IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY BARS FOR SADDLES to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY REES-PHILIPPS of N° 101 Holloway Head Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Accountant Clerk do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY BARS FOR SADDLES to be as follows:-
"
In safety bars for saddles as ordinarily made the stirrup leather is liablo to pass
off the bar by a violent motion of the horse or otherwise and an accident may
thereby be produced.
The object of my invention is to prevent the stirrup leather from passing off the
safety bar excepting when the rider is thrown. To the shoulder at the front end
of the safety bar I connect by a metallic ring or otherwise a helical or coiled steel
spring of small diameter say one third of an inch. This coiled spring in its normal
or unexpanded state has a length about equal to two thirds of the length of the bar
and carries at its rear end a ring of such a diameter that it readily passes onto the
bar. The said ring can only be passed on and taken off the bar by stretching the
spring to a length equal to that of the bar. The force required to push the said
ring off the bar is determined by the strength of the spring.
When the saddle bar is in use the end of the bar passes through the ring at the
rear end of the coiled spring the stirrup leather passing over the bar and under
the spring. The motion of the stirrup leather on the bar is thus limited between
the shoulder at front and the ring on its rear end. In order that the stirrup
leather may pass off the safety bar it must be drawn in a backward direction
with sufficient force to push the ring off the bar when the leather itself being
no longer opposed by the said ring slides off the bar and the stirrup is detached
from the saddle.
If the rider is thrown his weight causes the stirrup leather to press upon the
ring and push it off the bar and the stirrup is immediately detached from the
saddle but it is only by the rider being thrown that. the necessary pressure is
exerted and there is no risk of the stirrup strap being detached from the saddle
under any ordinary circumstances.
Instead of a coiled spring a bow spring may be used having at its rear end the
ring hereinbefore described. By pressure on the ring the bow spring is lengthened
and flattened and when the pressure is sufficiently great (as when the rider is
thrown) the ring is forced off the bar and the stirrup strap is detached from the
saddle.

page_text: Or a nearly flat spring may be used its free end bearing on the rear end of
the bar. In this case the stirrup leather cannot pass off the bar until sufficient
pressure is applied to raise the rear end of the spring.
Or a vulcanized india rubber spring may be employed. This spring consists of a
strong india rubber ring passed around the body of the bar and the bar itself. The
stirrup leather passes over the bar and between the bar and the spring (the spring
in this case being under the bar) and can only pass off the bar when sufficient
pressure is applied to stretch the india rubber spring to the required extent.
Dated this fifth day of Anril 1884.

page_text: I HENRY REES-PHILIPPS of No 101 Holloway Head, Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Accountant Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY BARS FOR SADDLES "and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In safety bars for saddles as ordinarily made the stirrup leather is liable to pass
off the bar by a violent notion of the horse or otherwise and an accident may
thereby be produced.
The object of my invention is to prevent the stirrup leather from passing off the
safety bar excepting when the rider is thrown. To the front end of the safety bar.
I connect by a metallic ring or otherwise a helical or coiled metal spring of small
diameter say one third of an inch. This coiled spring in its normal or unexpanded
state bas a length about equal to four fifths of the length of the bar and carries at
its rear end, a ring of such a diameter that it readily passes onto the bar. The said
ring can only be passed on and taken off the bar by stretching the spring to a
length equal to that of the bar. The force required to push the said ring off the
bar is determined by the strength of the spring.
When the saddle bar is in use the end of the bar passes through the ring at the
rear end of the coiled spring the stirrup leather passing over the bar and under the
spring. The motion of the stirrup leather on the bar is thus limited between
the shoulder at front and the ring on its rear end. In order that the stirrup
leather may pass off the bar, it must be drawn in a backward direction with
sufficient force to push the ring off the bar when the leather itself being no longer
opposed by the said ring slides off the bar and the stirrup is detached from tho
saddle.
If the rider is thrown his weight causes the stirrup leather to press upon the ring
and push it off the bar and the stirrup is immediately detached from the saddle but
it is only by the rider being thrown that the necessary pressure is exerted and
there is no risk of the stirrup leather being detached from the saddle under any
ordinary circumstances.
Instead of a coiled spring, a bow spring may be used having at its rear end the
ring herein before described. By pressure on the ring the bow spring is lengthened
and flattened and when the pressure is sufficiently great (as when the rider is
thrown) the ring is forced off the bar and the stirrup leather is detached from the
saddle.
Or a nearly flat spring may be used, its free end bearing on the rear end of the
bar. In this case the stirrup leather cannot pass off the bar until sufficient
pressure is applied to raise the rear end of the spring.
Or a spring of india rubber may be employed. This spring consists of a ring of
strong india rubber passed around the body of the bar and the bar itself, or
attached by a ring to the front end of the bar. The stirrup leather passes over the
bar and between the bar and the spring (the spring in this case being under the
bar) and can only pass off the bar when sufficient pressure is applied to stretch the
spring to the required extent.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in aide clevation a safety bar
for saddles containing the arrangement of my invention in which a coiled or helical
spring is employed. a is the foundation or back plate of the saddle bar rivetted
at d, d to the saddle tree in the ordinary way; b, b³, 63 is the safety bar on the
horizontal arm or part 6 of which the stirrup leather phangs. The safety bar is

