Im- PROVEMENTS IN SADDLES AND HARNESS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN SADDLES AND HARNESS."-A communication from abroad by
the Chevalier Achille Angelini, Major-General of the Army, Aide-de-
Camp to His Majesty the King of Italy, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin,
Domin
Sealed the 18th February 1866, and dated the 15th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
15th September 1865.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES AND HARNESS," to be as follows:-
The different kinds of saddles, collars, and harness in actual use in most
countries have the objectionable qualities of wounding or injuring animals on
which they are placed. I have endeavoured to obviate these imperfections in
harness and saddlery generally, and my Invention consists in suppressing in

page_text: part or wholly the ordinary pannels and paddings of saddlery and harness used
for beasts of burden and draught, and to replace the said pannels and paddings
by elastic cushions or pads which have a distinctive difference from those
which present the form of a sack filled with compressed air. The pads
or cushions which I adopt are made of gutta percha, india-rubber, or
vulcanized india-rubber; they present the form of a sponge-like structure, or
may be formed of a combination of semi or entire pipes or tubes. The
pipes may be of greater or lesser diameter, according to the purpose intended,
but should be of considerable thickness and strongly bound together; they
are disposed in horizontal or vertical positions, according to the disposition of
the pads or cushions themselves. The said tubes may be joined continuously,
or the one conjointly with the other, or even united to a bed or sheet of india-
rubber, or they may be laid side by side and fixed to leather bands. The
dimensions of these pads or cushions may be such that they cover a greater
area than the parts of the harness which are in direct contact with the horse
or other animal.
For draught harness it will be preferable for the collars to be made of pads
or cushions of india-rubber formed in a single piece, presenting the formation
of a sponge or full of holes.
In general, according to the position of these pads, so should they be
formed, but always of elastic material, as before mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark, my ex-
ecutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES AND HARNESS," a,
communication to me from abroad by the Chevalier Achille Angelini, Major-
General of the Army; Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty the King of Italy,
of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Clark, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
inmediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
. NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the.
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Owners of horses and other beasts of burden and draught are liable to great
losses through the wounds caused by saddles, collars, pads, and other parts of
harness in ordinary use. These losses are especially felt in the case of an
army during a campaign, and the object of this Invention is to remedy this
universally admitted condition of things. With this intention I have con-
sidered the attempts made by the great military powers to obtain a solution of
this problem, with however but little result on account of the mistaken
principles on which they are based. I may observe that in France the
principal cause was attributed to the want of instruction both of the man-and
horse, which however cannot be the essential cause of the injury, as an almost
equal number of horses suffer from sore backs in Austria, the cavalry
regulations in which country, are as perfect as possible, and Iain convinced.
that in almost every case wounds of the back in horses are caused by the
horsecloths or saddles. The saddle cloth, from the nature of the fabric of
which it is composed and from its size and thickness, produces great heat in
the horse's back, and thus renders him more susceptible of sores; it further
often gets into folds, and by this means turns back and breaks the hair of the
horse's hide, and even tears it out; it also slips from under the saddle, and
when wet becomes considerably augmented in weight, thus producing a great
heat in the horse's back by reaction of the blood. The saddle. causes a rapid
formation of wounds when it does not properly fit, and invariably so after a
march of ten or twelve hours, until on the girths being loosened it becomes

