A Safety Stirrup.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left. 26th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
A Safety Stirrup.
I, ALEXANDER MIHALÓCZY, of III Rudolfsgasse No. 40, Vienna, in the
Empire of Austro-Hungary, Captain of Horse of the Imperial Royal Army, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to stirrups designed to prevent injury to the rider, in the
event of his being thrown off the saddle or meeting with any similar accident and
his foot being caught in the stirrup, by the automatic disconnection of the stirrup
from the stirrup leather.
66
Stirrups of this class, as hitherto constructed, have been attended by the draw-
back that the disconnection which is to be effected as a result of the tension or
pull" produced by the foot of the rider, in case of accident, only takes place
when such pull is exercised in a predetermined direction, on one side of the stirrup,
that is to say, only while the stirrup is in its proper position relatively to the
foot. When, however, as very frequently happens, the leather strap is twisted
round so as to invert the position of the stirrup, the detachment necessary for
the safety of the rider, in the case of a fall, is prevented or cannot readily take
place.
The improved safety stirrup forming the subject of this invention is so con-
structed that the pull of the foot may, under all circumstances, be relied on to
effect the requisite detachment, whatever the direction in which the pull is
exercised and whatever may be the relative position of the stirrup and stirrup
leather at the time, the stirrup being separated from the strap whenever pressure
is brought to bear on either side thereof.
The upper portion of the stirrup consists of two arms or cheeks which are hinged
together at the top and which, when closed or fitted together, jointly form a slot
for the stirrup leather to be passed through.
In order to retain the said arms or cheeks of the stirrup in the closed position,
and thereby prevent the stirrup from being detached from the strap so long as the
pressure of the rider's foot is exercised normally upon the bridge of the stirrup, an
arc-shaped piece or yoke is arranged along the inner side of the stirrup, so as to fit
the shape or outline thereof, such yoke being adapted to turn on pivots on each
side of the stirrup which pivotal connection enables the said yoke to be swung out
of the plane of the stirrup to either side when necessary.
The said yoke carries a T-shaped head or piece the horizontal part of which is
adapted to enter the slot provided for the reception of the stirrup leather and
to take up its position between the lower correspondingly shortened arms of
the binged cheeks. The said horizontal part of the head grasps the said arms
by engaging with their upper surfaces and thereby prevents the cheeks from
moving apart, whilst the arc or yoke remains in the same plane as the stirrup
proper.
To prevent the said yoke from swinging out of the plane of the stirrup too
readily, the rounded lower surface of the head is made to slide over the raised
edges of the said arms, as the said yoke is moved into the stirrup plane, whereby
the yoke is subjected to a certain strain, or slightly compressed, so that it exercises
a corresponding slight pressure upon the said arms by means of the said head.

page_text: Projections or studs on the horizontal part of the head or tee serve as guides and
are, for this purpose, made to fit, or engage in, corresponding recesses or notches
in the said arms.
So long as the pressure of the foot is exercised upon the bridge of the stirrup
alone, as it will be while the position of the body of the rider is normal, the
tension of the stirrup leather, by which it constantly tends to open the cheeks of
the clasp connecting the stirrup arms, is transmitted by the lower arm to the tee
or head of the yoke retained in the plane of the stirrup and thereby the opening
of the said clasp and the detachment of the stirrup from the stirrup leather, are
prevented.
But when the rider, as he will do in falling, presses with the front part of his foot
upon the edge of the yoke projecting from the stirrup plane, the tee will immediately
be pressed outwardly, i.e., out of engagement with the arms of the hinged cheeks
and the yoke will be, swung out of the stirrup plane. The cheeks of the clasp
will thereby be disengaged from each other and finally opened by the tension
of the leather strap, thereby severing the connection between the strap and the
stirrup.
As the oscillation of the yoke takes place, no matter whether the foot presses on
one or the other side of the stirrup, the desired severance of the two parts from
each other may with certainty be relied upon to take place whatever may be the
position of the rider's foot, the stirrup or the stirrup leather.
Dated this 26th day of June 1894
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
A Safety Stirrup.
1, ALEXANDER MIHALÓCZY, of III Rudolfsgasse No. 40, Vienna, in the
Empire of Austro-Hungary, Captain of Horse of the Imperial Royal Army, 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 to stirrups designed to prevent injury to the rider, by the
automatic disconnection of the stirrup from the stirrup leather, in the event of his
being thrown off the saddle or meeting with any similar accident and his foot
being caught in the stirrup.
66
Stirrups of this class, as hitherto constructed, have been attended by the draw-
back that the disconnection which is to be effected as a result of the tension or
pull" produced by the foot of the rider, in case of accident, only takes place
when such pull is exercised in a predetermined direction, on one side of the stirrup,
that is to say, only while the stirrup in its proper position relatively to the
foot. When, however, as very frequently happens, the leather strap is twisted
round so as to invert the position of the stirrup, the detachment necessary for
the safety of the rider, in the case of a fall, is prevented or cannot readily take
place.
The improved safety stirrup forming the subject of this invention is so con-
structed that the pull of the foot may, under all circumstances, be relied on to
effect the requisite detachment, whatever the direction in which the pull is
exercised and whatever may be the relative position of the stirrup and stirrup
leather at the time, the stirrup being separated from the strap whenever pressure
is brought to bear on either side thereof.

