The invention relates to an animal control apparatus, commonly referred to as a halter, intended to be applied to the animal's head. Generally, halters are designed to wrap around the head of an animal, e.g. a horse, for the purpose of catching, holding, leading, tying, or generally controlling the animal. Utilizing a fastener, e.g. a buckle, halters are designed to be removeably attached to the animal.
Halters are subjected to wear through repeated use. Damage to the halter can occur if the animal has a behavioral outburst, e.g. pulls back while tied. When this occurs it is frequently the fastener or closure mechanism that fails due to wear or damage. This may render the halter unusable, e.g., because the clasps typically used on halters are not designed to be easily replaced.
In the event that the halter does not fail under an extreme load, such as when an animal pulls back when tied, the animal could suffer an injury to the head, spinal column, etc.
Generally, this invention relates to an animal control apparatus (hereafter “halter”) to be applied to the animal's head for the purpose of catching, leading, tying, holding or generally controlling the animal. In some implementations, the halters disclosed herein include a releasable closure that can be easily replaced when damaged or worn, thus extending the useful life of the halter.
The present invention allows the user to replace the closure of a halter easily and inexpensively. In addition, the present invention provides for a great amount of adjustability in sizing, allowing a single halter to be utilized on a variety of differently sized animals. In some implementations the halter is designed to safely release under a predetermined force, e.g., when the animal pulls back with sufficient force to be potentially injured by the restraint provided by the halter.
In one aspect, the invention features an animal head control device comprising: a body dimensioned to receive the animal's head, an adjustable member connected to the body and dimensioned to wrap around at least a portion of the animal's head behind its ears; and a releasable closure configured to secure a first end of the adjustable member to a portion of the body.
Some implementations include one or more of the following features. The releasable closure may comprise a fabric strap configured to be threaded through a first receiving element on the body and second receiving element on the adjustable member. The fabric strap may comprise a first region having hook fasteners and a second region having loop fasteners. The fabric strap may be configured so that when the hook fasteners and loop fasteners are engaged at least a portion of one of the regions is captured between two portions of the other region.
In some implementations, the releasable closure can be retained on one of the receiving elements and unthreaded from the other receiving element by disengaging an upper one of the two portions of the other region from the captured portion while the captured portion remains engaged with a lower one of the two portions. The receiving elements may comprise rings, e.g., at least one of the receiving elements may be generally rectangular.
In some cases, the body comprises a plurality of elongated body elements connected by connecting elements, such as rings.
The adjustable member may comprise a flexible strap and a slide buckle configured to allow the available length of the flexible strap to be adjusted, and a first end of the flexible strap may be threaded through the second receiving element and through the slide buckle. In some cases, the adjustable member further comprises a second slide buckle, and a second end of the flexible strap is threaded through a receiving element on the body and the second slide buckle, such that the adjustable member can be removed from the body by unthreading the two free ends of the flexible strap from the respective slide buckles. Alternatively, instead of slide buckles, the adjustable member may comprise a pair or pairs of rectangular rings through which the first end and/or the second end of the flexible strap is threaded.
In another aspect, the invention features methods of using the devices disclosed herein. For example, the invention features a method for controlling an animal's head, comprising placing the animal's head in a body of a head-controlling device, and wrapping an adjustable member connected to the body around at least a portion of the animal's head to position the adjustable member behind the animal's ears, wherein the device includes a releasable closure configured to secure a first end of the adjustable member to a portion of the body.
Some implementations include one or more of the following features. The method further comprises removing the releasable closure and replacing it with a new releasable closure. The releasable closure may comprise a fabric strap configured to be threaded through a first receiving element on the body and second receiving element on the adjustable member. The fabric strap may comprise a first region having hook fasteners and a second region having loop fasteners. The fabric strap may be configured so that when the hook fasteners and loop fasteners are engaged at least a portion of one of the regions is captured between two portions of the other region. The method may further comprise retaining the adjustable member on one of the receiving elements while unthreading it from the other receiving element, to position the adjustable member behind the animal's ears, by disengaging an upper one of the two portions of the other region from the captured portion while the captured portion remains engaged with a lower one of the two portions. The adjustable member may comprise a flexible strap and a slide buckle or pair of rectangular rings, and the method may further include using the slide buckle or pair of rings to adjust the available length of the flexible strap to fit the animal's head.
Referring to
Referring to
Thus, as shown in
In the preferred implementation shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The releasable closure 40, in the event of an emergency, would allow for quick release of the animal's head from the halter 20 helping prevent injury to the animal. The releasable closure 40 and/or the closure ring 36 can be designed to release or fail under a predetermined load that is representative of the force produced in such a situation, or the releasable closure 40 can be released manually by the animal's handler.
The strength of the bond between the first and second portions, and thus the force required to disengage the releasable fastener, can be increased or decreased by altering the amount of interaction between the complementary surfaces 41 and 44. This can be done by the animal's handler, by only partially overlapping the complementary surfaces, or by the manufacturer, e.g., by providing fewer complementary fasteners, less aggressive hook fasteners, or bands of hook fasteners rather than a continuous array of hook fasteners.
In some implementations, the releasable closure 40 utilizes woven nylon hook and loop material measuring from ¾ to 3 inches in width, but preferably e.g. 2 inches in width. The poll band 32, in some embodiments, is configured to match the width of the releasable closure 40. The poll band 32, in some embodiments, utilizes a flat, woven nylon material but can be leather or any other material that meets the necessary strength and aesthetic requirements.
A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
For example, many different configurations of where the hook and loop fasteners are located on the closure device are possible so that similar results are achieved.
An alternate embodiment may feature a poll band that is removable/replaceable from the body of the halter by having the poll band be removable from the body of the halter on both sides of the horse's head. Removability can be accomplished, for example, by having a second sliding buckle or pair of rectangular rings at the other end of the poll band, or a sliding buckle or pair of rings and a second releasable closure similar to the releasable closure 40.
Another embodiment may feature different types of rings to accommodate different types or sizes of materials. For example, the rings may be round, rectangular or box-shaped, D-shaped, or have any other desired configuration.
Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.