Horses are ungulates. This means horses have one digit on each leg to support their body weight. As a result, any injury to the leg or hoof of a horse can cause serious discomfort or fatality. Additionally, since horses primarily stand, treating an injured hoof or leg can be a lengthy and difficult process. Equine boots or similar contraptions are often used to treat horses suffering from hoof or leg diseases or injury. When an equine boot is used to treat a horse's hoof or leg, it is especially necessary for the equine boot to remain in place on the horse's leg to maximize treatment therapy. This is especially the case when a horse is suffering from a disease like laminitis where the horse's hoof and leg are often treated with cryotherapy (cold therapy) for prolonged periods of time.
Cryotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for equine hoof and leg disease or injury. Current cryotherapy methods include applying an ice sleeve to the horse's limb, such as the ice sleeves depicted in
The equine therapy boot disclosed herein includes an internal securing mechanism configured to secure the horse's hoof flat to the sole member of the therapy boot such that the horse's leg maintains a secured position within the therapy boot. The internal securing mechanism prevents the horse from walking out of or otherwise displacing its hoof and leg in the therapy boot thus reducing the need to monitor the horse or consistently replace the detached therapy boot. As a result, the disclosed equine therapy boot provides for a more effective and less labor-intensive treatment period.
This equine therapy boot includes a sole member having a bottom side for contacting the ground and a top side for contact with at least a portion of the sole of a horse's hoof, an internal securing mechanism for securing the horse's leg within the boot such that the portion of the sole of the horse's hoof is in contact with the top side of the sole member, the internal securing mechanism having a first plurality of straps for attaching to a portion of the horse's leg proximal to the horse's hoof, and an insulating shaft wherein the insulating shaft extends upward from the sole member wherein the insulating shaft is configured to retain media.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft is secured to the horse's leg by a second plurality of straps at a point proximal to the first plurality of straps. In some embodiments, the first plurality of straps further includes a first garter strap configured to extend around the horse's pastern and at least one suspending strap that extends from the sole member to the first garter strap. In some embodiments, the second plurality of straps includes a second garter strap configured to extend around the horse's leg and at least one suspending strap that extends from the insulating shaft to the second garter strap.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft is attached to the sole member. In some embodiments, the distal end of the insulating shaft is closed and the sole member is disposed within the insulating shaft such that the bottom side of the sole member is attached to the closed distal end of the insulating shaft.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft contains at least one zipper extending from a bottom of the insulating shaft to a top of the insulating shaft. In some embodiments, the at least one zipper is a two-way zipper.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft further includes an external layer, an insulating layer, and an internal layer. The external layer, the insulating layer, and the internal layer form a reservoir for retaining media, such as a medical soak or a combination of ice and water. In some embodiments, the internal layer is attached to the external layer. In some embodiments, the internal layer is a waterproof material. In some embodiments, the insulating layer is an insulating material that reduces the transmission of heat. In some embodiments, the external layer is a protective material. In some embodiments, a mesh panel is attached to the internal layer.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft further includes a top portion and the top portion substantially tapers around the horse's leg. In some embodiments, the sole member is a cushioning pad.
Methods for treating a diseased or injured horse's hoof and leg are disclosed herein. Methods of treatment include the step of providing an equine therapy boot, the equine therapy boot comprising a sole member having a bottom side for contacting the ground and a top side for contacting at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof, an internal securing mechanism for securing the horse's leg within the boot such that the portion of the sole of the horse's hoof is in contact with the top side of the sole member, the internal securing mechanism further comprising a first plurality of straps for attaching to a portion of the horse's leg proximal to the horse's hoof, and an insulating shaft wherein the insulating shaft extends upwards from the sole member wherein the insulating shaft is configured to retain media. The method further includes fitting the equine therapy boot to the horse. In some methods, the method includes administering media to the insulating shaft of the equine therapy boot. In some methods, the method includes maintaining the equine therapy boot in its position with the at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof in contact with the top side of the sole member for a period of time.
The method of treatment further includes maintaining the equine therapy boot in its position with the at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof in contact with the top side of the sole member for a period of time greater than 2 hours. The method can further include maintaining the equine therapy boot in its position with the at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof in contact with the top side of the sole member for a period of time of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours, or therebetween.
In some treatment methods, the administered media is cooler than the temperature of the horse's hoof. In other treatment methods, the administered media is warmer than the temperature of the horse's hoof.
Example features and embodiments are disclosed in the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numbers are employed for designating the same elements throughout the several figures. A number of examples are provided, nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure herein. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is used synonymously with the term “including” and variations thereof and are open, non-limiting terms. Although the terms “comprising” and “including” have been used herein to describe various embodiments, the terms “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” can be used in place of “comprising” and “including” to provide for more specific embodiments and are also disclosed.
