AU2004202099A1

AU2004202099A1 - Adjustable saddle

Info

Publication number: AU2004202099A1
Application number: AU2004202099A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter Thorowgood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-06-02
Filing date: 2004-05-18
Publication date: 2004-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 2024-05-18
Also published as: AU2004202099B9; AU2004202099B2

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): PETER THOROWGOOD Invention Title: ADJUSTABLE SADDLE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 1 2 ADJUSTABLE SADDLE Field of the Invention This invention relates to a saddle, more particularly, the invention relates to a saddle adapted to conform to the contours of animals that are ridden, most commonly, horses.

Background It is well known that horses come in various sizes.

However, there are only a limited number of saddle sizes in the market place. As such, buying a saddle, a saddle of particular dimensions must be chosen for each individual horse. In most cases, a saddle can only be used for horses of a particular size.

Due to the limitations on saddle sizes, many saddles, in use, do not fit the horse properly. That is, they do not conform to the contour of the horse. Improperly fitted saddles may cause discomfort and even injury to the horse and the rider.

Summary of the Invention The invention provides a saddle for an animal comprising: a tree; a gullet bar located at one end of the tree; and at least one abutment member pivotally coupled to the gullet bar for pivotal movement relative to the gullet bar, so that the abutment member can move to accommodate different animal sizes and conform to the contour of the animal.

Preferably the gullet bar has two free ends, and the at least one abutment member comprises a first abutment member pivotally coupled adjacent one end of the gullet bar and a second abutment member coupled adjacent the other end of the gullet bar.

\\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04 3 Preferably the pivotal couplings comprise hinges.

Preferably the abutment members are plates.

In one embodiment of the invention a plurality of ancillary abutment members are pivotally coupled to the saddle between the gullet bar and an end of the tree remote from the gullet bar.

In one embodiment of the invention the abutment members are provided on a surround which is releasably coupled to the tree, the at least one abutment member being releasably pivotally coupled so that the abutment member and the surround can be removed and replaced by another abutment member and surround to provide an additional degree of adjustment.

Preferably the surround is connected to the tree by a releasable coupling which comprises apertures on one of the tree and the surround and projections on the other of the tree and surround, the apertures and projections having alignable openings for receiving a pin to connect the apertures and projections, and therefore the surround to the tree.

Preferably the abutment plates are located in a pocket panel formed from flexible material to accommodate pivotal movement of the abutment plates.

The invention also provides a saddle for an animal comprising: a tree; an animal contact portion; and a pivotal coupling for pivotally coupling the contact portion to the tree, so the contact portion is able to \\melbfiles\homeS\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04 -4move to accommodate different animal sizes and conform to the contour of the animal.

Preferably the tree includes a gullet bar and the contact portions are abutment plates connected to free ends of the gullet bar by respective pivotal couplings.

Preferably the abutment plates are located in plate pockets which are provided with padding for making contact with the animal.

Brief Description of the Drawings Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view of a saddle according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a view of a gullet bar used in the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of a gullet bar according to another embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a view of a still further embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is an underneath view of the embodiment of Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a view of a still further embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments With reference to Figure i, a saddle 1 is shown which has a tree 7 having a gullet bar 3 at one end. The gullet bar 3 is connected to the tree 7 as is conventional. In order to complete the saddle, padding, leather and the like are attached to the tree 7 as is also well known.

The gullet bar 3 is provided with first and second abutment plates 4a and 4b at the ends of the gullet bar 3, \\melbfiles\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04 5 and the plates 4a and 4b are connected to the gullet bar by pivotal couplings such as hinges 5 so that the plates 4a and 4b are pivotally moveable relative to the gullet bar 3.

As is shown in Figure 2, the hinge 5 may comprise a pin which is fixed to the plates 4a and 4b and which passes through an opening formed by tongues 5b (only one shown in Figure so that the plates 4a and 4b can move in pivotal fashion relative to the gullet bar 3.

In the embodiment of Figure 3, the gullet bar 3 is of generally the same configuration except that the plates 4a and 4b are connected by hinges 5 which are formed by a plurality of spaced projections 5c connected to the gullet bar 3 which receive therebetween projections 5d connected to the plates. A pivot pin 5e passes through aligned openings in the projections 5c and 5d to form the hinge Thus, the abutment plates 4a and 4b are pivotally moveable relative to the gullet bar 3 so that the plates 4a and 4b can take up a position which matches the size and contour of the flanks of a horse to which the saddle 1 is to be used. Thus, simply by locating the saddle on the horse, the plates 4a and 4b can move in pivotal fashion relative to the gullet bar 3 to properly accommodate the horse and therefore more comfortably locate the saddle on the horse.

