IMPROVEMENTS IN REINS FOR. HORSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue and
Birkbeck, Patent Agents, and Engineers, of 84, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REINS FOR. HORSES." -A communication from abroad'
by John Muir, Mary Ann Wilson Ringler, and Sarah Emma Kelly,
all of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America.
Sealed the 17th September 1867, and' dated the 23rd March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd March 1867.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REINS FOR HORSES," to be as follows:-
The nature of this Invention consists in attaching to the driving reins near
their, connection with the bit of a horse's bridle, elastic springs of rubber or
other suitable material of sufficient resistance to guide the animal when under
proper control of the driver, and in connecting the said driving or guiding
reins with the gag, curb, check or other such, reins by means of auxiliary reins
or connecting straps, so that when the animal becomes fractious and it is
necessary to pull hard upon the bit the springs will yield, whereby the strain

page_text: is transferred from the driving reins to the said gag, curb, or check reins, thus
giving the driver the desired control of the animal by means of one pair of
reins.
The yielding attachments should be made of sufficient power of resistance
to tensile strain to answer the purpose of a guiding rein when the animal is
under the proper and ordinary control of the driver. The auxiliary reins or
connecting straps may be attached to the guiding reins at or in rear of the
connection of the same with the elastic attachments, and of sufficient length
to be in a slack condition when the springs or elastic attachments are not
extended by extra strain. Should the animal become fractious and resist the
control of the driver the latter then finds it necessary to increase the strain
upon the reins until the springs are so far extended that the strain is trans-
ferred to the check or gag reins by the auxiliary reins or connecting straps,
which is accomplished by the additional power applied to the reins by the
driver, that so extends the springs or elastic portions of the reins that the slack
of the said gag or check reins and their connection with the guiding reins are
drawn taut, the effect of which is to so draw upon the bit as to bring the
fractious animal under control at once, as is well understood may be done by
the check or gag reins, which may be of ordinary construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Garrett Tongue, Her special licence that I, the said John
Garrett Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors; administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE..
MENTS IN REINS FOR HORSES," a communication to me from abroad by John
Muir, Mary Ann Wilson Ringler, and Sarah Emma Kelly, all of the City,
County, and State of New York, United States, of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Garrett
, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in- what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained. in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The nature of this Invention consists in attaching to the driving reins near
their connection with the bit of a horse's bridle elastic springs of rubber or
other suitable material of sufficient resistance to guide the animal when under
proper control of the driver, and in connecting the said driving or guiding
reins with the gag, curb, check, or other such reins by means of auxiliary
reins or connecting straps, so that when the animal becomes fractious and it is
necessary to pull hard upon the bit the springs will yield, whereby the strain
is transferred from the driving reins to the said gag, curb, or check reins,
thus giving the driver the desired control of the animal by means of one pair
of reins.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention its description with reference
to the accompanying Drawing will be proceeded with.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a view of the reins applied to the animal when under
proper control; Figure 2, a view of the same when the animal having become
fractious sufficient strain has been applied to the reins to transfer the strain to
the check reins; Figure 3 shows the reins connected to the curb reins as,
say, applied to a saddle horse, shown only in part; and Figure 4, an enlarged
view of a head stall having the improvement, substantially as represented in
Figures 1 and 2, applied to it.
In Figures 1 and 4 A is the check or gag rein; B are auxiliary reins or
connecting straps; D, the springs or yielding attachments to the guiding reins,
which may be attached to the bit in the usual manner, and to the guiding

page_text: reins by means of a ring or buckle, and form a part of the said guiding reins.
These yielding' attachments D should be made of sufficient power of resistance
to tensile strain to answer the purpose of a guiding rein when the animal is
under the proper and ordinary control of the driver. The auxiliary reins or
connecting straps B may be attached to the guiding reins at or in rear of the
connection of the same with the elastic attachments, substantially as repre-
sented by red lines in Figure 1, and of sufficient length to be in a slack con-
dition when the springs or elastic attachments are not extended by extra strain.
Figure 2 shows these same parts, referred to by similar letters, in position,
when by reason of the animal having become fractious and resisting the control
of the driver the latter then finds it necessary to increase the strain upon the
reins until the springs are so far extended that the strain is transferred to the
check or gag reins by the auxiliary reins or connecting straps, which is
accomplished by the additional power applied to the reins by the driver, that
so extends the springs or elastic portions of the reins that the slack of the said
gag or check reins and their connection with the guiding reins are drawn
taut, the effect of which is to so draw upon the bit as to bring the fractious
animal under control at once, as is well understood may be done by the check
or gag reins, which may be of ordinary construction, and therefore need no
explanation here. In Figure 3 the same principle of action is shown as
applied in connection with curb reins, D being the spring or elastic attach-
ments and E the curb reins, shown by black and red lines in different
positions, according to the easy or fractious disposition of the animal, as herein
referred to.
Having thus fully described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is performed or carried into practice, that which is claimed
under the above in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination of the
springs or elastic attachments above described, forming elastic reins, with
the auxiliary reins or connecting straps, and with the gag, or check, or curb
reins, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
my
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE. (L.S.)