US429496A - Harness - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) r v 4 G. C. BIGELOWKz P. T. DAVIS.

HARNESS. I

No. 429,496; Paten-tedJuneiB, 1 90.

WITNESSES; 1 1

a; ATTORNEYS UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. BIGELOl/V AND FRANKLIN T. DAVIS, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,496, dated. June 3,1890.

Application filed June 16, 1888." Serial No. 277,303. (No model.)

.To all whom it mdy concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES C. BIGELOW and FRANKLIN T. DAVIS, both citizens of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Harness, of which the follow-.

ing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in checkreins and other parts of harness,'which are hereinafter fully set forth in the following description and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the invention applied to a horse. Fig. 2 is' an inverted plan view of the invention. Fig. 3 is a side View of the invention as shown in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is an under side plan view of a modification of the device for connecting the device with the crupper of the harness. Fig. 5 is a side view of the modification Fig. 4., looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig.6 is a plan view of a modification of the rein-guide of the apparatus; Fig. 7 is a side view of the modification Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 8 represents the connection of the checkrein with the crupper.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

The letters A A designate the ordinary driving-reins of a single harness, which pass through the stationary rings B B of the saddle O, and extend thence toward the rear over the back of the horse. The saddle C is connected, as usual, to the crupper D by the back-strap E. I

The letter F designates a checkrein, whose forward end is divided into branches G G, the outer ends of which are attached, respectively, by fastenings H H to the driving-reins A A at any convenient points. WVe prefer to fasten them to the reins at points behind the saddle C, and have so shown in the drawings. The said fastenings H H may be buckles of the ordinary construction, or may be, as in the example here shown, self-fastening hooks of the kind shown at Fig. 4 in United States the driving-reins A A, respectively.

Letters Patent No. 347,162 granted to said Franklin T. Davis August 10, 1886.

To the rear end of the checkrein F are connected the two straps I I, whose free' ends are providedwith rings J J, through which plass he straps I I may be continuations of the checkrein, or may be attached thereto.

The checkreinF. is connected to the crupper D by a suitable fastening Z, which engages the forward end of the crupper, as is illustrated in Figs. 1' and 8, thus attaching the checkrein, including the part F, and its divided ends G G with the crupper D, and causing strains upon the checkrein from the head of the horse, as when the horse raises or lowers or sways his head, to be transmitted through the parts of the driving-reins which are forward of the fastenings H H, and the checkrein to the crupper. and arrangement of checkrein causes the horses head to be held steady while traveling, and also while at rest, there being no slack in the checkrein or in its divisions G G to allow the horse to swing his head to one side or the other.

The fastening which connects the checkrein to the crupper is a removable fastening, and consists of a barZ that is inserted under the front end or apex of the crupper, (see Fig. 8,) and a chain M, that extends from said bar upward through the crupper, and thence to the rear end of the checkrein F, to which it is permanently secured. This arrangement is also shown in Fig. 1, and the bar Z referred to is also shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The chain M of the fastening Z can be se cured directly to the checkrein, or can be secured thereto through the medium of the spring N, one end of which is secured to the checkrein F and the other end to the chain M of the bar. The office of the spring N is to produce a yielding connectionof the checkrein with the crupper, so that when the horse strains the checkrein it will yield somewhat, and the spring will restore it to its proper position. The spring N may be This construction inclosed in a receptacle, so that it will not come in direct contact with the skin of the horse, and'the back of the horse, moreover, is protected from it by the back-strap E.

Other fastenings can be used for connecting the cheekrein and the crupper, and in Figs. 4 and 5 we have represented one which consists of a plate P, which is shoved under the forward end of the crupper, and has a stud Q at its rear end that connects it with the central partof a plate R, with whose forward end S is connected the chain M, which extends to the cheekrein F.

The rear part T of the plate R is intended as a handle for inserting the device P under the crupper and withdrawing it. The manner of insertion of the plate P, as also the bar Z, is to pass it sidewise through the crupper from above, so as to get it under the apex of the crupper upon the back of the horse, the stud Q coming against the apex of the crupper. In the case of the bar Z the chain M comes against the apex of the crupper.

The straps I I form a continuation of the cheekrein and give a good finish to it, and serve to keep the driving-reins up on the rump of the horse and aid in preventing him from throwing his tail over them. The straps I I (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) are intended to be made of leather, but they may be made of metalsay of thin steel-plateriveted to the rear end of the cheekrein, as at V, and bent up at their rear ends to elevate the reins where they pass over the tail of the horse, and provided at their extremities with rings or eyes J J for holding the reins, as represented in Figs. 6 and 7.

The rear end of the cheekrein F may be connected to the back-strap E instead of to the crupper, if desired, with the same result as when attached to the crupper, the crupper and back-strap E being connected with each other and forming a stationary part of the harness; or, since the saddle O is connected to the crupper by the back-strap E, the checkrein F may with the same result be connected to the saddle. Then the rear end of the cheekrein F is connected to the back-strap E, or to the saddle 0, instead of to the crupper, the cheekrein and its divided ends G G are moved forward accordingly on the driving-reins and again fastened to them by the fastenings II II. It will be observed that the part of the cheekrein which is behind or in rear of the divided ends G G is solid and undivided.

The cheekrein F is adjusted on the driving-reins E E by means of the fastenings II II.

Among the advantages of the invention are the following:

First. The cheekrein F being attached to the harness at the crupper enables the driver to use the check from the carriage.

Second. It gives an even pull on the reins, keeping the horse in the road and guiding him the same as by the drivers hand.

Third. It keeps the horse from throwing the tail over the lines and the lines straight and without slack over the entire length of the horse.

Fourth. The reins may be dropped by the driver while the horse is standing, as the appliance will hold them in their proper place and induce the horse to stand quietly.

Fifth. The reins are always under control, as there can be no slack.

Sixth. It will break the horse of the disagreeable habit of throwing the head backward and forward, as he quickly learns that such a motion makes a pressure on the crupper.

Seventh. It is, in fact, an automatic driver, and will be found to add much to the pleasure of driving, as it entirely obviates the necessity of continually holding up and pulling and jerking of the reins to release them from or avoid the tail of the horse.

Eighth. It is easily adjusted and leaves the head in a natural position and at the same time enables the driver to keep entire control of the animal.

Ninth. The check part may be detached from that portion which holds the reins over the tail of the horse and used separately, if desired, by attaching it to the check-loop of the saddle or to the back-strap.

lVhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The cheekrein F, attached by its rear end to the crupper D and by its forward ends G G to the driving-reins A A, substantially as described.

2. The cheekrein F, attached by its rear end by a yielding attachment, substantially as described, to the crupper and by its forward ends to the driving-reins, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the cheekrein F, the crupper D, the guiding-straps I I and their rings J J, with the driving-reins A A, substantially as described.

4. A cheekrein F, having divided forward ends G G, provided with fastenings H, to connect with the driving-reins, and at its rear ends having means to connect with a crupper, so that the crupper holds the cheekrein against forward movements, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the driving-reins A, saddle C, and crupper D, of a cheekrein F, having divided forward ends G G, conneeted to the reins and having a connection, substantially as described, at its rear end with the crupper, so that the crupper holds the cheekrein against forward movement.

6. The combination, with the driving-reins A, saddle C, back-strap E, and crupper D, of a cheekrein F, having divided forward ends G G, connected to the reins and held by the crupper against the swaying movements of a horses head, substantially as described.

7 The combination, with the driving-reins In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals in the presence of two 15 subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. O. BIGELOW'. L. s.] FRANKLIN T. DAVIS. L. s.] WVitnesses to the signature of Chas. O. Eigelow:

J. VAN SANTVOORD, DAVID C. CURTIS. Witnesses to the signature of FranklinT. Davis:

J. VAN SANTVOORD, J AS. A. WETT.

Images