Improvements in and connected with Riding Saddles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Riding Saddles.
We, JAMES TREES, of Goodall Street, Walsall, Staffordshire, Managing
Director and Secretary, and HENRY BRACE AND COMPANY, LIMITED, of
Goodall Street, Walsall, aforesaid, Saddlers' Ironmongers, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In carrying out this invention of improvements in and connected with riding
saddles, the saddle tree is made entirely from steel or other metal instead of wood
plated with iron or steel. The seat plate of the tree is shaped by dies or otherwise
made from one piece of sheet steel or other sheet metal (either perforated or plain)
and rivetted or otherwise secured to side bars and to bearing plates and the cantle
edge of the seat plate is turned over and closed down.
The said bearing plates are two perforated steel or other metal pads (by
preference perforated) shaped to fit the horse's back at each side of his spine and
to prevent the seat plate bearing thereon. The said bearing plates are rivetted or
otherwise secured under the seat plate. The front plate is formed from sheet
steel or other metal and has a channel or groove on the upper side into which is
fitted a strong extra steel strengthening plate. The front plate and seat are
securely united together by steel sidebars to which the stirrup bars for stirrup
leathers are rivetted or otherwise secured.
In making up the saddle the seat plate of the tree above described is covered
with felt or other soft material giving the necessary elasticity. The leather seat
and skirts are blocked all from one piece of hogskin or other leather and are
drawn over the felt or other soft covered seat plate and by this means the old
method of building up the seat with webs, bellies, canvas &c. is superseded by a
much simpler and improved process.
The blocked leather tops are drawn on to the saddle tree and sewn securely at
the back to material which lines the gullett and which is fastened to the cantle and
head of the seat.
The flaps are strongly sewn to the sidebars of the tree instead of being nailed
to a wooden tree as is the old style. The panel is fixed with screws and sockets_in
front to the front plate of the tree and strongly laced in at the back to the under
work of the scat.
No nails are used in the manufacture of this saddle, sewing taking their place,
with the result of producing a more simply made and better saddle.
Dated this 9th day of March 1892.
'
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Riding Saddles.
We, JAMES TREES, of Goodall Street, Walsall, Staffordshire, Managing
Director and Secretary, and HENRY BRACE AND COMPANY LIMITED, of Goodall
Street, Walsall, aforesaid, Saddlers' Ironmongers, 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 of improvements in and connected with riding saddles
comprises :-
Firstly An improved saddle tree which is made entirely from steel or other

page_text: metal and is much stronger and less costly than are the ordinary saddle trees which
are made of wood plated with iron or steel;
Secondly An improved riding saddle complete made up on the said metallic
tree; and
Thirdly Improvements in securing the flaps and the panel to the metallic tre
so that they can more readily be removed and replaced when required.
We will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying two sheets of
drawings on which
Fig. 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a metallic saddle tree made
according to this invention; Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the same; Fig. 4 is a
front elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is a cross section through the seat plate of the
same; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same; Fig. 7 is a side
elevation of the saddle complete but with the skirt broken away to show how the
flaps are fixed; Fig. 8 is a plan and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the saddle without
the flaps and panel; Fig. 10 shews one of the flaps separately; Fig. 11 is a plan
of part of the back of the panel and Fig. 12 is a cross sectional elevation on an
enlarged scale through the neck part of the saddle to illustrate how the panel is
secured in front.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
In carrying out this invention the saddle tree is as above stated made entirely
from steel or other metal instead of wood plated with iron or steel. The seat
plate A of the tree is shaped by dies or otherwise made from one piece of sheet
steel or other sheet metal (either perforated or plain) to the required shape and size
see Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and is rivetted at a¹ or otherwise secured to the two
side bars B B and to bearing plates C₁ C² which latter are fixed underneath the
seat plate. The cantle or outside edge a² of the seat plate A is rounded off by
being turned over and closed down on the under side as shewn. The seat plate A
is continued to the front of the saddle and is there rivetted or otherwise fixed to
the front plate D hereinafter described.