As used herein, the terms “distal” and “proximal” are anatomical terms used to describe the position of the equine therapy boot relative to the horse's topline. “Distal” is farther from the topline, whereas “proximal” is closer to the topline.
As used herein, “attached” or “attaching” is defined as securing two edges in a permanent fashion via sewing, gluing, bonding, or another similar type of attachment method known in the art.
The following is a description of various embodiments of an equine therapy boot that utilizes an internal securing mechanism to secure the therapy boot to the horse's hoof and leg such that the boot is not displaced during the treatment period.
The equine therapy boot 10 of
As depicted in
The equine therapy boot 10 further includes an insulating shaft 26. The insulating shaft 26 extends upward from the sole member 12. The insulating shaft 26 is configured to retain media for treating a horse's diseased or injured hoof 18 and leg 22. This media may include heated water, cold water, a combination of ice and water, medical soaks, medicated wraps, protecting politics, ice packs, hot packs, topical treatments, or other treatment medias.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft 26 is secured to the horse's leg 22 by a second plurality of straps 28 at a point proximal to the first plurality of straps 24. In some embodiments, the second plurality of straps 28 are adjustable such that the equine therapy boot 10 may be fitted to horses of varying sizes. In some embodiments, such as the embodiment depicted in
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft 26 is attached to the sole member 12. In some embodiments, the distal end of the insulating shaft 26 is closed and the sole member 12 is disposed within the insulating shaft 26 such that the bottom side 14 of the sole member 12 is attached to the closed distal end of the insulating shaft 26.
In some embodiments, such as the embodiments depicted in
In some embodiments, such as the embodiments depicted in
In some embodiments, a mesh panel 54 is attached to the internal layer 46 to substantially form a pocket wherein ice, ice packs, or other treatment solids can be uniformly secured within the insulating shaft 22. The mesh panel 54 additionally provides a buffer between the treatment solids and the horse's limb, such that the horse is protected from injury such as burning or frost bite.
In some embodiments, the insulating shaft 26 further includes a top portion 52 wherein the top portion 52 substantially tapers around the horse's leg 22. In some embodiments the top portion 52 substantially tapers outward around the horse's leg 22. In other embodiments, such as the embodiment depicted in
Methods for treating a diseased or injured horse's hoof and leg are disclosed herein. Methods of treatment include the step of providing an equine therapy boot 10, the equine therapy boot 10 comprising a sole member 12 having a bottom side 14 for contacting the ground and a top side 16 for contacting at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof 18, an internal securing mechanism 20 for securing the horse's leg 22 within the boot such that the portion of the sole of the horse's hoof 18 is in contact with the top side 16 of the sole member 12, the internal securing mechanism 20 further comprising a first plurality of straps 24 for attaching to a portion of the horse's leg 22 proximal to the horse's hoof 18, and an insulating shaft 26 wherein the insulating shaft 26 extends upwards from the sole member 12 wherein the insulating shaft 26 is configured to retain media. The method further includes fitting the equine therapy boot 10 to the horse. In some methods, the method includes administering media to the insulating shaft 26 of the equine therapy boot 10. In some methods, the method includes maintaining the equine therapy boot 10 in its position with the at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof 18 in contact with the top side 16 of the sole member 12 for a period of time.
The method of treatment further includes maintaining the equine therapy boot 10 in its position with the at least a portion of the sole of the horse's hoof 18 in contact with the top side 16 of the sole member 12 for a period of time greater than 2 hours. The ice sleeve therapy method depicted in prior art
In some treatment methods, the administered media is cooler than the temperature of the horse's hoof 18. For example, inflammation of the laminae (laminitis) can often be prevented or abated by surrounding the horse's hoof 18 with cold water treatment for a period of time up to 72 hours. Additionally, physical injury and stress associated with extreme exercise can be effectively treated with cold water treatment to diffuse swelling. In other treatment methods, the administered media is warmer than the temperature of the horse's hoof 18. For example, after draining a hoof abscess, the horse's hoof can be soaked in warm treatment media, such as a combination of salt and warm water, before being dried and bandaged. Similarly, corns, or bruises between the frog and the hoof can be treated by warm foot baths and poultices.
The subject matter described in this application is related to subject matter disclosed in the U.S. Patent Provisional App. No. 62/489,193 filed Apr. 24, 2017, entitled “Insulated Equine Therapy Boot,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US18/29081 | 4/24/2018 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62489193 | Apr 2017 | US |