IMPROVMENTS RELATING TO THE GIRTHING ATTACHMENTS OF HARNESS-SADDLES to be as follows دو
Year: 1885

page_text: I HENRY STUDDY, of Waddeton Court, in the County of Devon, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVMENTS RELATING TO
THE GIRTHING ATTACHMENTS OF HARNESS-SADDLES to be as follows
دو
"
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My invention relates to the girthing attachments of harness, and particularly to
that class of harness which is used with dog-carts, "Hansom cabs and similar
vehicles The improvements may however be applied to other harness, either single
or double
With the harness now generally used, it frequently happens that although a
vehicle when running on level ground is properly balanced, yet when ascending a
hill, the weight being thrown behind, the shafts will tip up, in some cases almost
as high as the blinkers This tipping causes considerable inconvenience to a horse
and particularly a small horse, as just at the time when he ought to have most
control over the weight, the latter is in the most unfavourable position for this
purpose The only method at present employed for keeping the shafts in their
proper position is by drawing the belly-band tight, but this frequently causes
chafing
The chief object of my invention is to obviate these difficulties by arranging the
girth and belly-band in such a manner that the shafts are always in substantially
the same position relatively to the horse, whether the latter be going up hill or
down hill, and that the strain is divided between the girth and belly-band so that
no chafing can take place
According to my said invention the girth, instead of being composed of the two
straps attached to the saddle and adapted to be buckled together, is composed of
the said two straps and an intermediate piece. This intermediate piece has, at
each end, an eye, which is preferably provided with a roller, so that the girth-
strap which is passed through it as hereinafter described may move easily therein
The said intermediate piece is of sufficient length to prevent the girthing straps
being drawn too far under the horse's belly
Below each shaft loop on the belly-band is an eye having a roller similar to the
rollers on the ends of the intermediate piece.

page_text: The belly-band, at its lower part, is provided with a piece similar to the inter-
mediate piece of the girth, but the ends thereof are provided with buckles instead
of rollers
The method of connecting the straps is as follows that is to say -One girthing
strap 18 first passed through the eye on the intermediate piece of the girth, then
through the eye below the adjacent shaft loop, and 18 then attached to one of the
buckles on the intermediate piece of the belly-band The other girthing strap 18
then, in a similar manner, first passed through the vacant eye on the intermediate
piece of the girth, then through the eye below the adjacent shaft loop, and is then
attached to the remaining buckle on the intermediate piece of the belly-band, the
latter being then tightened
With the girthing attachments thus arranged, if the shafts have a tendency to
rise, the strain is immediately divided equally between the belly-band and the
girth and is not thrown entirely on to the belly-band as was formerly the case
Other advantages of this arrangement are that if a horse should fall, a buckle
of the belly-band is always in position for being loosened, and by loosening one
buckle of the belly-band the girth is also released, thereby obviating the necessity
for cutting harness as has frequently heretofore been necessary
Another advantage is that when a horse is standing or travelling on level
ground, and if the vehicle is properly balanced, the girth will be slightly slackened,
thereby relieving the horse, but directly the shafts have a tendency to rise from
any cause the girth is again tightened, thereby keeping the saddle in place
Dated th、a lot da» of Anal 1005

page_text: I, HENRY STUDDY, of Waddeton Court, in the County of Devon, Gentleman,
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
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My invention relates to the girthing attachments of harness-saddles, and more
particularly those designed to be used with dog-carts, "Hansom " cabs, and other
two-wheeled vehicles
When a harness-saddle provided with an ordinary girth is used with a two-
wheeled vehicle, although the said vehicle is properly balanced for travelling on
level ground, yet, in ascending a hill, it is liable, by reason of the displicement of
its centre of gravity from the vertical line passing through the axis of the wheels,
to tip or turn upon or about the said axis, thereby raising the shafts, and, in some
cases, the shafts are thus raised to such an extent that their front ends are nearly
on a level with the blinkers This tipping of the vehicle causes considerable incon-
venience to the horse, more especially if it be a small horse, because, just at the
time when the vehicle should be most efficiently under the control of the horse, it
18 in a very unfavorable position for the exercise of such control The method
heretofore usually adopted for keeping the shafts in their proper position consists
in tightening the girth around the horse, but this method is objectionable by reason
of its liability to cause chafing
The chief object of my invention is to obviate these defects or inconveniences
For this purpose, I arrange the girth and belly-band in such a manner that the
shafts are always held thereby in substantially their proper position relatively to
the horse, whether the latter be going up hill or down hill or on level ground, and
so that the stress due to the tipping of the vehicle is borne equally by the girth
and the belly-band
In the accompanying drawing, I have shewn a rear elevation of a harness-saddle
with my improvements applied thereto
a is the saddle, b, b are two girth-straps attached thereto, c is an intermediate
strap or band, which I term the belly-band, and which is used in place of the
ordinary belly-band This strap or band has, at each end, an eye c¹, preferably
provided with an antifriction roller c2 d, d are straps attached to the shift-loops e,
and having at their ends eyes d¹ which are preferably provided with antifriction
rollers d²
f is an intermediate strap or band, which I term the girth, and which is used in
place of the ordinary girth. This strap or band is provided, at its ends, with
buckles f¹
The method of connecting the several straps is as follows, that is to say -One
of the girth-straps b is passed first through the corresponding eye c¹ of the inter-
mediate strap or belly-band c, and then through the eye d¹ of the adjacent strap d,
the extremity of the said girth-strap is then inserted and secured in one of the
buckles f¹ of the girth f. The other girth-strap b is then, in a similar manner,

page_text: passed first through the corresponding eye c' of the intermediate strap or belly-
band c, and then through the eye d¹ of the adjacent strap d, and the extremity of
the said girth-strap is inserted and secured in the other buckle f' of the girth f
By drawing the girth-straps 6 more or less through the buckles f, the girth and
belly-band can be tightened as required, but it is obvious that they will bear equal,
or approximately equal, proportions of the pull exerted upon the said girth-straps
The intermediate straps or bands c, f are of sufficient length to prevent the drawing
of the girth-straps 6 too far under the horse's belly
When the girthing attachments above described are used with a vehicle, if the
shafts have a tendency to rise, the stress due to such tendency is divided equally
between the belly-band or intermediate strap c and the strap or girth f, instead of
being borne entirely by the belly-band, as in the girthing attachments heretofore
used Moreover, by reason of the peculiar arrangement of the straps in my
improved girthing attachments, chafing is avoided and the shafts are at all timeR
beld in substantially the same position relatively to the horse, thus giving the horse
efficient control over the vehicle, whether in ascending or descending a hill, or in
travelling upon level ground
A further advantage of the above described arrangement of the girthing attach-
ments is that, if a horse should fall, one or other of the girth-straps is always in
position to be loosened or unfastened, and, by loosening or unfastening either of
the said straps, the girth and belly-band will be simultaneously released, the
necessity heretofore frequently experienced of cutting harness when a horse falls,
Is thus obviated Moreover, when the horse is standing or travelling on level
ground, if the vehicle is properly balanced, the girth and belly-band will be com-
paratively slack, and will not exert injurious pressure upon the horse, but directly
the shafts have a tendency to rise, the girth and belly-band are tightened thereby
preventing displacement of the saddle
Having now particularly descubed and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The combination, with a saddle of the girthing attachments comprising the
girth-straps 6 and the straps d, and bands c, f provided with the eyes and buckles,
with or without the antifriction rollers, all substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth