IMPROVED APPARATUS OR APPLIANCE FOR USE WITH RESTIVE HORSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSEPH SHELDON STUBBS, of Longsight, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS OR APPLIANCE FOR USE WITH RESTIVE HORSES," to be as follows:-
The object of the improvements is to prevent accidents arising from horses or
other animals taking fright or 'shying,' when being ridden or driven in a vehicle;
and consists of the employment of moveable eye caps or coverlets, composed of,
or in connection with the ordinary "blinkers," in such manner that they shall be
capable of covering the eyes of the animal at the will of the rider or driver.
By which means, the animal becomes more under the control of the rider or driver
when in any nervous condition, from being unable to see the object causing it
to take fright or to shy.
To accomplish this, and to effect my improvements, I fit inside each of the
ordinary blinkers, a sheet of metal, leather, cloth, or other suitable substance, or
combination thereof, upon a hinge or hinges in such a position or angle as to be
capable of being pulled forward over the front of the animals eyes, or the blinkers
themselves may be jointed or hinged for the same purpose. These coverlets or eye
caps are attached to short links connected by pin joints to the ends of small levers
fitted to a thin shaft or spindle running from blinker to blinker across the front of
the forebead of the horse, or in any other suitable position.
At one end of this shaft or spindle, the right, by preference-is fitted a small
two-armed lever, to the end of each of which a cord, strap, or other communication
is attached, and which may be carried on any convenient bearer to the vehicle, or
to the hand or side of a rider. By the use of these two cords the coverlets or eye
caps may be opened or closed.
Steadying springs may be employed or not, for holding the eye caps firmly,
either in the open or closed position. And the spindle may be constructed so as
to be lengthened or shortened to any desired size.
Instead of a two-armed lever at one end of the spindle, a one armed lever may
be fitted at each end, and the cord from each may be caused to run along with the
reins. Or, in place of levers, small pulleys may be employed, upon which the

page_text: cords may wind and unwind in contrary directions. Or one cord alone may be
used in connection with a spring.
Variations in detail may be made without departing from the peculiar character
of the invention, which mainly consists in the employment of moveable coverlets
or eye caps for horses or other animals when being ridden or driven, and actuated
at will by means of a cord or cords through suitable mechanism, by the rider or
driver, for the purpose of giving greater control over the animal, and consequently,
greater safety.

page_text: I, JOSEPH SHELDON STUBBS, of Longsight Manchester, Engineer; do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS OR APPLIANCE
FOR USE WITH RESTIVE HORSES;". and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of the improvements is to prevent accidents arising from horses or
other animals, taking fright, or "shying," when being ridden or driven in a vehicle,
and consists of the employment of moveable eye-caps or coverlets, composed of, or
separate from, or in connection with, the ordinary "blinkers," in such manner
that they shall be capable of covering the eyes of the animal at the will of the
rider or driver.
By which means, the animal becomes more under the control of the rider or,
driver, when in a nervous condition, from being unable to see the object causing it
to take fright or to shy.
To accomplish this and to effect my improvements, I fit inside each of the
ordinary blinkers a sheet of metal, leather, cloth, or other suitable substance, or
combinations thereof, upon a hinge or hinges, or composed of a slide or slides, in
such a position or angle as to be capable of being pulled forward over the front
of the animals eyes, or the blinkers themselves may be jointed, or hinged, or slided,
for the same purpose. These coverlets or eye caps are attached to short links
connected by pin joints to the ends of small levers fitted to a thin shaft or spindle
running from blinker to blinker, across the front of the forehead of the horse, or in
any other suitable position.
At one end of this shaft or spindle-the right by preference-is fitted a small
two armed lever to the end of each of which a cord, strap, or other communication
is attached, and which may be carried on any convenient bearer to the vehicle, or
to the hand or side of a rider. By the use of these two cords the coverlets
or eye caps may be opened or closed. Steadying springs may be employed, or not,
for holding the eye caps firmly, either in the open or closed position. And the
spindle may be constructed so as to be lengthened or shortened to any desired
size. Instead of a two armed lever at one end of the spindle, a one armed lever
may be fitted at each end, and the cord from each may be caused to run along
with the reins. Or, in place of levers, small pulleys may be employed, upon which
the cords may wind and unwind in contrary directions. Or, one cord alone may
be used in connection with a spring. Variations in detail may be made without
departing from the peculiar character of the invention which mainly consists in the
employment of moveable coverlets or eye-caps for horses or other animals when
being ridden or driven, and actuated at will by means of a cord or cords through
suitable mechanism, by the rider or driver, for the purpose of giving greater
control over the animal, and consequently greater safety.
But that the improvements may be better understood I will by the aid of the
accompanying drawings proceed more fully to describe means employed by me,

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS,
Fig 1 is a front view, and Fig 2 a side view of one form of apparatus arranged
according to my invention.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a, a, are the sheets of metal, leather, cloth, or other suitable substance forming
the coverlets or eye-caps fitted inside the blinkers b, b, and hinged thereon at c, c.
These coverlets or eye-caps are actuated by being attached to the links d, d,
connected by pin joints to the shaft e, e.
This shaft is fitted with arms or
levers ff, one of which (in the case shewn) is connected by link motion to another
lever g, g, fulcrumed on the blinker for convenience, which lever has the con-
trolling cords attached; but the cords may be to a double armed lever on the shaft
itself, or in any other analagous manner.
Steadying springs are shewn for holding the coverlets in the closed position, and
are attached, in this case, to the pin joints; but they may be otherwise attached
and the opening and shutting action may be positive and directly mechanical by
slight modifications of the mechanism employed." Also the cords may be in any
convenient manner conveyed to the driver or rider, and held by any suitable form
of holder.
·
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
"The employment of moveable coverlets or eye-caps for horses or other animals
when being ridden or driven, and actuated, at the will of the rider or driver, by
means of a cord or cords or like communication, for the purpose of giving greater
control over the animal, when restive, substantially as shewn and described.
11007