Safety attachment for the horsehead of an oil well pumping unit

In combination with an oil well pumping unit comprising a walking beam oscillatable in a vertical plane about substantially a horizontal axis, a horsehead on one end of the beam and including a pair of side plates and an arcuate plate defining the face of the horsehead, a wire line assembly connected to the upper end of the arcuate face of the horsehead and connected to a polished rod at the lower end thereof, that improvement comprising an attachment for retaining the wire line assembly in overlying relation to the arcuate face to prevent bending of the polished rod during an upward movement of the horsehead in the event the polished rod does not move to its lowest position during a previous downward movement, said attachment comprising a pair of laterally spaced strap assemblies with each strap assembly including a pair of angularly disposed components connected together by a transverse spacing and pivoting assembly oriented in spaced, generally parallel relation to the arcuate of the horsehead, means securing the free end portions of the components to the side plates of the horsehead to prevent the wire line assembly from falling off the edges of the arcuate face of the horsehead.