An Improved Apparatus for Preventing Horses Knocking Together their Hind Legs.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Preventing Horses Knocking Together
their Hind Legs.
We, LUKE HAGUE, and WILLIAM BOLLES, both of Bloomington, Illinois,
U.S.A. Gentlemen, 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 :-
This invention relates more especially to improvements in boots composed of a
strap or straps and pads, and adapted to be buckled or fastened on a horse's leg to
which an ostensible interfering or spreading feature is joined or attached.
The object of the device is two-fold: First, to make more secure the boot to the
leg of the horse and render its adjustment and wear more easy, and, secondly, to
provide a firm and more economical method of securing the interfering or spreading
feature to the boot. This object we attain by certain features of construction and
combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the boot or device in which similar
letters refer to similar parts.
The two straps (marked A. A) have ordinary buckles a a and small fixed
pads B B on the inner side of the straps and extending each way under the
buckles, and are provided with loops bb on the exterior sides of said pads and in
front of the buckles, the purpose of the loops being to keep the straps in line and
prevent their slipping from the pads. The straps also carry pieces of rubber or
leather tube D to prevent the strap from chafing the legs of the horse.
C indicates a pad having a soft inner surface c and a stiff leather back F,
through which incisions 9 are made to receive and provide for the passage through
them of the straps A. The spreader E consists of a leather tube closed at one
end and having the edges of its other end bent over between the soft front
surface c, of the pad C and its back F, in such manner as to allow of its being
secured by rivets or the like f. The spreader contains a spiral wire spring m
which renders it flexible.
A soft pad or piece of rubber may be inserted and held in the end of the
spreader as at for the spring m to abut against. If desired, a solid piece of
rubber may take the place of the spring m, and which rubber may have a leather
covering or not, as desired.
When in use the device is buckled around the horses hind legs by means of the
straps A, and with the spreaders projecting inwardly. The pads prevent the
straps from chafing or injuring the legs of the horses. The spreaders E come into
contact with the horses legs when they are brought too close together, and thus
cause the horse to keep them apart.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
1. The improved horse-spreader boot having two or more straps A, pads B
secured to said straps, provided with loops b, pad C having slots to receive the
straps A, and a central opening e to receive the flexible spreader, consisting of a
tubular cover extending at right angles to the boot and containing a spiral wire
spring, substantially as shown.
2. In a horse-spreading device, the sliding pad C, the fixed pads B B, provided
with loons b b formed on the outside of the fixed pads and in front of the buckles to

page_text: prevent the straps from sliding from the pads, and the pieces of rubber or other
tube D carried by straps A, substantially as set forth.
A
1021 1 Ammil 1800
W. H. MUNNS,
Applicants' Agent.