Furthermore, the pivotal abutment plates 4a and 4b also enable the same saddle to be used with horses of different size because of the movement of the plates 4a and 4b providing a degree of adjustment to suit different sized horses.

The abutment plates 4a and 4b are located in an upholstered part of the saddle, such as a plate pocket (as is shown in Figure The plate pockets encase the plates 4a and 4b and may be provided with upholstery so \\melbfiles\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04 6 that the plate pockets 40 comfortably locate and contact the horse. The plate pockets are usually formed from a flexible material such as leather or synthetic material which is the same as the remaining outer covering (not shown) of the saddle i.

The embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 is typical of a European-style saddle.

Figures 4 and 5 show a Western saddle which is generally more rigid than a European saddle. The Western saddle includes tree 7 and a gullet bar 8 to which is pivotally mounted abutment plates 30. The tree 7 also has ancillary abutment plates 9 connected along its length between the gullet bar 8 and the opposite end of the tree 7. The ancillary abutment plates 9 may be provided on a pivotal bar 10 which is journalled in blocks 11 connected to the underside of the tree 7, as is best shown in Figure 6.

Thus, in this embodiment, the abutment plates 30 are connected to the gullet bar 8 and provide the same degree of movement as in the earlier embodiment, but also additional support is provided at the sides of the saddle between the gullet bar 8 and the free end of the saddle in the form of the ancillary abutment plates 9 which are also pivotally moveable to accommodate the particular shape and size of a horse with which the saddle is being used.

Figure 6 shows a still further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the tree 7 is provided with a gullet bar 3 as in the embodiment of Figure 1, to which is connected the plates 4a and 4b in pivotal fashion as previously described. The plates 4a and 4b may be located to leather or synthetic plate pockets 40, which makes contact with the horse and the plates 4a and 4b and the surrounds 40 are moveable in exactly the same manner as in Figure 1. The inner side of the pockets 40 may be provided with padding, not shown, so as to comfortably \\melb_file\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04 7 locate on the horse. In this embodiment, the surrounds are connected to a panel 20 which is removable from the tree 7, as is illustrated by the arrow A in Figure 6. The panel 20 comprises U-shaped panel portion 21 which has legs 22 and 23 and base 24. Mounted on the legs 22 and 23 and base 24 are projections 23 which engage with recesses 24 on the tree 7. Pins which may be in the form of bolts or the like, locate through holes 25 in the projections 23 and into holes 26 in the recesses 24 to removably secure the panel 20 to the tree 7. Thus, if desired, panels of different sizes can be connected to the tree 7 by removing one particular panel by releasing the panel 20 from the tree 7 and locating another panel in position. Thus, this embodiment provides still further degrees of adjustment of the abutment plates 4a and 4b by enabling replacement of the surround and different size abutment plates 4a and 4b to be used.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", is used in an inclusive sense, ie. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.

\\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04

Claims

2. The saddle of claim 1 wherein the gullet bar has two free ends and the at least one abutment member comprises a first abutment member pivotally coupled adjacent one end of the gullet bar and a second abutment member coupled adjacent the other end of the gullet bar.
3. The saddle of claim 2 wherein the pivotal couplings comprise hinges.
4. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the abutment members are plates. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein a plurality of ancillary abutment members are pivotally coupled to the saddle between the gullet bar and an end of the tree remote from the gullet bar.
6. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the abutment members are provided on a surround which is releasably coupled to the tree, the at least one abutment member being releasably pivotally coupled so that the abutment member and the surround can be removed and replaced by another abutment member and surround to provide an additional degree of adjustment. \\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04 9
7. The saddle of claim 6 wherein the surround is connected to the tree by a releasable coupling which comprises apertures on one of the tree and the surround and projections on the other of the tree and surround, the apertures and projections having alignable openings for receiving a pin to connect the apertures and projections, and therefore the surround to the tree.
8. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the abutment plates are located in a pocket panel formed from flexible material to accommodate pivotal movement of the abutment plates.
9. A saddle for an animal comprising: a tree; an animal contact portion; and a pivotal coupling for pivotally coupling the contact portion to the tree, so the contact portion is able to move to accommodate different animal sizes and conform to the contour of the animal. The saddle according to claim 9 wherein the tree includes a gullet bar and the contact portions are abutment plates connected to free ends of the gullet bar by respective pivotal couplings.
11. The saddle according to claim 9 or 10 wherein the abutment plates are located in plate pockets which are provided with padding for making contact with the animal.
12. A saddle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the accompanying drawings. \\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 18/05/04