CA2045297A1 - Exercising apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

EXERCISING APPARATUS Exercising apparatus which is particularly suitable for a jockey is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the exercising apparatus is in the form of a thoroughbred race horse and includes means for imparting motion to the body of the horse to simulate the movement of a galloping horse. The apparatus further has a neck portion which can move relative to the body about a horizontal axis and a resilient connection is provided between the neck portion and body, the stiffness of which can be varied to suit specific requirements. The apparatus also has a head portion which is capable of side-to-side movement relative to the neck portion under the constraint of a resilient member, to simulate lugging.

Description

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EXERCISING APPARA~US

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an exercising apparatus. In particular, but not exclusively, it relates to an exercising apparatus for the training and exercising of jockeys.

lQ BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The art of being a successful jockey demands a high degree of skill and experience which is normally developed during the actual riding of a horse. The inventor is not aware of any device which can artificially simulate not only neck and head movements but also the body movement of a galloping racehorse, which could be used for the training and exercising of jockeys. It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provîde an apparatus which simulates the movements of a galloping horse and which is suitable for the purpose of exercising and training jockeys. -SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided exercising apparatus, comprising a base member; means on the base member capable of performing reciprocating movement relative to the base member::in a vertical plane; and a body member on the base member having a front end, a rear:end and a back:portion on its upper side for~supporting a rider; the body member being connected to the base member by means of a first connection located towards the rear end o~ the body member, said:first connection being a pivotal connection;
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and a second:connection located towards the front end of `

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the body member, said second connection being located on said means capable of performing reciprocating movement relative to the base member.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided exercising apparatus, comprising a base member; a body member having a front end, a rear end and a back portion on its upper side for supporting a rider; a neck portion on the body member which is connected to said body member for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal axis; resilient means between the neck and the body portion for biasing the neck to a raised position; and means ~or adjusting the tension of said resilient means.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
, Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of an exercising apparatus according to the invention, showing a horse body mounted on a base;
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Figure 2 is an underneath~plan view of the body of Figure l;

Figures 3A and B are respectively side and plan views of body mounting brackets of the apparatus~of Figure l;

Figures 4A and B are respectively a three~
dimensional side view and an end view of a neck portion of the exercising apparatus of Figure 1:

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Figures 5A and B are respectively a side view and an end view of a head portion of the exercising apparatus of Figure l;

Fig~lre 6 is a schematical side view of means for imparting movement of the horse body relative to the base of Figure 1;

Figure 7A is a plan view of a support bracket for a crankshaft of the movement imparting means of Figure 6;

Figure 7B is a section taken along the lines VII-VII in Figure 7A;
r Figure 7C is a side view of a crankshaft of the movement imparting means of Figure 6;
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Figures 8A and B are plan and side views :~
respectively of a support frame through which the horse body is mounted:on the base;

Figure g is a side view of a connecting arm and bushing for connecting the horse body to ~a crankshaft of Figure 7C;

Figure 10 is a schematical side view of the connection between the crankshaft of Figure 7C and the connecting arm of Figure 9;
Figure llA is a side view of a bracket for ~: :: :`
connecting the support frame:of Figure 8A to the support ::
bracket of~Figure 12A; ~

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Figure llB is a side view of the suppart ~rame of Figure 8A showing the bracket of Figure llA mounted thereon;

5Figur~ 12A is a side view of a bracket for connectin~ the horse body to the ba~e;

Figure 12B is a plan view of a base plate of the bracket of Figure 12A;
Figure 13 is a fractional side view showing the connection of the neck portion to the body;

Figure 14 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 13 but on a smaller scale; and Figure 15 is a plan view showing the means for connecting the head portion to the neck portion.

20DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREPE~RED EMBODIMENT

Figure 1 shows an overall view of the exercising apparatus, generally indicated at 10:, which in the preferred embodiment, resembles a thoroughbred racehorse, for use in the training and exercising of jockeys.

