Safety-stirrup.

Application filed. April 6, 1908. Serial No. 425,538.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William L. Fuchs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sardis, in the county of Monroe, State of Ohio, 5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stirrups; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to 10 which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to safety stirrups adapted to automatically release the foot loop of the stirrup in event of accident to the · 15 rider and has for one of its objects to provide a simply constructed device of this character whereby the foot loop portion of the stirrup is quicldy and automatically released from the suspending portion by an. abnormal 20 movement of the foot, but which remain coupled under normal conditions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereafter shown and de25 scribed and then specifically pointed out. in the claims, and in the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation, and—Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the improved device in oper30 ative position. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail enlarged showing the construction of the releasing mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 allowing the position of the parts when the stirrup is released. Fig. 5 is a per35 spective view of the foot engaging portion detached. Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the releasing member. .

The improved device comprises a foot loop • 10, with the lower portion of the usual form 40 and converging at the upper end into a head 11, preferably square, and provided with lateral trunnions 12—13, and a vertical guideway or bore 14.

A suspending member forms a part of the 45 improved device and is provided at one end with a strap loop 15, to receive the strap by which attachment is made to the saddle, not shown, and with resilient spaced sides 16—17, apertured at their lower ends to receive the 50 trunnions 12—13, and thus detachably couple the suspending member to the foot loop.

Projecting inwardly from the resilient sides 16—17, of the suspending member are lugs 18—19, preferably with their inner faces re versely inclined as shown, and slidably dis- 55 posed in the guideway or bore 14, is a rod 20, having a head 21, formed with reversely inclined sides or in wedge form and bearing between the inclined lugs 18—19, and with a foot engaging portion 22, at the lower end CO and within the foot loop, or in.position to be engaged by the foot of the rider when the latter is disposed in an abnormal position, but. which will not be effected by the foot when in normal or ordinary position. Thus 65 while the rider is seated upon the. animal and has him under control and with his f eet.in the foot loops of the stirrups, the feet will not come in contact with the members 22, and the foot loop and suspending member will re- 7 0 main in coupled condition. Should, however, the horse become unruly and throw his rider, or should the rider for any cause become unseated, the forward portions of the feet of the driver would assume an abnormal posi- 75 tion and press upward upon the member 22, and cause the wedge shaped head 21, to rise between the lugs 18—19, forcibly distend the sides 16—17, of the suspending member and release the latter from the foot loop leaving 80 the foot loop portions only upon the rider’s feet. By this simple arrangement all danger of the rider being dragged by the stirrup in event of accident is obviated:

The device may be adapted to stirrups of 85 all sizes and forms without material structural changes, and it will therefore be understood that changes in the form and construction within the scope of the appended claims may be made without departing, from the 90 principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.