AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN BITS FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, the Right
Honorable EDWARD THOMAS HOVELL Lord THURLOW, of Ashfield Lodge,"
Ixworth, in the County of Suffolk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Thomas Hovell Lord Thurlow, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Edward Thomas Hovell
Lord Thurlow, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward Thomas Hovell Lord Thurlow, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN BITS FOR
HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a pro-
viso that I, the said Edward Thomas Hovell Lord Thurlow, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Thomas Hoyell Lord Thurlow, do hereby declare that the nature of

page_text: my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
In order that my Invention may be the more readily understood, I will in
the first place point out what I consider objectionable in the construction of
bits heretofore used, and then proceed to explain such variations in the con-
struction of parts of bits as constitute my Invention.
First, in constructing bits as heretofore practised, the curb chains and
mouth-pieces are so relatively placed as to be (when the bits are in use) in
one line at nearly right angles with the horse's under jaw, so as when acted
upon by the leverage of the branches to exert a great force, tending to prevent
the circulation of the fluids of the parts acted upon, and, consequently,
deadening or rendering callous for the time those parts to the impression which
should be made by the bit upon them; and little power is exerted in a
direction to force the horse's head towards his chest, which would more effec-
tually impede the horse's action, if not ultimately stop it.
Secondly, in order to remedy this objection, or to cause the tops of the
cheeks of bits to traverse an arc sufficient to tighten the curb chains, or for
both reasons above mentioned, the cheeks of bits have been lengthened, the
evil of which construction is, that the head straps, if tight enough to keep the
mouth-pieces high in the mouths of horses, is greatly tightened when the
reins are pulled in the direction of the horse's chest, causing great pain and
annoyance to horses sensitive behind the ears, where the head strap presses,
and, perhaps, danger to their riders or drivers from the consequent restiveness;
such an arrangement also generally produces strain upon the tackle. It
should, however, be stated that the disadvantage of the pressure or strain on
the headstall has been avoided by the so-called Chifney bit; but such bit is
liable to get out of order, or wear out rapidly at the joint, and is expensive,
and there is a difficulty in fastening the curb chain, owing to the movement of
the moveable cheeks of such a bit in respect to the ordinary cheeks of the
same.
Thirdly, in some cases the branches of bits have been bent forward or
backward in order to prevent horses taking hold of the branches with their
mouth, but in all such cases, so far as I am informed on the subject, where
there is a middle bar or billet hole on the branch) the middle bar is caused to
be placed in a position backwards, which, when the chain is loose, or the
horse bends his head to his chest, brings the middle bar in a position where
leverage is partially or quite lost.

page_text: Having thus shortly pointed out what I consider to be objections to bits at
present in use, I will now proceed to describe my Invention, which has for its
object to remedy such objections.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
In
Figure 1 represents the side view of a bit constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 a front view thereof; and Figure 3 shews a perspective
view. In each of these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts.
order to remedy the objection or objections I have described as the first and
second objection or objections, the opening b (which in a common or litherto
used bit) is of the form shewn at B, coloured red, Figure 1, is constructed
by, as it were, elongating backwards and circularly during forty-five degrees, or
one eighth of a circle, whose centre is in the mouth-piece marked a, such
common or old form as shewn as above in the Drawing, till it assumes the new
form just described, and such new form may be said to be like the kidney
link of the hames used in harness. The top of such new form will slide
effectually in the common attachment of the headstall or bridle, and thus
relieve the horse from the pressure already spoken of, whilst the curb chain
depending from the most backward point (y in the Drawing) of the new top
eye will, in practice, never assume the position complained of as deadening
the horse's mouth, whilst it stops him not as regards the third objection to the
old bits. c, c, are what are called the "Buxton bend" to each of the cheeks
formed on the middle of branch of a bit; but in place of the space from c¹ to c²
being open, and forming a hook, as in the Buxton bit, which is highly objec-
tionable, that space is filled up by a continuation of the branch or cheek on
each side of the bit; and suitable means may be formed in such continuation
as at d, d, for connecting the reins; by this means the advantages of the
bend c to each cheek of the bit will be obtained without the disadvantage of
the former construction, in consequence of such bends being combined with a
continuation of the cheeks from c¹ to c, thus filling up the hooks or recesses in
the cheeks of a bit, which were heretofore left open in a Buxton bit.
b
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would remark, that I do not confine myself to the
details of construction of the bit shewn, provided the upper parts of the cheeks
be formed into an arc by the openings 6 extending backwards to the extend
already described, and carrying the curb chain, and in such manner as to move
through the attachment with the headstall or bridle, when the parts of the
branches below the mouth-piece are drawn towards the chest of the horse or
other animal, as above described; or provided the bends c, c, are combined

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of June,
in the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Edward Thomas Hovell Lord
Thurlow came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid
was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
Stove Ve