US2091897A - Swing attachment for stirrup leathers - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 31, 1937. E V NC 2,091,897

SWING ATTACHMENT FOR STIRRUP LEATHERS Filed March 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'Au .31,1937. REVANCE 2,091,897

SWING ATTACHMENT FOR STIRRUP LEATHERS Filed March 26, 1937 2 She ets-She'et 2 ROBERT EAR Ila/v05 Patented Aug. 31, 1937 SWING ATTACHMENT FOR STIRRUP LEATHERS Robert Earl Vance, Buford, 6a., assigncr to Bona Allen, Incorporated, Buford, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application March 26, 1937, Serial No. 133,097

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a swing attachment between a stirrup leather and a saddle.

Heretofore, saddles used for hard riding, such as the cowboy types of saddles used by riders who rope cattle, are subjected to very heavy strains and stresses, particularly when the rider stands in the stirrups. To reduce the great strain imparted to stirrup leathers under these conditions and to aid the rider in suitably bracing himself, it has been contemplated to pass the top of each stirrup leather through a metal jointed D and to support these Ds on each side of the saddle by a strap or sheet steel strip passing therebetween and over the saddle tree between the horn and cantle. One difficulty in the construction of the old style cowboy saddle resides in the fact that as a rider braces himself forwardly or rearwardly in the stirrups, the stirrup leathers slide on the bars of the D or bend with a frictionally restricted movement which prevents the leathers from quickly assuming the best supporting positions and causes considerable wear, frequently resulting in breakage of the leather and endangering the safety of the rider.

It is, therefore, an aim of this invention to provide a swing attachment connecting a stirrup leather to a saddle in such manner that the stirrup leather has ample freedom of movement.

'It is a further object of my invention to provide a swing attachment connecting a stirrup leather to each side of a saddle and which may assume a freely pivotal and slidable movement,

permitting the stirrup leather to easily move to any desired position and reducing the wear thereon to a minimum.

It is a further object'of my invention to provide a swing connection arranged to pivotally support a stirrup leather for free movement relative to a saddle and which tends to normally locate the stirrup leather in a predetermined position relative to the saddle.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention showing the members in normally operative por sitions; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the depending swing member;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along the line t4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing a portion of a saddle and my invention connected thereto.

In accordance with the present invention, I have provided a swing attachment for connecting a stirrup leather to a saddle. A swing member or frame it is pivotally and slidably supported on a ring i i, herein illustrated in the form of a D having a transversely extending rounded top bar it merging at its opposite ends with a depending arcuate bar it of rounded section. A strap M composed of suitable material, such as leather or sheet metal, which passes over the tree T of a saddle S is secured thereto between the cantle C and the horn H and is looped to pivotally receive bars if and support the swing attachments in respectively depending relation on each side 20 of the saddle.

The swing member It comprises a cast or otherwise suitably formed rigid metal frame generally rectangular in shape and having a transversely extending rounded bottom bar It for supporting the upper looped end of a stirrup leather L and connected in spaced relation from a top bar ll by spaced side bars l8. These side bars are angularly disposed with reference to each other (Fig. 2), and top bar I! is composed of two arms i'l' connected at their outer ends to the side bars it and extending towards each other in generally parallel spaced relation. The inner ends ii of arms ll? are in laterally spaced, overlapping relation and interconnected by a curved upper wall is forming therewith a downwardly disposed yoke Zil having an inverted U-shaped cross section adapted to overlie bar l3 in freely slidable straddling relation and provide for a free longitudinal swinging movement of the stirrup leather, as shown in Fig. 5. The top inner wall of the yoke is preferably curved longitudinally of the frame, as at 2|, and in general c-on-. formity with the curvature of bar l3 upon which it is slidably received. The inner ends ll" of arms ii are preferably spaced apart to such extent that curved bar It may be freely received therebetween into final seated relation and also pivot on surface 2| longitudinally of the frame to provide a relatively transverse swinging movement of members It and II The inner ends of the arms are also curved, as at 22, so that in the event that the swing member it should be lifted out of seated position on bar is with the bar engaging beneath one of the arms H, a downward pull on the stirrup leather will cause the curved portions 22 to cooperatively cam the rounded bar I3 into its seated position within the yoke.