The apparatus 10 comprises a horse body, generally indicated at 12, which is provided with a neck .
portion 14 and a head portion I6, and mounted on a base 18. The body 12, neck and head portions 14, 16 are actual .
~ife size to make the apparatus as realistic as possible.

The body 12 is in the form of a moulded shell of fibreglass, which is open at its bottom and which bottom view is shown in Figure 2. Front legs 12.1 and hind legs .. ~
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- 5 ~ 7 12.2 are provided on the body 12. Although not apparent from Figure 2, the front and hind legs 12.1 and 12.2, whilst they do not extend right down to the hoofs, extend further down than the rest of the body 12, as shown in Figure 1. During moulding, a pair of thick aluminum brackets 20, also shown in Figures 3A and B, are moulded into the body 12, one towards the rear and one towards the front end of the body 12, so that the brackets 20 extend crosswise between the opposite sides of the body 12, as shown in Figure 2. The body 12 has a back portion 22 on its upper side for supporting a rider, such as a jockey (not shown) thereon.

The neck portion 14 comprises a hollow shell moulded of fibreglass and is of generally cylindrical shape and having a substantially oval-shaped cross-section (Figures 4A and B). At the head joining end of the neck portion 14, a pair of brackets 28 are moulded into the neck portion 14 on opposite sides thereof for connecting the head portion 16 thereto, as will be described below.

The head portion 16 is also a hollow shell moulded from fibreglass and a pair of brackets 30 are moulded therein on opposite sides thereof (Figures 5A
and B).

The base 18 is in the form of a vented sheet metal housing in which is located the components for imparting movement to the body 12 (Figure 6). These components comprise an electric motor 32 mounted on a reduction gear box 34, which has an output sprocket 36, and which is connected by means of a drive chain 38, to a drive sprocket 40 on a crankshaft assembly 42 incorporating a crankshaft 48. A connecting arm 44 is connected to the crankshaft 48. The motor 32 drives the gear box 34 and the crankshaft 48 to impart reciprocating .

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motion to the arm 44. A control box 46 is provided and located in the rear of the body 12 for varying the speed of rotation of the crankshaft 48, as required by the rider.

The components of the crankshaft assembly 42 are shown in Figures 7A, B and C. They comprise a support member 46 having a base plate 46.1 and a pair o~ upright support members 46.2 located thereon. The upright members 46.2 have recesses 46.3 and holes 46.4 for bolting bearings (not shown) to the upright members 46.2. The support member 46 supports the crankshaft 48, which comprises an inner shaft 48.1 mounted between a pair o~
side arms 48.2. A pair of shafts 48.3 and 48.4 are provided on the side arms and are received within the bearings (not shown) on the upright members 46.2. The shafts 48.3 and 48.4 are coaxial and are offset from the inner shaft 48.1. A bushing sleeve 50 is provided around the inner shaft 48.1 and the arm 44, already referred to abova, is connected to the bushing sleeve 50.

The connection o~ the body 12 to the base 18 is by means of a frame 56 (Figures 8A and B) which is bolted to the brackets 20 on the underside of the body ~2. (In Figure 6, the brackets 20 are shown, but the body 12, to which the brackets 20 are connected, has been omitted).

~t its front end, the frame 56 is connected to a connecting member 57 which comprises a bushing 58 which is located on a shaft 60 which, in turn, is contained between end pieces 62 (Figure 9~. The bushing 58 is connected to a secondary connecting arm 64, which is bolted to the other connecting arm 44. The arms 44 and 64 are each provided with a~plurality of connecting holes 66 so that the combination of the arms 44, 6~ is lenyth adjustable to provide for different horse-running styles ~Figure 10).

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At its rear end, the frame 56 is provided with a bracket 68 (Figures llA and B) which is pivotally connected at 72 to a supporting bracket 70 having a base plate 70.1 (Figures 12A and B), which is bolted to thP top of the gear box 34 (Figure 6). Thus, when driven by the motor 32, the arms 44, 64 perform a vertical reaiprocating movement which is imparted to the front of the ~ody 12, while the rear of the body 12 performs a pivotal movement about the pivotal connection 72, to simulate the body motion of a galloping horse. The speed o~ the movement can be controlled through the control box 46 from a slow motion to a fast gallop, as required by the jockey.

Apart from the above-mentioned motion of the body 12, the further features of the exercising apparatus 10 is that the neck portion 14 can perform periodic movement relative to the body 12. This feature is now described with references to Figures 13 and 14.

The neck portion 14 is mounted to the body 12 by means of a bracket 74, having one arm 74.1 which is bolted to the top inner part of the neck portion 14. ~ socket 76 is provided at one end of the a:rm 74.1, which is pivotally connected to the body 12 by means of a pair of brackets 78, which are bolted to the body at 80 and a hinge pin 82 extending through the brackets 78 and the socke~ 76.

The bracket 74 has a second arm 74.2 to which is pivotally connected at 84, an air shock absorber 86. The other end of the shock absorber 86 is connected to a bracket 88 which is bolted to the frame 56.
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A stopper 90 is located at the lower end of the arm 74.2 for cooperatin~ with an aluminum stopper bracket ~ ::5 91, bolted to the inner side o~ the body 12, for stopping :

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neck movement. Thus, the stopper bracket 91 limits the upward movement of the neck portion 14.

A foot-operated pump 92 is located on the base 18 (Figure 1) and is connected through suitable valve means and tubing (not shown) to the air shock absorber 86 to supply air to the shock absorber 86, thereby to control the stiffness or tension of the neck movement. A pressure gauge and a relief valve (not shown) are provided on the control panel 46 for checking air pressure and releasing air ~rom the shock absorber 86.

The air pressure gauge allows an operator of the apparatus to pressurize the system to a desired pressure.
The pressure relief valve allows him to slightly or greatly release the air pressure, resulting in a fully adjustable pressurized system. The amount of air pressurized in the shock absorber 86 by the foot pump 92 determines the amount of force required to push the neck downward. The amount of force required is thus fully adjustable~. This allows the rider to determine the type of exercise and end results obtained. As an example, less force provides a greater fre~uency of movement and results in greater stamina. The greater the force required on the other hand, results in muscle buildup. The action of pushing on the neck is known as "handriding'l in the racing industry, and this action is known to encourage the horse.

~ With reference to Figure 15, the connection of the head portion 16 to the neck portion 14 will now be described. In the drawing, the brackets 28 and 30 in the neck and head portions 14, 16, respectively, are shown.
These brackets 28, 30 comprise pairs of angle iron sections~which are stitch-welded together prior tc moulding into the neck and head portions 14, 16 respectively. A connecting piece 94 of a stiff resilient ~, j - .

g ~ J ~ 3 material, such as DURA-HYDE 95'lA" plate, is bolted between the brackets 28, 30 by means of further brackets 96 to join the neck and head portions 14, 16 together. The neck and head portions 14, 16 are connected together in such a fashion that there i5 a space between them to allow unimpeded side-to-side movement of the head portion 16 under the constraint of the resilient member 9~ to simulate lugging. A band of cloth 98 or other suitable covering material, is provided to cover the gap between 10 the neck and head portions 14, 16, as shown in Figure 1.
During use, the head portion 16 can move from side to side when pressure from pushing or pulling is applied. The connection piece 94 returns the head portion to the straightforward facing position when no pressure or pull is applied.

The head portion 16 is also fitted with a tube 100 through its mouth during moulding to receive a mouth bit and lines 102. The finished head portion 16 is painted according to desired colour tones and showing the head gear with suitable hardshell durable paint. This also applies to the body 12 and neck portion 14. A
realistic mane 104, fabricated from a wig material, is attached along the back of the neck portion 16, to provide ?
as realistic as possible simulation of a racehorse.
During actual racing, the horse's mane is also a factor to be contended with by the jockey as it can become entangled with the lines 102.

