An Improved Animal Muzzle, chiefly designed to Prevent the Removal or Injury by the said Animal of its Blanket or Cover.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by NELSON GILLESPIE and CHESTER GILLESPIE,
both of Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer County, New York, United States of
America, Merchants.]
An Improved Animal Muzzle, chiefly designed to Prevent the
Removal or Injury by the said Animal of its Blanket or Cover.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
Fig. 1 of the drawings is a view in perspective of my improved muzzle in
position for use upon a horse's head.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the apron-guard pendent from the supporting
band in a position to inclose the animal's mouth on all sides with means for closing
its lower end.
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same showing the bottom part closed.
Fig. 4 shows a portion of the pendent apron or guard in modified form.
Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the muzzle showing the lower end closed by a
detachable link-diaphragm or bottom.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of the link-bottom detached.
Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation showing the muzzle closed at its lower end by
a ring having a reticulate diaphragm.
Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the diaphragm-ring detached.
Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified form of ring and diaphragm.
It is well known to horsemen that many horses are greatly annoyed by their
blankets, and seizing them with the teeth, tear and pull them off, thereby exposing
the horse to the inclemency of the weather and injuring the blanket.
The object of my invention is to provide a muzzle which can be easily and quickly
attached to the halter in such a position that the horse cannot get the blanket within
his mouth, and which will not materially inconvenience him while eating.
Referring to the drawings, A is a band adapted to be slipped over the nose and
mouth of the horse and fit loosely in the position shown in Fig. 1, where it is
supported by the snap-hooks, A', fastened to the band and attached to the head-
stall, B, by snapping the hooks into the rings, B'. The muzzle-band, A, is
provided with an apron, A', pendent from the lower edge of the band, composed
of a plurality of connected links.
The apron extends below the mouth of the horse, and being flexible and hanging
loosely from the band, will always come between the blanket and the mouth as
the horse throws his head down and backward to seize the blanket.
When the apron is formed of links, it is not only flexible but collapsible, forming
a heap of links on the bottom of the manger when the horse forces his mouth
down upon the manger-bottom in eating.
The movement of the links, one upon another, tends to keep them clean and
prevent the accumulation of offensive matter such as is soon deposited upon
aprons made of textile fabric or other integral material.
The links may be of any desired form and united in any known form or manner
to produce the desired apron.
In Fig. 1 I have shown a series of chains, A', each secured at its upper end
to the lower edge of the band by passing the upper link through a small aperture
or secured by eyelets or rivets, A, therein, the lower ends of the pendent chains
being united by a horizontal chain, A'.

page_text: In Fig. 4 I have shown the links round in the form of rings and interwoven
with each other laterally as well as vertically.
I do not, wish to be limited to any specific form of band for supporting the apron,
nor in the manner of securing the band upon the head of the horse.
The link-guard may be continued all the way round the animal's mouth in the
form of a boot-leg or tube, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby a vicious horse is prevented
from biting his keeper as well as his blanket. I also provide a detachable
mechanism for closing the lower end of the tubular guard, thereby forming a com-
plete reticulate muzzle which will not interfere with breathing and drinking and
will permit the animal to eat slowly.
A rigid muzzle closed at the lower end will prevent the horse from eating at
all, while my collapsible link-muzzle will, when closed, permit a horse to eat, but
will prevent him from indulging in the habit, common to many horses, of eating
too fast.
Two or more of the pendent vertical chains, as A6 and A', can be made longer
than the others and severally provided at their prolonged extremities with means
for detachably securing such chains in a doubled vertical position, as shown in
Fig. 2, or in an approximately horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3. In the
latter position. they serve to close the lower end of the guard; in the former
position the lower end of the guard is entirely open.
By varying the number of chains extended across the lower end of the guard,
the freedom of the horse to eat his food can be varied as desired, or his mouth can
be completely muzzled.
When desired the pendent chains of the guard can be all of the same length and
the lower end of the guard provided with an independent bottom with means for
securing the same to the body part of the muzzle.
In Fig. 6 I have shown an independent bottom consisting of five short chains, C,
radiating from a common center, C', and provided at the projecting ends of each
with a snap-hook, C, adapted to be hooked into a bottom link of one of the guard
chains across the lower end of the guard.
In Fig. 7 I have shown the lower end of the guard closed by a ring, D, having
three chains, D', drawn across its opening and secured to the ring, as shown in
Fig. 8, the ring being provided with snap-hooks, D³, adapted to hook into the
guard-chains.
In Fig. 9 the opening in the flattened ring, E, is closed by the wires, E', secured
to the ring, and the ring provided with attaching hooks, E.
The bottom can be permanently attached in position to close the lower end of the
guard when desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:
1. A blanket muzzle consisting of a band or support provided with attaching
mechanism for attaching. the support to the head of a horse, and a link-apron
pendent from the rear portion of such support and adapted to extend below the
mouth of the horse when in use, substantially as described.
2. In a blanket-muzzle, the combination with a nose-band and detachable
connections on such band for connecting the band with a head stall, of an apron
pendent from the rear portion of the band and adapted to extend below the mouth
of the horse when in use, such apron being composed of a plurality of interconnected
links, substantially as described.
3. In an animal-muzzle, the combination with a support and means for securing
the support upon the animal's head, of a collapsible link-guard pendent from the
support, extending around and below the animal's mouth, and means for closing the
lower end of the guard, substantially as described.
4. In an animal-muzzle, the combination with a support and means for securing
the support upon an animal's head, of a guard pendent from the support, and a

page_text: ring having a reticulate metal diaphragm, detachably secured to the lower end of
the guard below the animal's mouth, substantially as described.
5. A detachable link-bottom for animal-muzzles, provided with means for
detachably securing the bottom to the body-part of the muzzle, substantially as
5 described.
Dated thie 8th day of January 1809
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.