The Long Riders Guild Academic Foundation
The world’s first global hippological study

 

Equine Inventions


Thanks to our comrades at the Society of the Military Horse, LRG-AF researchers have become aware that the Google search engine is now capable of providing details regarding a treasure-trove of US patents. Armed with that knowledge, we began investigating the concept of equine related inventions circa 1865 to 1950.
 
We found some incredibly unusual creations at the top of the list !
 
What was instantly apparent was the fact that we had inadvertently stumbled upon a visual chamber of equine curiosities, one where men attempted to correct and even duplicate horses via a long list of thankfully now extinct machines.
 
What you will find below are some of the most outrageous examples from this search. By clicking on the "Download PDF" button, you will be able to print off the illustrations and fact sheets, none of which run more than three or four pages.
 
Yet what these machines demonstrate is how man has been trying to correct, dominate or imitate the horse via the misuse of the science lab and the machine shop.
 
Horse Armour - 1884 King Size Collapsible Horse Bed with retractable mattress - 1886
Professor Sample's Horse taming machine - 1890
Wire Horse Fly Defense System - 1896 Mechanical bridle -1902
Shock absorber stirrup - 1903 Subduing horse device  - 1904
Horse Controlling device - 1905
Horse Mounted Forest Fire Spraying Device - 1911 Saddle-Mounted Spear - 1917
Motor propelled Horse - 1919 Man Powered Horse Boat - 1930

 

Here's our favourite unexpected invention! The LRG-AF has been unable to establish if this saddle with a built-in radio was ever sold.  This advertisement is from 1955, but the patent was applied for in 1949.

Click on picture to enlarge.

The spirit of invention is alive and well in the 21st century:  here is an interesting article about a British woman who has invented a harness to help solo horse-people to load difficult horses. 

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