Patent Application
20150101833
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to boots for horses and, in particular, to a buckle-free horse boot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Horse boots represent one of many types of protective gear for horses. In particular, boots are used to protect the hooves and fetlocks of horses and are sometimes employed in lieu of horseshoes.
A typical horse boot consists of a sole and an upper integral with or secured to the sole. The upper wraps around the back and the side portions of the boot and, in most cases, it defines an opening for a tongue at the front of the boot. In some molded upper designs, including recent boot configurations introduced by the applicant, the tongue is formed by cutting two slits in an upper wrapping continuously around the sole. Typically the two sides of the upper are connected over the tongue by laces, a buckle, or other means used to secure the boot on the hoof of the horse. The boot is put on the horse by spreading the upper and the tongue, sliding the hoof of the horse into the boot, and tightening the upper and tongue around the hoof. The tongue facilitates the spreading of the upper and thus the process of inserting the hoof into the boot.
Many different kinds of horse boots have been developed over the years in search for a perfect boot that is easy to put on, is comfortable to wear, provides the intended protection to the horse's hoof and pastern, and stays on even during the hardest gallop. In fact, all prior-art boots have been deficient in at least some of these objectives because the structural features used to achieve some of the objectives have been counterproductive with respect to the others.
For instance, easy entry into the boot requires a relatively large tongue opening and flexibility in the upper, features that are inconsistent with the tight fit required to avoid slippage during use. A loose boot also tends to rub against the hoof and pastern and allows debris into the boot, thereby producing irritation or even injury to the horse. After some use, a loose boot is also more likely to come off. Thus, in order to counter these drawbacks, people have endeavored to improve the methods used to secure the boot on the hoof. See, for example, the straps, cables, buckles and lacing systems shown in International Publication No. WO 2004/047526, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,958, and in copending U.S. Ser. Nos. 10/755,945, 10/755,984, 10/910,977, 10/948,584, and 11/281,359,
The effect of these improved securing means has simply been to provide a tighter fit over the hoof of the horse. As a result, the boot is less likely to come off, but it also forms a rigid enclosure that prevents some of the hoof's physiological functions. It is well known that the hoof of a horse expands when it meets the ground and it contracts when it is raised off the ground. This repeated expansion and contraction of the hoof has the physiological effect of supplementing blood circulation in the hoof and the lower leg of the horse (see T. G. Teskey, “The unfettered foot: a paradigm change for equine podiatry,” published at www.easycareinc.com/TheUnfetteredFoot.pdf). The rigid enclosure formed by conventionally tight boots prevents this natural function, it creates discomfort to the horse and it can even cause deformation of the hoof and related injuries during prolonged riding. Furthermore, the tight fit of prior-art boots is still not sufficient to prevent accumulation of dirt and debris inside the boot. So long as an opening forms during use between the upper of the boot and the hoof, sand and other material will continue to penetrate and irritate the horse.
This latter problem has been addressed by extending the height of the upper of the boot over the hoof's hairline, the pastern, or even the fetlock of the horse, but these solutions have necessarily also caused increased rubbing and related irritation. Thus, co-owned Ser. Nos. 10/948,584, 10/910,977 and 10/755,945 introduced the concept of a soft and flexible gaiter or cuff extending from the upper over the pastern of the horse. This solution has helped shield the boot from debris and protect the pastern from excessive rubbing, but is still not ideal with respect to the unnatural constraint over the hoof provided by a rigid securing system. Therefore, a need still exists for the ideal horse boot that is easily installed on the hoof, prevents accumulation of debris, does not irritate the horse, stays in place even during hard use, and permits the physiologically natural blood-circulation function of the hoof.
The invention expands the protective function of the gaiter disclosed in the copending application to also provide a reliable anchor for the rear portion of the boot on the hoof of the horse. Such a gaiter is then combined with a novel restraining device consisting of an elastic strap connecting the tongue to the two sides of the upper at the front of the boot.
One aspect of the invention resides in a boot shell with an upper extending upward below the hairline of the hoof of the horse and with a protective gaiter attached to the back portion of the upper. The gaiter consists of a cuff-like structure capable of wrapping around the pastern of the horse from the back of the boot, thereby securing the back of the boot in position, providing a barrier to infiltration of debris from the rear, and preventing the back of the boot from slipping off the hoof during use. The gaiter is made of much softer material than the upper in order to avoid irritation to the pastern of the horse. Thus, the gaiter is necessarily much more subject to wear and tear than the upper and sole of the boot shell, and it is preferably fastened to the upper by detachable connections to enable its convenient replacement when worn out.