page_text: changed in position. In order to prevent the saddle from wounding the back
in either of the above cases, I place between it and the saddle an elastic pad
or cushion, which receives the whole pressure of the saddle. In order to keep
the back bone cool I make these cushions of india-rubber, this substance
being but a bad conductor of heat, and form them in such manner as to
permit of a free circulation of air. In this manner I am enabled to obtain
lightness, elasticity, and a circulation of air. The application of these
improvements to military saddles has induced me to adapt the same to riding
saddles, and also to harness saddles, and all kinds of draught harness.
The Invention consists essentially in entirely dispensing with the linings of
saddles, and also in part or wholly with the padding or cushions of saddles
and harness generally, substituting therefor a novel species of cushion of elastic
material, which is however entirely different to the bags sometimes used filled
with compressed air.
I will now proceed to describe the cushions in question, as also the method
of application, afterwards enumerating the various advantages obtained by
the use of these cushions in saddles and harness generally.
Description of the different forms which may be given to the elastic material
forming the cushions of this Invention.-These elastic cushions are made of
gutta percha or india-rubber, vulcanized or otherwise, and of various forms, the
principal of which are, 1st, tubular, as at Fig. 3; 2ndly, double tubes, as at
Fig. 5; 3rdly, perforated cubes, as at Fig. 4; 4thly, of a sponge form, as at
Fig. 1; and 5thly, in the form of detached knobs, as at Fig. 2. The tubular
form first mentioned, which is preferable in the majority of cases, and is of
more certain utility, should be of a diameter and thickness proportionate to
the weight it is intended to support. Thus, for cavalry saddles, the tubes
should have an internal diameter of rather over half an inch at most, and an
eighth of an inch in thickness. In order to facilitate the evaporation of the
/sweat, small holes may be made in the thickness of the tubes in contact with
the horse's back; the tubes are firmly connected together, and disposed either
horizontally or vertically, according to the purpose for which they are intended,
as will be herein-after described. These tubes may also be moulded in continuous
connection one with the other, or they may be separately applied side by side
on a strip of leather.
Second arrangement.-The double tubes are moulded together in a similar
manner with a sheet of india-rubber adhering at their under part, or they may
be pasted or otherwise fastened to a leather band of sufficient thickness; the
thickness of these double tubes should not exceed that of those first above
mentioned.

page_text: Third arrangement. The perforated cubes are moulded separately, and
placed one beside the other; they present five perforations on each face,
and in thickness should not exceed that of the tubes..
Fourth arrangement.-The sponge-like structure is formed of a thickness of
material. not exceeding three-fourths of an inch perforated in each direction.
Fifth arrangement.-These knob-like forms are made separately and then
placed close together on a sheet of india-rubber. The thickness of material
in this case is about an inch, and it is also perforated with small holes.. Tho
cushions made of any of the various forms of material above described
are made of sufficient dimensions to extend over that part of the saddle or
harness in contact with the animal's body and supporting the greatest weight.
Forms of elastic cushions to be applied to draught harness.-The forms
which I use by preference for the elastic cushions, of draught harness, such as
for collars and pads, are the knob-like or spongy forms, or preferably that of
the tubes moulded continuously in a single piece and lined with leather..
.
Collars. The elastic cushions should occupy the intermediate space between
the stuffing of the collar and the inner lining of leather, which is in iimmediate
contact with the horse's hide. The cushion is thus rendered invisible from
outside, so as not to detract from the appearance; the tubes may either be
laid in a longitudinal direction parallel with the ellipsis of the collar, or at
right angles thereto, as at Fig. 13 of the Drawings. It is not necessary for
the collar to be lined with tubes throughout, but only at those parts more
directly in contact with the animal; the application is thus at once cheap and
of but little additional weight.. With those animals drawing heavy loads and
often exposed to sudden stoppages when trotting (more especially omnibus
horses, who are soon worn out.in.consequence of the strain on the shoulders
from this cause), it would be of advantage to provide a false collar, consisting
of a large elastic cushion separate from the collar itself, and of sufficient
dimensions to entirely cover that part of the animal's body receiving the
strain. This cushion should be made of tubes moulded in a single piece, and
placed in a vertical position; care should be taken to cover it with a lining of
leather or other material, and attach it to the animal's neck by straps, it being
fixed at bottom by a martingale, see Fig. 15.
Breast collars or bands.-These are also provided with a cushion, which
is formed by preference of tubes arranged. vertically or horizontally, and
occupying an intermediate position between the thick outer leather and the
tbin inner leather next the horse, see Fig. 12. In the case of animals used
for drawing heavy loads on bad roads or in mountainous parts, instead of
providing the bands with an elastic cushion, I employ a false band similar to

