AU686589B2

AU686589B2 - Equestrian pad

Info

Publication number: AU686589B2
Application number: AU57734/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ian Saul
Original assignee: ROBERT G HANNA
Current assignee: Litfielde Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1993-03-18
Filing date: 1994-03-10
Publication date: 1998-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-10
Also published as: AU5773494A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 0 0* 0.0 0 Applicant(s): Invention Title: ROBERT G HANNA EQUESTRIAN PAD 00*0 0* 0 0~ 00 0 *0*0 *000 0 *000 0e**00 0 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best metho~d of performing it known to me/us: EQUESTRIAN PAD This invention relates to an equestrian pad for location between a saddle and saddle cloth for cushioning vibration and buffeting transmitted from the saddle to a horse when th, horse is ridden.

The invention provides an equestrian pad comprising: a pad body having a longitudinal axis extending between a withers end cf the pad body and a rear end of the pad body; a groove section extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the rear end and the withers end so that the pad body is of reduced thickness at the 15 groove section; Sa recessed area at the withers end of the pad body so that the pad body is of reduced thickness at the recessed area; and wherein the groove section is adapted to accommodate the spine of a horse when the equestrian pad is located on the horse and the recessed area at the withers end is adapted to accommodate the withers of the horse when the equestrian pad is located on the horse.

25 Preferably the recessed area is continuous with and tapers outwardly from the groove section to form a triangular recess.

H'\karn\kee\57734-94-HA14NA.1 5/11/9? I I Preferably the pad body is formed from gel in a moulding process.

Preferably the equestrian pad has a pair of sheet members applied to it which are joined about the periphery of the equestrian pad.

Preferably the sheet members are plastics sheet members and the plastics sheet members are joined by rf welding.

Preferably the equestrian pad has a cover formed from a textile or similar fabric material surrounding it.

The invention may also be said to reside in a method of manufacturing an equestrian pad comprising: providing a mould; locating a mould element in the mould so as to define an area of reduced thickness in the mould; supplying a gel material to the mould to form a moulded equestrian pad so that the gel material surrounds the mould element to form in the moulded equestrian pad a region of reduced thickness in the vicinity of the mould element; and removing the moulded equestrian pad froa the 25 mould.

Preferably the method also includes locating a first sheet of plastics material in the mould prior to applying the gel material to the mould and applying a second sheet of plastics material to the moulded equestrian pad after the moulded equestrian pad and first sheet of plastics material are removed from the mould.

Preferably the gel material is left in the mould for approximately twenty minutes before being removed from the mould so that the gel material sets and sticks to the first sheet of plastics material.

Preferably the first and second sheets of plastic material are joined about the periphery of the moulded equestrian pad by rf welding.

Preferably a cover is applied to the equestrian pad.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of an equestrian pad embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a view along the line II-II of figure *o *1; Figure 3 is a view along the line III-III of figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a mould detailing a method of manufacturing the equestrian pad; Figure 5 is a view along the line V-V of figure 4; and 20 Figure 6 is a view showing a further stop in the manufacturing process.

With reference to figures 1 to 3 an equestrian pad 10 is shown which has a pad body 12 having a withers end 14 and a rear end 16. The pad has a longitudinal axis L extending between the withers end 14 and rear end 16. The pad body 12 has a first portion 12a having a first width and a second portion 12b which has a second width which is greater than the width of the first portion 12a to define a pair of wings 18 which extend outwardly beyond the first portion 12a.

A groove 20 extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis L from the rear end 16 to the withers end 14. At the withers end 14 the groove 20 tapers out into an enlarged recessed area 22 so that in the vicinity of the groove and recessed area 22 the pad 10 is of reduced thickness as

III

is best shown in figures 2 and 3.

The pad shown in figures 1 to 3 is adapted to be applied to a horse between a saddle and a saddle cloth. The pad is applied so that the groove 20 accommodates the spine of the horse and the enlarged recessed area 22 accommodates the withers of the horse. It has been found that when a saddle is applied to the horse and the horse is ridden the pressure points on the horse which result are generally in the vicinity of the points 25 shown in figure 1. The wings 18 and the reduced diameter portion 12a ensure that those pressure points are adequately covered so that vibration and bufieting applied to the horse during riding of the S" horse is effectively cushioned by the equestrian pad The equestrian pad 10 is preferably formed from a gel material which provides good damping of vibration aad jolts applied during riding to prevent the jolts from jarring or otherwise damaging the horse's back and in particular the 20 horse's spine.

