AU2004202099B9 - Adjustable saddle - Google Patents

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, the gullet bar having a first free end and a second free end; and a first abutment member pivotally coupled adjacent the first free end of the gullet bar and a second abutment member pivotally coupled adjacent the second free end of the gullet bar, for pivotal movement relative to the gullet bar, so that the abutment members can move to accommodate different animal sizes and conform to the contour of the animal.

Preferably the pivotal couplings comprise hinges.

H:\Luisal\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 24/04/06 3 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.

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; and H;\Luisal\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 24/04/06 4 Figure 3 is a view of a gullet bar according to another 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, 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 Hi\Luial\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 24/04/06 5 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.

The plate pockets encase the plates 4a and 4b and may be provided with upholstery so that the plate pockets 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.

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.

H:\Luisal\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 24/04/06

Claims (6)

1. 2. The saddle of claim 1 wherein the pivotal couplings comprise hinges.
2. 3. The saddle of any one of claims 1 or 2 wherein the abutment members are plates.
3. 4. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 3 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. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 4 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.
4. 6. The saddle of claim 5 wherein the surround is connected to the tree by a releasable coupling which comprises apertures on one of the tree and the surround H \Luisal\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 24/04/06 7 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.
5. 7. The saddle of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the abutment plates are located in a pocket panel formed from flexible material to accommodate pivotal movement of the abutment plates.
6. 8. A saddle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the accompanying drawings. H.\Luisal\Keep\Speci\Thorowgood Complete Adjustable Saddle.doc 24/04/06