NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING THE MOTIONS OF HORSES, THE SAID APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE BREAKING IN OF HORSES
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Brown and Frederick Brown
at the Oflice of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1876.
EDWARD BROWN and FREDERICK BROWN, both of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Jewellers' Glass Cutters. "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING
OR REGULATING THE MOTIONS OF HORSES, THE SAID APPARATUS BEING ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THE BREAKING IN OF HORSES."
The object of the apparatus constituting our Invention is to control or to regulate
the motions of the horse to which the said apparatus is applied so that the said
horse may, when desired, be rendered unable to gallop and his running away thereby
prevented. The said apparatus may be advantageously used in the breaking in of
horses.
We will describe the said apparatus as applied to a horse for riding-A garter of
leather is placed upon each of the horse's hind legs on or above the hocks. These
garters may be provided with buckles in order to lengthen or shorten them to make
them fit the required part of the leg. To these garters, and at the back of the legs,
a strong strap, chain, or band is connected, one end of the said strap, chain, or band
being connected with each of the said garters. Above the tail of the horse a strong
loop is placed and fixed as herein-after explained, through which the strap, chain, or
band connecting the garters passes. The said strong loop contains a small concave
roller, over which the strap, chain, or band works, the length of the said strap, chain, or
band, and the position of the loop through which it passes are such that when the
horse is at rest the said strap is moderately tight or is stretched with only a slight
tension. A flat broad strap of a nearly semi-elliptical figure is fixed upon the
hams of the horse, and is supported at its lower part by a strong cross strap situated
under the horse's tail. This flat fixed strap is provided on each side with small loops
or eyes, through which the garter strap passes, and the said garter strap rubs in its
motion on the said flat fixed strap and the chating of the horse by the motion of tho
said garter strap is prevented. The said flat fixed strap also serves by the small
loops described to preserve the said garter strap in the required position on the
hains of the horse. The garters and garter strap described do not impede the
motion of the horse in walking or trotting or in any mode of progression in which
the hind lgs are put forward alternately, as in such case the pulling of the strap
on one side is accompanied by a like relaxation on the other, the middle of the strap
travelling over the roller described in the strong fixed loop over the horse's tail.
[Price 11

page_text: During the trotting or other like movement of the horse the garter strap travels a
short distance backwards and forwards over the roller without affecting the horse;
but if the horse attempt to gallop or to put forward both the hind legs at the same
time both ends of the garter strap are simultaneously pulled, the strap itself is
tightened, and the attempted motion prevented. The horse is thereby effectually
prevented from galloping or running away. The strong loop described through
which the garter strap passes is secured in the required position above the tail of
the horse by being fastened to the crupper of the horse's harness, or if the horse's harness
is not provided with a crupper the said strong loop is fixed in its place by means of
a long strap, one end of which is buckled or fixed to a crupper carrying the strong
loop, and the strap passing round the chest of the horse its other end joins by a
buckle or otherwise that part of the strap situated about two-thirds down the back
of the horse.
Besides preventing the galloping of the horse our Invention may be used to regulate
his step, as the garter strap can be shortened to any extent necessary to restrain his
step within the required limit.
Our Invention may also be used for the breaking in of horses so as to educate the
horse to the required length of step.
Although we have described our Invention as applied to a horse for riding, yet
our said Invention with slight modification may be applied to a horse or horses for
driving, the strong loop through which the garter strap passes being under the
control of the driver, who by a rod or other connection may draw the said loop to a
higher point than that at which it permits the free motion of the horse, and
thereby put such a restraint on the horse's motion as to prevent him running
away.