Inasmuch as the gaiter is a discrete component of the overall boot structure designed for easy and convenient replacement, the upper and the gaiter are provided with cooperating coupling elements for releasably connecting the gaiter to the boot shell. The coupling elements can include simple screws, complementary elements designed for frictional engagement or snap-action connection, or other types of releasable fastening connection.
According to another aspect of the invention, the front of the boot shell is secured in place by an elastic connection between the tongue and the two sides of the upper. In one embodiment, this is achieved with an elastic strap straddling over the tongue between the two sides of the upper. In another, the fastener consists of an elastic band connecting the tongue to the sides of the upper in the interior of the boot, thereby covering the front portion of the hoof with a rubbery material. The elastic strap and band are preferably also attached to the tongue to provide additional torsional stability when the boot is subjected to strong lateral impacts. In a third embodiment, the tongue and the two sides of the upper are connected by means of an elastic material molded over them so as to fill and provide resilience to the slits separating the tongue from the upper. While continuously providing a snug closure of the upper around the hoof of the horse, these elastic fasteners are capable of expanding and contracting as necessary to conform to the natural expansion and contraction of the hoof without ever allowing the boot to become loose. Especially in conjunction with the gaiter attached to the back of the boot, the elastic-fastener approach provides sufficient retention to secure the boot in place under all conditions.
In another embodiment, which is not preferred but is still very useful when a user desires an extremely firm grip on the hoof of the horse, the boot includes a tightening element that engages each front side of the upper, and an operating element for exerting a force on the tightening element so that it progressively tightens the shell around the hoof of the horse. The tightening element is preferably a cable attached to the upper and the operating element is a buckle or similar mechanism for adjusting the tension applied to the cable.
The preferred operating element consists of a buckle mechanism mounted on the tongue of the boot. Such a mechanism is described in detail in Ser. No. 10/948,584, herein incorporated by reference.
In a particular embodiment of the horse boot, a gripping element is included on the inside surface of the upper to bear against the side of the hoof and further improve retention of the boot. This gripping element, also described in detail in the aforementioned application, has a toothed portion for gripping the hoof of the horse and a removable cover to neutralize its gripping effect, if preferred.
Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specification that follows and from the novel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention consists of the features hereinafter illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such drawings and description disclose only some of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.
The advance in the art provided by this invention lies in the performance improvements achieved by using a replaceable gaiter that provides an anchoring function to the back of the boot and an elastic connection that tightens the upper around the front of the hoof in a firm but giving manner. In combination, these novel features make it possible to install the boot with ease, provide a comfortable wear free of debris, prevent accidental loss of the boot, allow the natural circulatory action associated with pressing on and releasing the hoof, and protect the pastern and hairline from irritation and chafing. If the buckle mechanism is used to secure the front of the boot to the hoof, all these advantages are still present except for the enhancement to the physiological blood-circulation function of the hoof.
As used herein, the term “elastic” means capable of stretching when subjected to a tensile force and of contracting to the original condition when such force is released. In view of the fact that most materials exhibit some degree of elasticity, for the purposes of this disclosure and of the claimed invention, the term elastic is limited to materials that can be stretched as described above to at least to 1.4 times their original dimension without rupturing. The term “stretchable” is used to refer to elastic materials, as defined above, that can be elongated at least 1.05 times their original size (that is, they can be stretched at least by 5 percent without loosing elasticity).
