Patent Application
20140311105
This invention relates to methods to control the flexibility of a material by varying the thickness of the support material; the physical geometry of the support material; the formation of waves in the support material, and through the formulation of the adhesive resins. This invention also incorporates the application of these technologies into the design and production of saddle trees.
Few changes have been made over the centuries that saddles have been in use. The English saddle tree has kept approximately the same shape and has been made primarily of wood for hundreds of years until after WWII. At that time sprint steel attachments were incorporated into the design to allow the tree to improve flexibility without negatively impacting structural integrity. Until the recent use of plastics, and other manmade materials, little had been done to reduce weight. The latest major ad-vancement in saddles trees was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,630, in which a saddle having improved balance and fit of a saddle is disclosed and U.S. Pat. No. 7,231,889 in which a saddle further improving the comfort and contact between a rider and horse; the '630 and '889 patents being incorporated herein as though recited in full.
The traditional saddletree is comprised of thin layers of wood, with glue in between, that are molded into the desired form. Metal reinforcement is used along the sides of the saddle as well as the gullet. The life span of the glued wood trees with metal reinforcement is limited as eventually use stretches the width of the tree and increases the possibility of severe torquing. Prior art methods of compensating for the breakdown of the traditional tree have been to add metal reinforcements, which subsequently add weight. Many saddles eventually fail from the affects of constant use and, at times, considerable torque. Strength, however, remained an issue. Saddles must provide some flexibility; however excessive torque and force management have been a problem with prior art trees of wood construction. A professional quality saddle is an expensive investment and expected to last many years. A cracked, weakened or broken tree, however, immediately makes the saddle unusable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,614 a hollow saddletree formed of rotationally molded cross-linked polyethylene was disclosed. The hollow saddletree is of unitary, one piece construction and formed of cross-linked polyethylene by a rotational molding process with all of the structural elements of the saddle being of substantially equal thickness. Because the saddletree it is hollow, light and sufficiently flexible, it conforms to the contours of back of the horse. A saddletree of this form may exhibit significant flexibility, however it is lacking the structural integrity to obtain optimal performance. Fiberglass reinforced plastics have also been used to reduce the cost of saddle manufacturing. Saddletrees of this nature are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,293,828 to Hessler incorporated herein by reference. The problem with fiberglass-reinforced saddletrees is that they are too rigid resulting in hot spots and micro fractures resulting in a break down of structural integrity. In addition, saddletrees formed of fiber reinforced plastics are too stiff and do not conform to the horse's back. In consequence, they cause abrasion to the sides of the horse, to the material discomfort of the horse. Saddles formed of foam-filled fiber reinforced plastics have also been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,894 to Hoaglin. In this construction, two sections are molded from fiber reinforced plastic, combined together and the interior filled with urethane foam. Injected molded saddles have also been tried and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,712,024 and 3,780,494. High cost of molding, difficulty of quality control and lack of versatility have been the problems with injected molded saddles.
An equine saddletree with controlled flexing is disclosed. The body comprises a top surface, an underside, a cantle, a pommel, a center channel, sidebars between the pommel and cantle, and multiple pairs of sets of offset wave depressions. Each of the sets of wave depressions set has a predetermined number of depressions along each of said sidebar edges from proximate the pommel toward the cantle. Each of the wave depressions has a counterpart on the opposing side of said saddletree to form undulations between top and under surfaces to enable limited stretch along the sidebar edges. A first pair of sets is proximate the pommel, with each pair comprising a central wave and opposing a proximal wave and distal wave. The proximal and distal waves are depressions from the top surface, said central wave a depression from the underside. The second of set pairs are half ovals and the third of the sets pairs of cones.
The pommel has a gullet and points, the gullet and points having a proximal edge and the points having a distal edge. A carbon strip covers the top and underside surfaces of the pommel. Receiving holes on either side of the gullet receive a carbon strip from the top surface of a first a point through a first of receiving holes, along the underside of the gullet, through a second receiving hole and along the top surface of the second point.