page_text: the false collar before described, as reprèsented in Fig. 14. This false band
differs from the false collar, inasmuch as it is made of the exact form of the
breast band itself, and will be attached lower down, with a view to cover the
chest and shoulders.
..Saddles. The cushions to be applied to what are known as English and
German saddles are of the knob or double tubular forms herein-before described,
and preferably of tubes moulded in a single piece, slightly thinned or pared off
obliquely-at their ends to prevent them injuring the hair of the animal, 'see
Fig. 11. These elastic cushions occupy the position ordinarily taken by the
panels at the upper part of the saddle, and are contained between the two
linings, the tubes being arranged vertically in such manner that the upper
edges of the tubes on the one side are at a distance of at least an inch and a
half from those on the other side, see Fig. 10. These cushions should be of
sufficient dimensions to entirely cover the wood form of the saddle, that is all
that part supporting the greatest weight. All the inside portion of the saddle
not occupied by the cushions is padded as in ordinary. It will be necessary to
perforate the lining of the saddle with a certain number of holes, both at top
and bottom, so as to obtain a free circulation of air, or the top of the cushion
might be perforated. Instead of perforating the lining of the saddle at the
lower part, I may adopt the following arrangement:-In moulding the tubes
in a single sheet, a long tube 6, Fig. 10, is adapted at their lower ends, running
transversely, and in which they all terminate; this air distributing tube passes
out between the lining and the bands, and should project to a certain extent,
either at the back or front for the inlet of air which is distributed through
the tubes; the lining of the saddle not being of very thick material, the air
may circulate freely therein, even when the air distributing tubé b is omitted,
and without the perforations at the lower part. The elastic cushion may also
be detached from the saddle, and be strapped on underneath it, any kind of
saddle unpadded being placed on over it. This arrangement is of especial
advantage to those who prefer to retain their own saddles, although availing
themselves of these improvements. The cushions to be applied to cavalry
saddles termed Hungarian saddles, or those for beasts of burden, should occupy
the position of the under saddle cloths, and are formed by preférence of
letached tubes fixed to leather bands, or still better they may consist of tubes
moulded together in a single sheet, as in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9. The tubes
always run in a vertical position, the ends which are bevilled off projecting
on both sides so as to prevent the two edges of the straps for pressing on. the
horse's back. The cushions formed of tubes fixed to leather straps have at
each end. two small straps, which serve for attaching thein to the saddle bands,

page_text: s seen in Fig. 7. In order to fix the cushions formed of tubes moulded in a
ingle sheet to the saddle, they are provided at each end with a pocket of similar
naterial, into which the ends of the saddle straps are inserted, as seen in Fig. 6:
Care should be taken with these saddles in each case to cover the top part of
he cushions with elastic material, which may be attached to the cushion by
elastic cords, or preferably with a strip of felt a, Figs. 6 and 7, of sufficient
width to protect the horse's sides from the friction produced by the packs, or
by the stirrup straps and buckles of the girths. In order to render the seat
of the saddle more. easy .I may also use a filling of very small tubes or of
spongy material.
Advantages derived from the use of india-rubber cushions as compared with
woollen saddle cloths:→
1st, they are less expensive.
:
2ndly, they last a comparatively longer time...
3rdly, they require. but rarely to be repaired or washed, while they are
impervious to water as well as to sweat or grease from the skin of the animal.
4thly, they weigh about two-thirds less than a horse cloth when dry, which
is very considerably increased when wet or damp.
5thly, they permit of a horse being more readily and rapidly saddled, as
they are fixtures to the saddle.
6thly, a saddle provided with these cushions cannot readily turn round, as
is now the case when employing saddle cloths at the time of mounting or
dismounting, as immediately the rider brings his weight on the left stirrup, the
cushion on the right side becoming more compressed, bears at its upper part
against the vertebra of the back, and withers of the horse, and in this position
presents more than sufficient resistance. This advantage will be especially
appreciated in time of war, as it often happens during an action that the saddle
turns round by a sudden movement of the body, and sometimes throws the
rider, to the great risk of his life.
7thly, the thickness of these cushions being much less than that of woollen
saddle cloths, it follows that the rider being seated lower and more firmly in
the saddle, can more readily direct the motion of the horse...
.
Sthly, they by their use obviate the objection to saddle cloths of rubbing
up into folds, which so often produces sores and tears out the animal's hair.
9thly, they never stir from their place, or slip from under the saddle, as is
often the case with saddle cloths.
10thly, the saddle cannot be moved either backwards or forwards except
with dificulty, as the space between each two tubes, and the equality of pressure
throughout the whole surface of the back produced by the elasticity of the