Referring to the figures, wherein like parts are referenced with the same numerals and symbols,
The boot shell 12 is preferably made of molded plastic and is sized to receive the hoof H of a horse completely below the coronary band C (also referred to as the hoof's hairline). That is, the upper 16 and the tongue 18 are limited in extent to a height that is designed not to overlap the front hairline of the hoof intended for the boot of the invention. This feature is important in order to avoid rubbing of the upper and tongue against the hairline, which is the part of the leg where the front portion of the hoof transitions to a more sensitive region and is susceptible to irritation and possible damage. As shown better in
The tongue 18, located in the front portion of the shell 12, also extends upward from the sole 14 and is integral with the sole. Separated by the upper 16 by two symmetrical slits 28, the tongue 18 has a free end 30 that is movable in and out of the shell opening defined by the tongue and the upper, thereby facilitating the process of placing a hoof in the shell and also allowing the tongue 18 and the upper 16 to conform to the hoof. The tongue is preferably manufactured as a molded structure integral with the upper and its extent is defined by the slits 28 that separate the top portion of the tongue from the forward edges of the upper. These edges may be folded backward inside the boot to provide a retaining structure for an alternative restraining mechanism used to secure the boot on the hoof, as described below.
Referring to
The flaps 38,40 are equipped with coupling means for releasably fitting the gaiter 22 around the pastern of the horse. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, such coupling means consists of a hook-and-loop fastener comprising two straps 42,44 adapted for layered engagement to provide an adjustable and secure enclosure. For example, as can be clearly understood from the front view of
The mounting section 34 of the gaiter is designed to be connected to the rear lip 24 of the upper 16 of the boot. As seen better in the rear and side views of
The connecting section 36 is used to provide a durable transition between the rigid mounting section 34 and the stretchable wrapping section 32. To that end, it is made of a flexible but not stretchable material and it preferably overlaps the back side of the wrapping section, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Moreover, and most important as an advance in the art, the attachment of the gaiter 22 to the pastern of the horse provides an anchor that prevents the heel of the hoof from sliding out of the boot shell 12 under even the harshest riding conditions. When the boot is subjected to a strong force tending to strip it from the hoof, the stretchable material of the wrapping section provides sufficient give to temporarily accommodate some loosening of the heel and then retract the boot to its original position. Thus, the boot of the invention could never become totally loose and detached from the hoof, as has been the case with many prior-art boots when they are not very rigidly fastened to the hoof.
It is noted that the gaiter 22 is much more susceptible to wear and tear than the shell 12 of the invention because of the softer and less resistant materials used to provide comfort and stretchability. Therefore, it is by far preferred that the gaiter be attached to the shell 12 by means of connections that can be easily uncoupled, such as screws, snaps, ball-and-socket, tongue-and-groove, channel-and-rod, a hook-and-loop strip, or the like. Accordingly, the gaiter is made replaceable during the life of the horse boot in order to take advantage of the longer useful life of the plastic shell. As the quality of materials improves and materials with durability comparable to that of the shell 12 are developed that provide the described gaiter functions, it is anticipated that the boot of the invention may be manufactured with a permanently attached gaiter.
Another significant advance in the art provided by this invention lies in the restraining device 20 used in the preferred embodiment of the horse boot. As shown in
The elastic strap 60 may be connected to the front edges of the upper 16 by means of two perforated strips 62 that provide adjustment to the tension applied by the strap on the upper of the boot. One end of each strip 62 is attached to an end of the elastic strap 60, preferably by a rivet 64 or other fastening means, while the other end is secured to the upper through one of a plurality of perforations 66 in the strip, thereby setting a particular length and corresponding degree of tension in the strap assembly straddling the front of the boot. Preferably, the same screw 58 used to tie the mounting section 34 of the gaiter to the shell of the boot is also used to secure each strip 62 to the upper, as seen clearly in
It is noted that the use of an elastic strap to secure the boot on the hoof of the horse is particularly advantageous in conjunction with the gaiter of the invention, which, by being also attached to the heel of the boot, contributes to the stability of the enclosure secured by the strap. In combination, these two features provide a continually self-adjusting retention mechanism with sufficient give and resiliency to allow the boot to conform to changes in the size and position of the hoof without any risk of loosing the boot or of injuring the horse due to excessive tightness of the boot.
As mentioned above, though not preferred, a conventional mechanism may be used to provide a tight and rigid connection of the boot shell 12 to the hoof of the horse. Such tightening means may includes a tensioning element in the form of a buckle and a cable or other elongated drawing element that can be tensioned or loosened by the buckle.