A pair of single inner waves, having a half oval configuration, are located on said the underside. The end line is at the center channel proximate the first of pair of wave sets. A pommel wave, a pair of half ovals with adjacent end lines and at an angle to a centerline of the saddletree is located on the underside proximate the pommel. An ellipse, extending from the top surface to the underside is centered on said centerline within the pommel wave. Slots extend from the top surface to the underside and are angled from the centerline on either side of the ellipse.
The center channel has a peripheral edge and is divided into five sections, a first section being proximate said pommel and having a smooth edge, said second section, third section and fourth section having scallops along their edges and a fifth section having a smooth edge. Scallops in the third section having a greater length and less depth than scallops in the second and fourth sections.
The underside of the saddletree is covered with bidirectional carbon weave at a 45 degrees angle, plus or minus 10%, from the saddletree centerline. The bidirectional weave extends from the underside to the top surface along said distal edge of said points and said sidebar edges to the first, second and third sections to form an overlap on top surface of about ⅜ inch. The weave extend from underside along the peripheral edge of the center channel flush with top surface.
The tree has an engineered rail, or formed, into the underside at the center channel periphery at said sections two, three, four and five. A secondary rail is etched, or otherwise formed, into the underside approximately parallel to and spaced from the center channel. The secondary rail is etched in at least a portion of section two and three.
A recess, having a width and a length, is cut in the proximal edge of the pommel, with the width of the recess being greater at proximal edge of the gullet than at the proximal edge of points.
The advantages of the instant disclosure will become more apparent when read with the specification and the drawings, wherein:
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “bi-directional carbon weave” shall mean carbon fiber, or equivalent materials having the same qualities and meeting the criteria set forth herein, woven into sheet material having a warp and weft.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “carbon strip” shall mean unidirectional carbon fiber, or other materials having the same qualities and meeting the criteria set forth herein.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “composite” shall mean a material made from more than one substance, preferably from the line of acrylic-polyvinyl chloride materials, or the equivalent, for example Kydex®.
For the purposes as employed herein, the terms “cone” and “concial” shall mean a conical depression that tapers to and end region from a base at an edge of the saddletree. The end region can be circular or curved and has a diameter less that the diameter of the base. The conical depression generates a wave form as seen in
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “engineered rail” shall mean to the structure that enables the flexing of the tree to be controlled. The engineered rail is composed of the flex slots, S cross section and rim.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “gullet” shall mean the channel at the pommel, which provides clearance for the horse's withers so the saddle does not place pressure on the withers.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “half oval” shall mean a wave having two spaced parallel sides, a curve connecting the two sides at one end and an end line at the curvature of an edge of the saddletree and/or other half oval at the opposing end, as illustrated in
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “optimum performance” shall mean the specific design flexion of the saddle tree without deformation.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “points” shall mean the area of the pommel that extends from the gullet along the front portion of the saddle.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “pommel” shall mean the front portion of the saddle consisting of a gullet and points.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “saddle tree” shall mean the frame of a saddle onto which all additional materials are secured and forms the basic manner in which the saddle contacts the horse and rider.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “scallop”, “scallops” and “scalloped” shall mean the an edge marked with semicircles forming an undulation and having a length and a depth.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “side bars” shall mean the portion of the saddle tree connecting the pommel and the cantle.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “torque” shall mean the measure of a force's tendency to produce torsion and rotation about an axis, equal to the vector product of the radius vector from the axis of rotation to the point of application of the force and the force vector.
For the purposes as employed herein, the term “torsion” shall mean the stress or deformation caused when one end of an object is twisted in one direction and the other end is held motionless or rotated to a lesser degree, or twisted in the opposite direction.
For the purposes as employed herein, the terms “wave” and “depression” shall be interchangeable mean the depression of a surface and/or an undulating depression of a surface spaced between adjacent waves.
A traditional saddle tree is comprised of thin layers of laminated wood, which are molded into the desired form. Metal reinforcement is used along the sides of the saddle as well as the gullet. The life span of the glued wood trees with metal reinforcement is limited as eventually use stretches the form of the tree and increases the possibility of severe torquing. Prior art methods of compensating for the breakdown of the traditional tree have been to add metal reinforcements, which subsequently add weight. Many saddles eventually fail from the effects of constant use and, at times, considerable torque.