In the manufacture of my device, the top bar I2 or other suitable portion of ring H is prefer ably split, as at l2, so that the ring may be spread apart and inserted through the opening of the frame ill, after which the ends of the ring may be sprung together and welded in position if desired.

In the operation of my device, it will be appreciated that the pivotal movement between mem bers Ill and H and of ring H within strap I l, coupled with the pivotal movement of stirrup leather L on frame ill, will provide ample freedom of movement of the stirrup leather transversely of the frame, and the freely slidable movement of the yoked portion E9 of frame Hi on bar it will provide a free swinging movement of the stirrup leather longitudinally of the frame. Hence, a rider may instantly swing the stirrup leathers to any convenient bracing positions, two of which are illustrated at L and L" in Fig. 5, and there will be no sliding movement of the strap which tends to quickly wear it and break it.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely differ ent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. A swing attachment for connecting a stirrup leather to a saddle and comprising a ring arranged to be supported by the saddle, and a swing member supported by said ring, said swing member being in the form of a rigid frame having spaced top and bottom bars interconnected by spaced side bars, the bottom bar being arranged to support a stirrup leather and the top bar having a yoke portion between its ends which engages the ring in freely slidable relation.

2. A swing attachment for connecting a stirrup leather to a saddle comprising a ring arranged to be secured to and depend from one side of a l saddle, and a swing member engaged within said ring, said swing member being in the form of a rigid metal frame having a bottom bar for supporting a stirrup leather and connected in spaced relation to top bar by spaced side bars, the top bar having a downwardly extending yoked portion between its ends and which is substantially U-shaped in cross section and overlies the ring for freely slidable and pivotal straddling relation therewith.

3. In a swing attachment for securing a stirrup leather to a saddle, a ring pivotally depending from the side of the saddle, a swing member supported by said ring and comprising a rigid, substantially rectangular metal frame provided with a bottom bar for pivotally supporting a bottom stirrup leather and connected in spaced relation to a top bar by side bars, said top bar having opposed arms extending inwardly and respectively from said side bars with the inner ends of the arms in laterally spaced overlapping relation and interconnected by a curved upper wall forming a downwardly extending yoked portion in said top bar which straddles the lower portion of the ring with a freely slidable pivotal relation.

4. In a swing attachment, a metal ring arranged to depend at one side of a saddle and having a lower curved portion, and a swing member in the general shape of a rigid rectangular metal frame having a bottom stirrup leather supporting bar connected by side bars at its ends to a top bar, said top bar having an intermediate downwardly extending yoked portion of substantially inverted U-shaped cross section and arranged to removably receive the depending curved portion of the ring in straddling relation, said yoke having an inner top wall engaging the lower portion of the ring and longitudinally curved in general conformity to the curvature of the ring whereby the swing member is freely slidable along the supporting portion of the ring.

5. In a swing attachment, a D having a top bar arranged to be pivotally supported at one side of the saddle and connected at its ends by a depending, longitudinally curved portion, and a swing member in the general shape of a rigid rectangular frame having a bottom stirrup leather supporting bar connected at its respective ends by side bars to a top bar which has a centrally dis- I posed, downwardly extending yoked portion of substantially inverted U-shape in cross section and arranged to removably receive the depending curved portion of the D in straddling relation, said yoke having an inner top wall engaging said curved portion and longitudinally curved in general conformity therewith so that the swing member is supported by the D for freely slidable and pivotal movement thereon.

6. In a swing member for a stirrup leather, a metal ring arranged to be pivotally supported at one side of a saddle and having a depending curved portion, and a swing member pivotally and slidably supported by said ring and comprising a rigid, substantially rectangular metal frame having a rounded bottom bar supporting a stirrup leather and connected in spaced relation to a top bar by side bars, said top bar having a yoked portion intermediate of its ends which is of substantially inverted U-shape in cross section and adapted to straddle the lower portion of the ring, said yoke having a curved inner top wall engaging the ring in longitudinal conformity with the curvature of the ring and having curved end portions adapted to cam said yoke into seated position in the bottom of the ring in the event that said yoke becomes disengaged therefrom.

ROBERT EARL VANCE.

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