page_text: pivoted at the part b to the back plate a. The nearly vertical arm b³ of the safety
bar prevents the stirrup leather p riding over the front extremity of the bar. The
jointed safety bar is supported in the nearly horizontal position represented in the
Drawing by the stop f against which the heel part of the said bar bears. The free
end of the safety bar is notched at x; e is a helical or coiled metal spring having a
small ringe at its front end and a stronger and larger ring e3 at the other and rear
end. The said spring è is fastened at its front end to the top of the arm or
shoulder ³, and the rear, end of the said spring is connected to the free end of the
safety bar by engaging the strong ring with the notched end of the said bar.
The ring permits of the ready attachment of the spring e to and its detachment
from the free end of the safety bar. The said ring e³ can only be passed on and
taken off the free end of the bar by stretching the spring e to the required extent.
Before fastening the detachable end c³ of the spring e to the safety bar the stirrup
leather is passed over the part 6 of the bar and when the spring e is in its place
the said stirrup leather is situated under the said spring as represented in the
drawing. The motion of the stirrup leather on the bar is thus limited between the
shoulder 63 at front and the ring e³ on the rear end of the spring, the pressure of
the expanded spring preventing the, stirrup leather passing off the free end of the
bar.
To detach the stirrup leather p from the safety bar it must be drawn in a
backward direction with suflicient force to push the ring e off the bar when the
said stirrup leather slides from the said bar. Should the rider be thrown his
weight causes the stirrup leather_to_press_upon-the-ring-c-and-push-it-off-the-bar-
and the stirrup is immediately detached from the saddle.
I do not limit myself to any particular position of the coiled spring at the front
of the saddle bar; for example, the coiled spring may be applied to the base of the
safety bar instead of to the upper part as represented in Figure 2. In this modifi-
cation the coiled or helical spring e is fastened to the small eye or staple et at the
base of the part b instead of to the top of the vertical arm or shoulder b³. The
stirrup leather in this case is passed over the bar 62 and between it and the coiled
spring c.
The action of this modification is the same as that of the arrangement
first described and, corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of
reference.
Figures 3 and 4 represent the arrangement of my invention in which a bow
spring made of a metal wire or ribbon is employed in place of a helical spring
the bow spring in the said Figures 3 and 4 being marked h. The way in which
the bow spring h in both Figures is connected to the safety bar will be readily
understood by an examination of the drawing.
Although I have represented the rear or detachable end of the spring as being
connected to the free end of the bar by being engaged in a notch in the said free
end yet I do not limit myself thereto as the free end of the bar may be made
without a notch and the ring e3 at the detachable end of the spring may be made
to encircle or embrace the free end of the bar the said ring es being made only of
sufficient size to pass onto the extreme end of the bar, the tapering figure of the bar
preventing the ring being drawn towards the front end of the said bar.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in edge view the arrangements of my invention in
which a plate spring i, 2 is employed instead of a coiled or. bow spring, the said
plate spring being situated parallel to the face of the bar. In Figure 5 the plate
spring is arranged at the back of the bar and in Figure 6 at the front of the bar,
the stirrup leather being situated between the bar b and the plate spring i, the
bent end of the spring bearing upon the bar and preventing the detachment of
the stirrup leather excepting when sufficient pressure is exerted upon the said bent
end to raise it from the face of the bar and permit of the stirrup leather slipping
from the bar. Or the plate spring may press the stirrup leather against the bar in
its whole length for retaining the said stirrup leather in its place.
Figures 7 and 8 represent the arrangement of my invention in which an india
rubber spring g consisting of a ring is employed. In the arrangement Figure 7 the

page_text: india rubber spring g is situated under the bar and is passed around the neck of
the part 6 of the safety bar and then engaged with the notched end of the bar and
in Figure 8, the india rubber spring is situated over the bar and is connected to
the arm b3 by a metal ring g³ and then engaged with the notched end of the bar.
The action of the arrangements Figures 7 and 8 is the same as that of tho
arrangements Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4
Although I have represented my improvements as applied to safety stirrup bars
of the kind described and claimed in the specification of Letters Patent granted to
me bearing date June 30th 1883, No 3250 yet I wish it to be understood that iny
invention is also applicable to safety bars of other constructions and to ordinary
saddle bars in which case the ordinary saddlebars are converted into safety bars.
Having now particularly described 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 addition to or combination with safety bars for saddles of a helical or coiled
spring or a bow spring or a plate spring or an india rubber ring spring for
preventing the stirrup leather from passing off the safety bar excepting when the
rider is thrown the said springs being applied to the safety bar and operating
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Doted this Thirtieth day of December 1884