AU713602B2 - Quick release safety stirrup - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: a12 Actual Inventor: OAddress for Service: ^C\vL 0

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0 p~Q\ Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Application No: Peter John VERRALL Peter John VERRALL liPj i rirIIfh Id~I :TPnJE gg-h Re. 1 4 L. Aa almt5 Ailisft ithaust....19a rinn "Quick Release Safety Stirrup" PN 9438 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to the applicant.

-1- This invention relates to a quick release safety stirrup which will have the ability to release the foot of a rider if he accidentally loses one stirrup and if his foot is otherwise likely to be caught in the other stirrup, so that his body hangs downwardly from his horse.

Accidents have been caused wherein a rider loses one stirrup and thereby loses his balance on a horse, and is left with one foot entangled in the other stirrup. In such instances, it is possible for his head to be in contact with the ground and there are instances wherein riders have been dragged with their heads continually pounding the ground.

o* This has been a well-recognised hazard, and many attempts have been 0:0: made to reduce the danger of being dragged or otherwise subjected to possible injury, but most of the so-called quick release safety stirrups which have been known to the Applicant by research and otherwise appear to still possess a high risk notwithstanding the efforts which have been made to release a rider's foot. Of the prior art which has been investigated by the Applicant, probably the safest safety stirrup is the subject of the Australian Patent Application 62109/90 in the name of Bostock. In that specification, it was possible for a stirrup portion to swivel away from the portion attached to the stirrup leather, and in swivelling away for two suspension arms to open away from each other thereby releasing the rider's foot. Above his foot there still existed however an inverted U-shaped portion which was attached to the stirrup leather, and although exceedingly unlikely it appears to the Applicant that it was still possible for a rider's foot to be caught between the U-shaped portion and the folding out portion.

-2- This invention seeks to even further reduce the hazard, and in one embodiment of the invention a stirrup has a suspension bar on one side only of the stirrup, the upper end of the bar having a slot therein for securing to the stirrup leather, and the lower end having a base plate, and on top of the base plate is a foot plate secured the base plate by releasable fasteners, the foot plate having an overlay which would cover at least portion of the foot or shoe of a rider.

Upon a fall occurring it is exceedingly unlikely that a rider's foot would point otherwise than forward and upwardly, and thereby readily release a Oleo rider's foot from the foot plate by sliding out of engagement from the overlay.

Thus in almost all circumstances, the rider's foot would be released from the foot plate so that the rider would be free from his horse. This is a first degree of safety.

However, as a secondary precaution, the fasteners which retain the foot *0o* 15 plate to the base plate are of the self-release type ("press studs"), and these *o e will also readily release under the forces imposed if a rider's foot does not release from the foot plate. This is a second degree of safety.

Since the stirrup suspension bar is on one side only, the other side is open and it will be unlikely that the rider's foot would be retained by the stirrup, thereby providing a third degree of safety. It is therefore apparent that with these three degrees of safety, the likelihood of a rider being dragged is exceedingly small.

An embodiment of this invention is described hereunder in detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: -3- Fig 1 is a plan view of a stirrup assembly comprising a suspension bar, base plate, foot plate, foot overlay, and heel support; Fig 2 is a side elevation of Fig 1; Fig 3 is an end elevation of Fig 2; and Fig 4 is an underside view of Fig 2.

In this embodiment, a stirrup assembly 10 comprises a suspension bar 11 having surfaces defining a strap slot 12 near its upper end. The suspension bar 11 which is fast with, and in this embodiment unitary with a base plate 13, a which also has an horizontal portion 14. The suspension bar 11 may have a 10 cranked shape so that the horizontal portion 14 tends to retain its horizontal position when the weight of a rider is applied, and this is illustrated in full lines in Fig 3. Fig 3 shows in dashed lines how suspension bar 11 can alternatively o.

be straight, and this may sometimes be preferred by jockeys.

Although the suspension bar 11 and base plate 13 may be produced

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separately and welded, the preferred arrangement is for them to be included in a unitary casting as illustrated. The horizontal portion 14 includes stiffening ribs which extend part way up the back surface of the suspension bar 11, and bosses 16 underlie (or may embody) press studs 17 which project upwardly from portion 14. Preferably the material of the casting is aluminium or other light weight metal.

An upper plate 18 constitutes a foot plate of stiff plastics material, and is retained to a base plate by the press studs 17 which require considerable force to dislodge the foot plate 18 from the base plate portion 14, but not nearly as much force as would normally be applied by a rider hanging from the stirrup.

-4- The foot plate 18 at its rear end is provided with a flexible heel support and near its front end with a foot overlay 21 which will overlie a portion of the rider's foot between the instep and the toes, as shown in dashed lines in Fig 1. The foot plate 18, heel support 20 and overlay 21 can carry a rider's shoe, the overlay 21 conveniently being of folded touch-and-hold material (eg "Velcro"), to provide a simple adjustment, and at the same time to be easily releasable.

In the case of accident, the shoe of the wearer would be likely to slide out of the overlay 21, although if that failed to happen, the overlay 21 would be 10 likely to open up away from the foot plate 17. Tilt of the foot plate should allow the heel to "lift" out of the heel support 20. Thus this construction provides two stages of release which are both probable, while the automatic release of the .:press studs provides a third stage of probable release.

Consideration of the invention will indicate that it is very simple, devoid of complex constructions utilising pins, springs or the like, having a single open i* sided stirrup with only one suspension bar, and which, upon tilting, is likely to .i S"throw a rider's foot clear of the stirrup, and the three fold degree of safety is believed to be unique.

Claims (8)

1. A quick release riding stirrup comprising a base plate, a suspension bar fast with the base plate and extending upwardly on only one side of the stirrup, and from one edge of said base plate, the suspension bar having surfaces near its upper end engageable by a saddle strap so as to suspend the base plate from the saddle strap, the other side of the stirrup being open and a foot 1 0 plate overlying the base plate, releasable fasteners retaining the foot plate to the base plate. 9go• ••go

2. A quick release riding stirrup according to claim 1 further comprising an o• overlay carried by the foot plate, being of size and position to overlie at least 15 portion of a rider's foot between his instep and toes.

3. A quick release riding stirrup according to claim 2 wherein said overlay comprises "touch and hold" material in a releasable folded configuration.

4. A quick release riding stirrup according to any preceding claim wherein the base plate and the suspension bar comprise a casting, said casting being of light weight metal. A quick release riding stirrup according to claim 4 wherein said casting includes stiffening ribs which extend at least partway across an underside of said base plate and at least part way up said suspension bar.

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6. A quick release riding stirrup according to any preceding claim wherein said releasable fasteners retaining said foot plate to said base plate are press studs.

7. A quick release riding stirrup according to any preceding claim wherein an end of said foot plate includes an upstanding heel support. 1 0

8. A quick release riding stirrup substantially as hereinbefore mentioned with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 19th day of October, 1999 1 5 PETER JOHN VERRALL By his Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO y *i r i