page_text: india-rubber, ensures a great amount of adhesion of the cushion. From this
important advantage there springs another, that of enabling the girths to be
kept looser, which contributes to keep the horse in good condition, as when
the girths are braced up too tightly they often injure his belly, and flanks,
and render it restive to such an extent that immediately the rider is in the
saddle the horse rears and makes all kinds of efforts to free itself; these girths
are also often the cause of horses becoming broken winded and losing their
sight. For the same reason the crupper. may be dispensed with as useless. It
may be observed that the felt lining before mentioned will slightly lessen the
adhesion of the cushion.
11thly,. the horse's back is kept much cooler, 1st, from the nature of the
material of which the cushions are composed; 2ndly, from the more limited
space they occupy in comparison to a saddle cloth; 3rdly, from the space
left between the two cushions. over the back bone of the horse; 4thly, from
the hollows of the tubes and the spaces between them, by means of which a
free circulation of air is established, even when an unusually heavy weight is
superposed on the cushions.
12thly, the vacant space between the two cushions permits of the free
movement of the back without any pressure or strain, such as is caused at
present by saddle cloths.
13thly, the horse has much less weight to carry; in fact, although the
elastic cushion fills up all the hollows in the back of the animal, while on the
opposide side it adapts itself to the convexity of the plane formed by the
saddle band, all the weight placed thereon is distributed equally throughout
the surface of the cushion, thus avoiding an excess of pressure at any one
point of contact. No other kind of saddle with elastic bands of leather or
metal can attain this result, as they always give way at the point on which
the greatest weight of the rider is brought to bear, thus permitting the ends
to rise and concentrating the weight on a single point of the spine, which
cannot fail to fatigue the horse and be the cause after a time of the formation
of sores.
14thly, by their elasticity they preserve the spine from liability to sores,
1st, because the weight of the rider is distributed equally, instead of being on
one point; 2ndly, because, even supposing the saddle to be badly fitting and
to have become displaced, which might happen after long marches in time of
war, the cushions would always give at the point of greatest pressure, so as to
render the difference of pressure but very slight. This elasticity is so great
that the hand may even be placed under the cushion of the saddle, with the
weight of the rider bearing on it, without hurt.
.

page_text: 15thly, in consequence of their great elasticity they protect at same time
the horse's loins from strain and shaking, caused by trotting, jumping, and
sudden stoppages, while they render the motion easier and less fatiguing to
the rider. Woollen saddle cloths on the contrary have but little, elasticity
when new, and rapidly. lose this quality by use to such an extent, that when
the dust, sweat, and even the blood running from some wound become inter-
mixed, it is often, when hardened, the chief cause of sores being formed. All
kinds of cushions heretofore adopted have the same objections as apply to
horse cloths, inasmuch as the cushions are composed of scraps of wool from
old cloths, which after having once absorbed moisture will remain a long
time in that condition.
16thly, even when a horse has sores, swellings, or wounds on his back, these
cushions may be used in case of necessity without risk of loss or of retarding
their healing, it being sufficient in this case to leave out as many tubes as is
thought necessary, or to prepare a cushion expressly, so as not to touch the
part affected.
17thly, being inpenetrable to damp they are always dry; on the contrary, if
the saddle cloths are exposed to rain or only to the night dews (as is necessarily
the case in military service), and in such condition are placed on the horse's
back under the saddle, they are liable to produce, by a reaction in the blood,
an amount of animal heat rendering it susceptible of wounds from the slightest
cause.
18thly, in consequence of their impermeability they may be placed with
impunity on wet ground, or even in the mud without injury, hence the saddles
are always kept dry.
19thly, and lastly, the strong odour exhaled by india-rubber of which the
cushions are made is considered by physicians as a very powerful disinfectant,
so that they may be rendered useful for the prevention of miasma from infected
air or glanders. For the same reason should a horse die of a contagious
disease, it will be unnecessary to burn the cushions, as is now the case with
woollen saddle cloths.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the use and application of elastic materials, especially gutta percha
and india-rubber, vulcanized or otherwise, which are rendered resilient by
their form, and not by any air they may contain, for the manufacture of the
cushions or paddings of saddles and harness, said materials also serving as
stuffing or filling for the same.

page_text: Secondly, I claim the various forms of tubes, double tubes, sponges, cubes,
and knobs to be used in said manufacture, all as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)