Until recently to increase contact between horse and rider, to minimize torque and provide an overall fit, the cost of design was a major cost. With the advent of the use of synthetics to replace the traditional wood tree, the cost was lowered, however the fit and strength of the saddle tree needed addressing. The foregoing objects are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,231,889, 6,044,630, 6,691,498, and pending application Ser. No. 12/726,793 filed Mar. 18, 2010, all of which are incorporated herein as though recited in full.
This invention relates to methods to control the flexibility of a material by varying the thickness of the support material; the physical geometry of the support material; the formation of waves in the support material, and the formulation of the adhesive resins.
The invention incorporates the application of these technologies into the design and production of saddle trees and bicycle seats.
To provide the required directional flexibility while maintaining strength, a saddle tree is manufactured from a composite material, as described in the heretofore noted patents, and reinforced portions of the underside and at least a portion of the topside of the saddle tree with carbon. The carbon is then coated with at least two resins having different flexibility characteristics. While the carbon and resin provide strength, they reduce the directional flexibility. To provide the controlled, directional flexibility, while maintaining the needed strength, waves, or undulations, are formed along the edge of the saddle tree and are strategically placed within the pommel area.
While the above combination was initially developed for use with saddle trees, it was also found that the combination provides these characteristics to other items, such as bicycle seats, manufactured from composite where strength and flexibility are advantageous.
For English saddle trees, the tolerances from the optimal dimensioning and examples listed hereinafter can be varied dependent upon the saddle size. It would be obvious to one skilled in the art that less stress will be placed upon a 15 inch saddle ridden by a child than an 18.5 (18½) inch saddle ridden by a large man. Using the criteria set forth herein the degree of variation from the examples will be obvious to those versed in the art.
For skateboards, boat hulls and other structures requiring directed flexibility and strength the tolerances will vary depending upon the end use.
The disclosed technology can be used on any style of saddle tree with the change in dimensions, spacing of waves and resin rigidity, using the technology taught herein, being obvious to those skilled in the art.
The saddle tree 10 is formed using the “forming tools” created by a CNC machine using the data points provide by the computer modeling as disclosed in the patents referenced and incorporated herein. The center channel 18 remains, as with prior trees, as it is necessary to provide for the clearance for the horse's spine as well as rider comfort and flexibility. The channel 18 does not, however, extend as close to the edge of the pommel 80 as prior art saddles and ends approximately 4 to 6 inches from the edge of the pommel 80. A portion of the interior edge 42 of the channel 18 is slightly scalloped, a configuration that is created by cutting into the interior edge 42 to a depth of approximately 0.03 ( 3/100) of an inch. The scallops can be as much as 0.06 ( 6/100) of an inch or as little as 0.01 ( 1/100) of an inch, however closer to 0.03 ( 3/100) of an inch provides optimum results. The scallops 75 start beyond the curve of the channel 18 at the pommel 80, proximate cut off line 112, and extend to just before the curve of the channel 18 at the cantle 82, proximate cutoff line 110. To more clearly describe the dimensioning of the scallops,
The topside of the pommel proximal edge 90 of the tree 10 has been cut with a recess 92 of approximately 0.25 (¼) to 0.375 (⅜) of an inch from the proximal edge 90, although that can vary by approximately 10%. Preferably the width of the recess 92 is increased around the gullet 94, or high point, of the pommel 80 by approximately ⅛ inch to allow the pommel 80 to flex outward, away from the horse's withers upon the application of pressure. The depth of the recess 92, which is approximately 0.0625 ( 1/16) inch deep, does not increase along its length, remaining the same no matter what the width. The removal of additional depth will weaken the structural integrity of the saddle. The recess 92 is also used to attach the leather and hardware ultimately placed on the saddle without altering the front profile.
As with all recesses, waves and slots, the flex of the pommel recess 92 must be countered with a material that will limit the flex and return the composite back to its original configuration. In the instance of the pommel 80, which is subject to substantial stress, the bidirectional weave 200 in the underside as well as the carbon fiber strips 246, 248 and cable tie 250 all provide the required support. This support, however, must be balanced with the flex, as taught herein, to achieve the desired results.
Toward the distal end, prior to the curve of the cantle 82, flex slots 16 are cut through the tree 10. The flex slots 16, as described in the referenced patents, provide flexibility to the distal portion of the saddle and are described in more detail hereinafter.
The use of wave depressions to create undulations along the outside perimeter of the tree provides a novel means to increase comfort for both horse and rider. The wave depressions enable the saddle to lengthen and compress as the horse's back moves with each step. The placement, depth and length of the wave depressions are all critical to maintain a balance between strength and flexibility.
The wave set 70 consists of three wave depressions, two outer depressions, proximal depression 50 and distal depression 52 that are reflected in a concave manner on the top surface of the saddle tree 10. A center depression 64 bi-sects a portion of each of the proximal depression 50 and distal depression 52 and is reflected in a conves manner on the top surface of the saddle tree. The wave set 70 is illustrated in more detail in
The proximal depression 50 and distal depression 52 are approximately 1 inch high “H” and approximately 1.05 (1 1/20) inches wide “W”. The center depression 64 is approximately 2.57 (2 53/93) inches wide W1 and 2 inches high H1. The depth, or the impression into the tree material, is about 0.20 (⅕) for the center depression 64 and 0.07 ( 3/43) for the proximal and distal depressions 50 and 52. The foregoing dimensions are preferred examples based on a 16.5 (16%) inch saddle; however the dimensions can vary by about 50% either way, preferably the dimensions will only range about +/−25% and the most preferably range is about +/−10%. It should be noted however, that if the depressions are too deep, or if the differential between the proximal and distal depressions 50 and 52 and the center depression 64 is too great, the point of differential will become a focal point of pressure.
Wave depressions 54, 56, 58, 60 and 62 are molded into the bottom 15 of the saddle tree 10, and wave depressions 53, 55, 57, 59, and 61, which are off set from depressions 54, 56, 58, 60 and 62, are molded into the top 14, as shown also in
The designation of top or bottom waves is for example and the waves can be reversed with the first wave being on the top surface. The critical feature is the placement and dimensioning of the waves.
The depth of the wave depressions 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, and 62 directly affect the performance of the saddle tree, or other structure, as the greater the depth, the greater the amount of flex. The wave depressions 60 are preferably on the top side of the saddle with wave 53 to avoid any conflict with the attachment of the stirrup bars. This placement leaves a smooth surface for attachment while not affecting the performance of the wave depressions.
Between the channel 18 and the pommel 80, on the underside of the tree 10, is the pommel wave 71. As physics requires that a wave needs an edge to flex, the wave 71 has either the ellipse 72 and slots 73a and 73b, or the slots 574 and 576 (
The ellipse 72 and slots 73a and 73b, which are placed within the pommel wave 71 extend through the tree 10 while the pommel wave 71 extends into the tree 10 as a depression having a depth of 0.03 ( 1/32), plus or minus 25%. The pommel wave 71 serves to counteract the loss of flexibility encountered when wrapping the pommel 80 with the carbon and enables the material of manufacture to have a controlled amount of flexibility, enabling the pommel to flex with the movement of the horse. The pommel wave 71 is about 0.25 (¼) to 0.5 (½) of an inch from the channel 18 and between 0.5 (½) and 1.55 (1 11/20) inches long, preferable 0.75 (¾) of an inch, and between 0.25 (¼) and 0.75 (¾) wide, preferably 0.375 (⅜) of an inch wide. The wave pommel 71 should not extend into the wave 64 but rather be spaced slightly therefrom. The ellipse 72 has a height slightly less than that of the of the pommel wave 71, approximately 0.5 (½) to 0.7 ( 7/10) of an inches and have a width of about 0.1 ( 1/10) to about 0.3 ( 3/10) of an inch.
The ellipse 72 within the pommel wave 71 is the keystone to the pommel 80 area having the ability to flex. The pressure required to flex the carbon covered pommel is substantial and would be impossible simply by the movement of a horse's withers without the complete removal of material forming the ellipse 72. The pommel wave 71 removes a slight quantity of material to, in combination with the ellipse 72, enable controlled flex while maintaining structural integrity.
The slots 73a and 73b are proximate the front edge of the pommel wave 71 and at about 24 to 26 degrees from the centerline 22 although their placement from the front edge of the pommel wave 71 can vary up to 40%. The angle from the centerline can range between 16 and 35 degrees, however greater than a 35 degree angle starts to negate the value of the slots 73a and 73b and reduce optimal control. The slots 73a and 73b are 0.0625 ( 1/16) of an inch wide and 0.375 (⅜) of an inch long, although these dimensions can vary slightly. The vertical ellipse 72 is placed further back on the depression with the distal end of the major axis touching the top edge of the pommel wave 71.
In the case of a saddle tree 10, too great a depth of the waves or depressions disclosed herein will cause the pressure created by the rider to be focused in a single area rather than the even spread of pressure achieved with the proper depth. In other uses, the depth will directly affect the integrity of the structure, whether it is a bike seat, skateboard, boat hull, etc. as well as the degree of flexibility.
In use with saddle trees, the depth of the wave depressions, top and bottom, would remain the same unless otherwise noted herein. However in some saddle applications, as well as other applications using the wave design to control flexibility, the depth can vary within the saddle or other application.
The placement of the waves with respect to the center line 22 is critical. The back waves 61 and 62 are +/−90 degrees to center to allow the back of the saddle greater flexibility toward the cantle. To prevent over flexing, the wave depressions stop at the point where the cantle starts to curve upward as can be seen easily in
The waves 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, and 62 are cone shaped in order to leave more material in the center of the tree 10 and less material along the edge 12. The cone shaped waves 55-62 have outside angles varying from 90-70 degrees from the centerline 22. In an optimal example waves 53 and 54 are at 76.5 degrees; 55-58 are 71 degrees; 59 and 60 are at 83 degrees; 61 and 62 at 87 degrees, with all angles measures from the centerline 22. Too steep of an angle produces insufficient flex, while too large of an angle and produces too much flex. The cone shaped waves 55, 56, 57, 58, and 59 have a base width of about 0.625 (⅝) to 1.125 (1⅛) inches and a top width of about 0.5 (½) of an inch. The depth ranges between 0.02 ( 1/50) and 0.075 ( 2/27) of an inch with a preferred depth in the range of 0.04 ( 1/25) to 0.05 ( 1/20) of an inch. If the waves are too deep, the flex is too great, while too shallow, the flex is insufficient. The length and depth of the waves will be dependent to some extent on the size and style of the saddle and is more reliant on the distance from the interior edge 42 than the actual length. Waves that are too long, extending into the engineered rail 40, will take away strength while waves that are too short, less than about 0.5 (½) of an inch, will limit flexibility. An average wave would be about 2.5 (2½) inches, in an English saddle, varying somewhat based upon saddle size. It is critical is that the waves do not extend into the engineered rail 40. The base of the waves is perpendicular to the outer edge, although a variation of about 15-20 degrees can be tolerated. This enables the flex to be along the outer edge 12 as the horse moves. The small, inner waves 20 can be parallel with, or close to parallel, with the centerline 22, with a variance of approximately 5 degrees off center. The end line of the inner wave 20 is at the channel section 108.
As the purpose of the waves is to provide controlled flexing, more along the outside edge than in the body of the tree along the central channel 18. The use of cones enables the control required. To prevent over flexing the cone waves do not extend to the interior edge 42 with the exception of the interior waves 20 which serve to provide a small amount of flex in the pommel area. The interior waves 20 are shallow, between about 0.01 ( 1/100) and 0.04 ( 1/25) of an inch and basically a square of between 0.625 (⅝) and 1 inch with the base on the interior edge 42 and the curved top extending into the body of the saddle tree.
For skateboards excessive depth would also pinpoint the pressure into a small area causing too much flex under the user's foot and insufficient weight distribution over the remainder of the board affecting control. In bicycle seats excessive depth will cause the seat to fail. In all uses, excessive wave depth will result in structural weakness and excessive movement.
In most embodiments concerning saddle trees, there would be four (4) to six (6) waves on the top surface 14, excluding the wave set 70, with the number of waves and spacing being dependent upon the saddle tree size and style. However, the actual number of waves is not as critical as the dimensioning.
The depth of the waves can vary depending upon the size of the saddle. The larger the saddle, the shallower the wave. Therefore an 18 inch saddle would have shallower waves than a 16 inch saddle. The waves are about 0.01 ( 1/100) of an inch deep and can be as much as about 0.02 ( 1/50) of an inch deep, depending on saddle size.
The saddle tree 10 also incorporates an engineered rail design to control flexing. The rail 40 has been designed to control flexing by etching the underside 15 of the saddle tree 10, as seen in
As stated heretofore, the rail 40 provides structural strength, while enabling the tree to flex. Therefore, it is critical that the underside wave depressions 54, 56, 58, 60 and 62 and topside wave depressions 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61 do not extend into the channel 44 of the rail 40 and compromise structural integrity.
A secondary rail 66, approximately parallel to the engineered rail 40, supports the engineered rail 40 to prevent excessive bending. As stated, the wave depressions 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61 increase the flex of the saddle tree 10 along the edge 12, permitting an advantageous flex, or stretching, during the natural side to side sway of a horse's gate as well as during turns. However, excessive flex along the middle of the tree, which contacts the horse's back, causes rubbing and discomfort. The secondary rail 66, while permitting flex on the outer edge, prevents the tree from flexing into the horse's back. The location of the secondary rail 66 is at the point of rider weight concentration, placing the extra strength at the point of least desirable flex. The secondary rail 66 is placed parallel to the engineered rail 40 approximately 0.25 (¼) of an inch from the engineered rail 40. The secondary rail 66 is approximately 0.375 (⅜) of an inch wide, although width and distance from the engineered rail 40 can vary depending on saddle size. The secondary rail 66 can be etched or formed into the tree 10 in any manner convenient for manufacture.
One of the critical features in obtaining the controlled flex is the wave depressions and their design and spacing. A side view of the saddle tree is illustrated in
The sequencing and configuration of the waves is critical to obtaining optimal performance. Although some percent of change can be made with advantages over prior art saddles being retained, the greater the variation from the dimensions taught herein, the greater the reduction in performance.
In order to expand and contract optimally without losing strength, the waves 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61 and 62 are cone shaped. This, as stated heretofore, leaves maximum material toward the center while providing needed flex along the edges. If the waves 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61 and 62 did not have a cone configuration but were shaped as waves 20, a massive amount of material would be removed from the saddle tree and the integrity would be severely compromised. If the waves were shortened to retain material, the flex, or compression/expansion, would be compromised. As stated herein, the waves must not extend into the engineered rail 40 as that would compromise the strength of the tree.
The waves 53 and 54 do not extend as far as the cone waves as they are located in a prime pressure area and do not have the reinforcement of either the engineered rail 40 or the secondary rail 66.
In addition to producing controlled flexing along the body of the tree, the wave pattern provides the elasticity required to enable the saddle tree to flex cantle to pommel. When a horse moves in any gait, as well as turns, the spine curves. Prior art saddle trees have remained straight, with the padding the only means to protect the horse's back. Using the waves disclosed herein, the saddle itself will compress and stretch during turns as illustrated in
In
As seen in
Wrapping the carbon fiber over the top of the tree 10 at the channel 18 stiffens the tree 10 more than is advantageous by prevent flexing along the horse's spine. Bringing the carbon fiber up to covered the edges of the central channel 18 returns the scallops 75A, 75B and 75C to their original position flexing with the horse's movement.
In this figure, in addition to waves 50-62, slots 73a and 73b and ellipse 72, the pommel reinforcement receiving holes 247A and 247B have been drilled.
The placement of the axis at 45 degrees from the centerline unlocks the axis of rotation to enable rotation in more directions. The carbon weave has the least amount of give along the bias and therefore “locking” the saddle tree between parallel bias prevents movement in that direction. However, by offsetting the bias, controlled rotation, or movement, is enabled in all directions. In this manner the exact angle between carbon fiber weave and primary x axis allows for fine tuning of saddle tree flexion and performance. The above configuration is preferred for optimal results for the majority of the horses and riders.
As the pommel 80 is one of the greater stress points, to provide the required pommel reinforcement, unidirectional carbon strips 246 and 248, as illustrated in
In
As seen in greater detail in
If the receiving holes 247A, 247B, are placed too high on the pommel 80, they will weaken the structure, while too low on the pommel 80 and the necessary clearance for the horse's withers is lost. By drilling the receiving holes 247A, 247B, parallel to the top of the pommel 208, at a point where the top of the receiving hole is proximate to the underside of the pommel 80, the receiving holes 247A, 247B, will automatically be positioned to correctly place the mid portion of the carbon strip 250. Although a single carbon cable strip is illustrated, it should be noted that additional carbon cable strips can be used. The wide carbon strip 250 is about 1.5 (1½) inches wide, although as noted heretofore other sizes can be used, and are applied to all size saddles.
In the embodiment illustrated in
As a point of reference, the following are approximate example dimensions to product optimum performance and comfort for both horse and rider. These dimensions are provided as examples only and can be varied and altered as will be evident to those skilled in the art when practicing the teachings herein. As previously noted, the dimensions can vary by about +/−50%; preferably the dimension range can be about +/−25% and most preferably about +/−10%.
As seen in
The saddle tree is subjected to numerous static and dynamic loads along the y axis. The static loads include the weight of the rider as transmitted through the rider's seat, the downward pressure exerted by the girth that secures the saddle, and the y component of the force generated via the stirrup bars. The dynamic loads include the weighing and un-weighing of the rider, the g-forces generated during jumping and landing, the pressure originating with the expansion and contraction of the horse's chest, and the concave and convex bending of the horse's spine. The saddle tree must accommodate these forces without undue distortion. However, it is imperative that the saddle tree maintain its flexibility and abilities to allow freedom of movement of the horse. The y component of these forces is addressed primarily via two engineered features of the saddle tree. Directly under and forward of the rider the saddle tree has two extended arches (one on each side of the x axis) that add to the structural integrity of the saddle tree while also maintaining flexibility. The extended arches are phased out as one moves rearward towards the cantle with engineered rails now mitigating the various forces.
While illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described herein, the present invention is not limited to the various preferred embodiments described herein, but includes any and all embodiments having equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across various embodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated by those in the art based on the present disclosure. The limitations in the claims (e.g., including that to be later added) are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. For example, in the present disclosure, the term “preferably” is non-exclusive and means “preferably, but not limited to”. In this disclosure and during the prosecution of this application, means-plus-function or step-plus-function limitations will only be employed where for a specific claim limitation all of the following conditions are present in that limitation: a) “means for” or “step for” is expressly recited; b) a corresponding function is expressly recited; and c) structure, material or acts that support that structure are not recited. In this disclosure and during the prosecution of this application, the terminology “present invention” or “invention” may be used as a reference to one or more aspect within the present disclosure. The language of the present invention or inventions should not be improperly interpreted as an identification of criticality, should not be improperly interpreted as applying across all aspects or embodiments (i.e., it should be understood that the present invention has a number of aspects and embodiments), and should not be improperly interpreted as limiting the scope of the application or claims. In this disclosure and during the prosecution of this application, the terminology “embodiment” can be used to describe any aspect, feature, process or step, any combination thereof, and/or any portion thereof, etc. In some examples, various embodiments may include overlapping features. In this disclosure, the following abbreviated terminology may be employed: “e.g.” which means “for example”.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61791628 | Mar 2013 | US |