A cable 80 has two end portions 80a and 80b that are fixed to the top portion of the buckle 72. From the end portion 80a, the cable 80 runs through a first opening in the folded front edge 16a of the right side of the upper 16. The cable 80 then passes around the screw 58 (which is already in place to hold the gaiter—
According to a particular embodiment of the invention, a gripping element 82 may be mounted internally adjacent to the front edges 16a and 16b of the upper, as illustrated in
All restraining mechanisms described above to fasten the shell of the boot to the hoof involve the use of a structure (such as the clamp 68 or the buckle 72) protruding forward from the tongue of the boot. This is often a problem because horses tend to gallop with a leg motion that brings the front and back hooves very close to one another at each stride. Therefore, any extra thickness in the front portion of the boot increases the chances that it may be struck and damaged. Accordingly, as a further improvement over the boot configurations mentioned above,
The preferred material for the band 102 is rubber or equivalent elastic material, such as EPDM. In addition to its retaining function, because of its rubbery elastic nature, the band 102 provides a comfortable and engaging lining surface for contacting the rough wall of the hoof of the horse, thereby increasing surface contact, conformance of the boot's front portion of the shell to the shape of the hoof, and stability of the boot under stress conditions. To that end, the elastic band 102 is also preferably tapered in thickness toward its ends 104 so as to provide a smooth contact transition from the band to the upper's interior surface. Note that different thicknesses of the band 102 can also be used to fine tune the fitting of a given-size boot shell to a particular hoof.
In yet another embodiment of the same elastic restraint concept, elastic material 106 is bonded, preferably by molding, over portions of the tongue 18 and sides of the upper 16 to fill the gaps defined by the slits 28, as illustrated in
As is well understood in the art, a horse boot according to any embodiment of the invention described herein is mounted on the leg of the horse to protect the hoof and the legs. The boot is mounted by spreading the tongue 18 forward and the open gaiter 22 backward, thereby maximizing access and facilitating entry of the hoof into the shell 12 of the boot. If the boot includes either the elastic strap 60, the elastic band 102, or the elastic moldings 106, their elasticity permits the forward extension of the tongue. If the boot is equipped with a buckle 72, entry is carried out with the buckle in released position. The flaps 38,40 of the gaiter are pulled away from one another, the hoof of the horse is lifted and placed inside the shell of the boot with the heel of the hoof bearing against the band 26, and the tongue 18 and the sides of the upper 16 are pushed towards the hoof. No other adjustment is required if the boot is equipped with an elastic retaining component. If a buckle is used, the cable 80 is placed in an appropriate slot of the lever and the buckle is tightened.
Once the shell of the boot has been secured to the hoof, the flaps 38,40 of the gaiter 22 are pulled around snugly against the pastern of the horse's leg immediately above the front hairline of the hoof and below the fetlock. The strap 42 of the gaiter is then secured to the flap 40 and overlaid with the other flap 44, thereby fixing the gaiter 22 on the horse's leg.
As mentioned above, the gaiter serves as a barrier that inhibits the entry of debris into the boot. Furthermore, should the buckle release or the elastic component relent under extreme forces, the gaiter would prevent the shell of the boot from falling off the hoof.
Should it be necessary or desirable to disconnect the gaiter from the boot shell for replacement of the gaiter or any other reason, this may be readily accomplished by removing screws 54 and 58 from the sides of the upper 16. It is understood that the gaiter has been described as being releasably connected to the shell by way of screws, but other releasable connections can be employed, such as tongue-and-groove, channel-and-rod, ball-and-socket, snaps, or hook-and-loop fasteners.
The preferred height of the portion of the gaiter 22 situated at the rear of the hoof and wrapped about 180 degrees around the pastern is about six inches. The remaining portion of the gaiter, which corresponds essentially to the flaps wrapped around the front of the pastern, is advantageously about three inches tall. These dimensions have been found to avoid overlap of the front hairline as well as the fetlock of all average-size horses.
Therefore, while the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures can be made therefrom within the scope of the invention. For example, the molded or bonded embodiment of
This application is a divisional application of pending Ser. No. 12/082,480, filed Apr. 11, 2008, which was a continuation in part application of Ser. No. 11/281,359, filed Nov. 17, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,497, which claimed the benefit of provisional application No. 60/635,588, filed Dec. 13, 2004.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60635588 | Dec 2004 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12082480 | Apr 2008 | US |
| Child | 14570407 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11281359 | Nov 2005 | US |
| Child | 12082480 | US |