The said bearing plates C1 C2 are two steel or other metal pads (either perforated
or plain) shaped as shewn to fit the horse's back at each side of his spine and to
prevent the seat plate A bearing thereon. These bearing plates C1 C2 are rivetted
to the under side of the seat plate by the rivets el e²ee which also act as distance
pieces to keep the bearing plate the proper distance below the seat plate. The
front plate D is formed in dies or otherwise shaped from sheet steel or other metal
as shewn and has a channel or groove d' (see Fig. 6) nearly the whole of its length
on the upper side into which is fitted a strong steel strengthening bar F' secured
by rivets and there is (as shewn in Figs. 3, 4 and 6) another strengthening
bar F2 fixed around the inside of the upper part of the front plate. The front
plate D and seat plate A are securely united together by the two steel side-
bars B B (to which the stirrup bars G G for the stirrup leathers are rivetted
or otherwise secured) and by the neck part of the seat plate A being rivetted
directly on to the top of the gullett or upper side of the front plate D as above
described.
i
The
In making up the saddle the seat plate A of the tree above described is covered
with felt or other soft material giving the necessary elasticity to the seat.
outside leather covering forming the scat H and skirts H H see Figs. 8 and 9 is
blocked from one piece of hogskin or other leather as is now sometimes done in
other saddles the skirts H H being either lined and stitched or left plain as may
be desired. This covering H H H is drawn over the felt or other soft covered
seat plate A and sewn securely at the back and front to very strong leather or
other material which lines the gullett and which is fastened to the cantle and head
of the seat. Thus the usual method of building up the seat with webs, bellies,
canvas &c. is superseded by a much simpler and improved process.
Each of the two flaps (of which only one marked I can be seen on the drawing
Figs. 7 and 10) is strongly sewn to the side bar and to a loop c¹ in the bearing

page_text: plate instead of being nailed to a wooden tree as is the old style. It will be seen
that the flap has two tongues one of which is folded back over the side
bar B and stitched to the flap and the other tongue is threaded through the
loop c¹ in the bearing plate and then folded back and stitched to the body of the
flap. The front of the flap is secured to the front plate D by the screw j.
The panel K is fixed at the front with screws which engage in sockets m' m²
fixed in the panel and pass through holes n' n² in the front plate D and skirts
(see Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 12) and by stitches or laces at to the fore piece 7 see Fig. 7
and the back of the panel is secured by being strongly laced to the underwork of
the seat at s (Fig. 7) and by having a hole o in which fits the metal loop p which
latter is fixed to the seat plate as shewn for the attachment of the crupper.
We
do not make any exclusive claim to the use of the screws and sockets ³ for
fixing the panel as we are aware that they are well known, nor do we make any
claim to the loop p passing through the hole o in the back of the panel. There
are the usual pockets in the panel for the bottom ends of the front plate D to.
fit iuto.
It will be seen that no nails are used in the manufacture of this saddle, sewing.
taking their place, with the result of producing a more simply made and better
saddle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The herein described improved riding saddle tree constructed of steel or other
metal in the manner substantially as herein before described with reference to.
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a metallic riding saddle tree the use of a sheet metal seat plate such as A
in combination with two bearing plates C¹ C' fixed to the underside thereof for the
purpose and substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawings.
3. In a metallic riding saddle tree the use of a front plate such as D constructed
and strengthened in the manner substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
4. In a riding saddle made with a metallic tree as set forth, the method of
securing the flaps to the saddle tree substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by Figs. 7 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In a riding saddle made with a metallic tree as set forth, the herein described
improved method of securing the panel to the saddle tree, consisting in stitching
or lacing the panel to the underwork at the front at 9 and at the back at s in
combination with the screws 12 and sockets m² m² applied as described and the
crupper loop p passing through the hole o in the back of the panel.
6. In a riding saddle and in combination, the herein described improved metallic
saddle tree the outer covering H H'H' of the same and the flaps 1 fixed thereto.
in the manner substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
7. In a riding saddle and in combination, the herein described improved metallic
saddle tree the outer covering H H H of the same and the flaps I and panel K.
fixed thereto in the manner substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 9th day of December 1892.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.