A “stallion shield” sounds regal — like a heraldic coat of arms on a gallant, majestic steed leading a rider into battle. But in reality, these late 19th century contraptions were weird, short-lived equine chastity belts, designed to stop horny studs from jerking off.

In 1890, a guy named N.E Springsteen filed a patent for a so-called “horse shield,” designed to “prevent stallions from abusing themselves.” The patent comes with a very rudimentary drawing of a smiley-faced horse with a strap around his torso, and a schlong-sized outline to demonstrate a sort of chastity cage. Apparently, abstinent horses are happy horses. The shield itself has “rigid sides large enough to allow the animal to make any necessary projection in urinating, but of such restricted size that, should the extended parts enlarge, the rigid sides will press into the flesh, giving pain sufficient to cause the animal to desist.”

This painful contraption had a few revisions over the next few years, with an 1894 patent for a revised stallion shield, explaining, “It is known that some horses, in lying down, put their hind legs beneath them, and when wearing the shield they not only cut their limbs with the tacks or points, but break down the staples at the ends of each shield.” The updated version covers these staples, to prevent them being broken.

Now, you might be asking: why? It’s a good question, and one that — shockingly — has still evaded in-depth historical research. It’s well-known that the Victorian era was one rooted largely in sexual repression. There was plenty of sex, scandal and vice hidden from view, of course, but the prevailing belief was that masturbation was a form of “self-abuse,” as referenced in the patent.

Stallions are known to masturbate, usually by rubbing their erect penises against their bellies. There was even a bizarre study conducted in 1991 that involved recording 12 stallions during a night in their stables. All of the stallions were deemed to have masturbated at some point, albeit very briefly. It’s not just the studs, either. Horse-owners of Reddit get occasionally paranoid that their mares are rubbing themselves against fences as a form of self-pleasure.

It goes to show that fascination with horse masturbation didn’t end in the Victorian age; in fact, a 2022 study of Pottoka ponies was conducted after “horse trainers and handlers … expressed concerns that equine erection and masturbation may be associated with unwanted or dangerous behaviors.” The study showed the hypothesis — at least in the context of this individual research — to be a dud, with both erection and masturbation observed mainly in “relaxed moments, with the pony displaying calm behaviors.”

But during the late 19th century, horses were big business. Not only were they a vital mode of transport, butthey played important roles in the day-to-day running of dozens of industries, like coal, farming and even medicine. Horses were workers first and foremost. Given the Victorian theory that masturbation was a form of moral depravity that led to actual insanity — and therefore, an inability to work — it’s not terribly surprising that “stallion shields” became a thing. And, hopefully, never led anyone into battle.