page_text: which
ne invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in
Eigures 1 to 2 represent the improved stirrup in its normal position,..being
respectively a side elevation and a cross section thereof.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same stirrup at the moment of its release
from the stirrup leather.
The upper portion of the stirrup a consists of two arms or cheeks which are
hinged thereto at the top and which, when closed or fitted together, jointly for.n a
slot to receive the stirrup leather c.
In order to retain the said arms or cheeks of the stirrup in their closed position,.
and thereby prevent the stirrup from being detached from the strap so long as the
pressure of the rider's foot is exercised normally upon the bridge a of the stirrup,
an arc-shaped piece or yoke d is arranged along the inner side of the stirrup a, so
as to fit the shape or outline thereof, such yoke being adapted to turn on pivots d¹
on each side of the stirrup a, which pivotal connection enables the said yoke to be
swung out of the plane of the stirrup to either side when necessary.
The yoke d carries a T-shaped head or piece f, the horizontal part of which is
adapted to enter the slot provided for the reception of the stirrup leather c and
to take up its position between the lower correspondingly shortened arms b₁ of
the hinged cheeks b. The said horizontal part of the head f grasps the said
arms by engaging with their upper surfaces and thereby prevents the cheeks b
from moving apart, whilst the arc or yoke d remains in the same plane as the
stirrup proper.
To prevent the yoke d from swinging out of the plane of the stirrup too readily,
the rounded lower surface of the head f¹ is made to slide over the raised edges b²
of the arms, 6 as the said yoke is moved into the stirrup plane, whereby the
yoke d is subjected to a certain strain, or slightly compressed, so that it exercises
a corresponding slight pressure upon the arms 6 by means of the head f. Pro-
jections on the horizontal part of the head or tee-piece serve as guides and
are, for this purpose, made to fit, or engage in, corresponding recesses or notches 6³
in the arms b'.
So long as the pressure of the foot is exercised upon the bridge a' of the stirrup
alone, as it will be, while the position of the body of the rider is normal, the
tension of the stirrup leather, by which it constantly tends to open the cheeks of
the clasp connecting the stirrup arm, is transmitted by the lower arm to the head
or tee-piece f of the yoke d in the plane of the stirrup a, and thereby the opening
of the said clasp and the detachment of the stirrup from the stirrup leather, are
prevented.
But when the rider, as he will do in falling, presses with the front part of his
foot upon the edge of the yoke d projecting from the stirrup plane, the teef will
immediately be pressed outwardly, i.e., out of engagement with the arms &' of the
hinged-cheeks and the yoke d will be swung out of the stirrup plane. The cheeks >
of the clasp will thereby be disengaged from each other and finally opened by the
tension of the leather strap, thereby severing the connection between the strap and
the stirrup.
As the oscillation of the yoke d takes place, no matter whether the foot presses.
on one or the other side of the stirrup, the desired severance of the two parts from
each other may with certainty be relied upon to take place whatever may be the
position of the rider's foot, the stirrup or the stirrup leather.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
A safety stirrup comprising an arc-shaped piece or yoke pivotted to the stirrup
proper in such a manner as to be capable of being swung to either side thereof,
and provided with a T-shaped head or piece which, when the said yoke is in the
plane of the stirrup, engages with the lower surfaces of the ends 61 of the hinge-

page_text: cheeks receiving the stirrup-leather, and thereby keeps such hinge-cheeks closed,
while, in the event of pressure being exercised on either side of the yoke d,
such yoke is swung out of its normal plane, and thereby caused to release,
and effect the opening of, the said hinge-cheeks, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
S Mah 100%
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.