Figures 4 to 6 detail a method of manufacturing the equestrian pad according to figure 1. With reference to figure 4 a mould 50 shown in dotted lines is provided which 25 has the shape of the equestrian pad 10 shown in figure 1.

A first sheet of plastics material 52 is located in the mould and overlaps the mould as is shown in figures 4 and A mould element 54 is located in the mould to define the groove 20 and recessed area 22. The mould element 54 is generally in the form of a rod which has a square crosssection and which has a generally triangular shaped end to define the recessed area 22. The element 54 is suitably supported above the base 57 of the mould.

After the first sheet of plastics material 52 has been located in the mould 50 and the mould element 54 is located, gel material 60 (see figure 5) is supplied to the r I I mould so that it surrounds the mould element 54 and generally fills the mould. The gel material is left in the mould for approximately 20 minutes so that it can set and stick to the first sheet of plastics material 52. After approximately 20 minutes the mould element 54 is removed and the moulded pad together with the first sheet of plastics material 52 is removed from the mould.

As is shown in figure 6 a second s7leet of plastics material 70 is applied to the face of the moulded gel material opposite the face to which the first sheet 52 is applied.

The second sheet 70 conforms to the groove 20 and recessed area 22 and also overlaps the mould 60. The sheets 52 and are joined together by rf welding in an rf welder. The 15 sheets may also be sewn or otherwise joined and then be trimmed aboi.t the periphery of the moulding A cover (not shown) of textile or similar fabric material may be applied to the equestrian pad 10 to complete the pad The equestrian pad 10 which has the groove 20 and recessed S. area 22 for accommodating the spine and withers of the horse, and the wings 18 which ensure that the major pressure points are adequately covered and protected greatly reduces vibration and impact applied to the horse during riding of the horse and therefore protects the horse against back injury.

H:\karen\keep\57734-4-H94-ANNA, /11/97 0 '^^jo I II I

Claims

1. An equestrian pad including: a pad body having a longitudinal axis extending between a withers end of the pad body and a rear end of the pad body; a groove section extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the rear end and the withers end so that the pad body is of reduced thickness at the groove section; a recessed area at the withers end of the pad body so that the pad body is of reduced thickness at the recessed area; and wherein the groove section is adapted to accommodate the spine of a horse when the equestrian pad is located on the horse and the recessed area at the withers end is adapted to accommodate the withers of the horse when the equestrian pad is located on the horse.

2. The equestrian pad of claim 1 wherein the recessed area is continuous with and tapers outwardly from the groove section to form a triangular recess.

3. The equestrian paOd of claim 1 or 2 wherein the i: pad body is formed from gel in a moulding process.

4. The equestrian pad according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the equestrian pad has a pair of sheet members applied to it which are joined about the periphery of the equestrian pad. The equestrian pad of claim 4 wherein the sheet members are plastics sheet members and the plastics sheet members are joined by rf welding.

R H!\karen\keep\57734-94-HANNA.1 5/11/97 i2'.7. o3 111 r-r 8

6. The equestrian pad according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the equestrian pad has a cover formed from a textile or similar fabric material surrounding it.

7. A method of manufacturing the equestrian pad according to claim 1, including: providing a mould; locating a mould element in the mould so as to define an area of reduced thickness in the mould; supplying a gel material to the mould to form a moulded equestrian pad so that the gel material surrounds the mould element to form in the moulded equestrian pad a 15 region of reduced thickness in the vicinity of the mould element; and "removing the moulded equestrian pad from the mould. 20

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the method also includes locating a first sheet of pl. material in the mould prior to applying the gel material to the mould and applying a second sheet of plastics material to the moulded equestrian pad after the moulded equestrian pad and first 25 sheet of plastics material are removed from the mould. o.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the gel material is left in the mould for approximately twenty minutes before being removed from the mould so that the gel material sets and sticks to the first sheet of plastics material. The method of claim 8 or 9 wherein the first and second sheets of plastic material are joined about the periphery of the moulded equestrian pad by rf welding.

HM \Karen\Keep\57734-9-HANNAA 7/11/97 II FAIW l

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a cover is applied to the equestrian pad. Dated this 5th day of November 1997 ROBERT G. HANNA By His Patent Attorneys: GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia. H:\~karen\keep\57734-94-HNN- 5/11/97