the two sides of the
opening can be connected by means of buttons or other suitable appliance, and
that the skirt will thus have the appearance of an ordinary riding skirt, and will be
neither uncomfortable, inconvenient, nor unbecoming.
Fig. 1 shows right side of skirt with triangular opening; a being apex of
opening; b, b, b, buttons; and c position of wearer's knee when in the saddle.
Fig. 2 shows the right side of the skirt with the front part turned up; so as to
show button holes (which are covered by the fly a, a, a) and elastic loop (b) for
the right foot.
Fig. 3 shows right side of the skirt when the wearer is mounted; a being apex
of closed opening; b, b, b, saddle.
Fig. 4 shows right side of the skirt when the wearer is on foot.
position of fly when closed.
a, a, a shows
I am aware that openings have been made in so-called safety skirts; but not in
the same manner as that of my invention.
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
1. The making, in the skirt, of a more or less triangular opening which can be
closed, when the wearer is on foot, by its sides being brought together by means
of buttons and a fly, or other suitable arrangement, as described in the drawings
and letterpress of this Specification.
Dated this
day of September 1893.
ALICE HAYES.