During moulding of the body 12, slots (not shown) are provided in the back portion 22 to mount a saddle 106 and foot stirrups 108.

Foam rubber pads 110 are provided on the buttock 35 parts of the body 12. The pads 110 are conveniently fabricated from a high-density foam material and are . , . , - ~ . :
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covered with a burlap-type material. They are fastened to both sides of the rear of the horse with suitable studs.
The pads llo are for practising of whipping techniques and the size of each pad is conveniently 12 inches in diameter.

In use, two types of exercises can be performed using the apparatus 10. Firstly, the body motion can be set in operation so that the jockey can experience the movement of a galloping horse. The speed of such motion, as described above, can be varied from a slow motion to a fast gallop. When pulling on the lines 102, the head is moved from side to side, which will simulate lugging.

During this exercise, the neck portion is locked to the body 12 so that it does not perform pivotal movement about the hinge pin 82. This locking is effected by means of a locking arm 114 which is mounted on the body 12 for pivotal movement about an axis 116. An eye retainer arm 118 is pivotally ¢onnected to the locking arm 114 at 120. The arm 118 terminates in an eye 122 which engages with a hook 124 provided on the neck portion 14.
In use, the eye 122 is engaged with the hook 124 and the arm 114 is pivoted about the axis 116 towards the body 12, as shown by the arrow in Figure 13, to snap into a locking position. The length of the arm 118 is adjustable.

During a second exercise, the body 12 can remain stationary and the handriding exercise can be performed at different settings of the stiffness of the air shock 86, e.g. a soft setting whereby light pressure is required and high frequency of movement is obtained or a stiffer movement of the neck at a lower frequency. During this exercise the neck portion 14 is unlocked.

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~ '3 A pair of levers 112 are provided for li~ting the base 18 to insert castors (not shown) underneath the base so that the apparatus 10 can easily be moved to any desired location.

While only a preferred embodiment of khe invention has been described herein in detail, the invention is not limited thereby and modifications can be made within the scope of the attached claims.

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Claims (14)

1. THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
   PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
   l. Exercising apparatus, comprising:
   a base member;
   
   means on the base member capable of performing reciprocating movement relative to the base member in a vertical plane; and a body member on the base member having a front end, a rear end and a back portion on its upper side for supporting a rider;
   
   the body member being connected to the base member by means of a first connection located towards the rear end of the body member, said first connection being a pivotal connection; and a second connection located towards the front end of the body member, said second connection being located on said means capable of performing reciprocating movement relative to the base member.
2. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first connection is to a bracket projecting upwardly from the base member.
3. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a neck portion on said body member which is connected to said body member for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal axis.
4. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further compris ing a head portion on said neck portion, which is capable of resilient lateral movement relative to said neck portion.
5. 5. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising resilient means between the neck portion and the body portion for biasing the neck to a raised position.
6. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for adjusting the tension of said resilient means.
7. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the resilient means comprises an inflatable and deflatable air shock absorber.
8. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said tension adjusting means comprises a pump for inflating said air shock absorber and air release valve means for deflating said air shock absorber.
9. 9. Exercising apparatus, comprising:
   
   a base member;
   
   a body member having a front end, a rear end and a back portion on its upper side for supporting a rider:
   
   a neck portion on the body member which is connected to said body member for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal axis;
   
   resilient means between the neck and the body portion for biasing the neck to a raised position; and means for adjusting the tension of said resilient means.
10. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the resilient means comprises an inflatable and deflatable air shock absorber.
11. 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a head portion on said neck portion which is capable of resilient lateral movement relative to said neck portion.
12. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising means for imparting movement of said body member relative to said base member.
13. 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said movement imparting means comprises a bracket extending from the base member and pivotally connected to the body member at a location towards the rear end thereof;
    
    a member on the base member which is capable of vertical reciprocating movement relative to the base member and connected to the body member at a location towards the front end of the body member; and means for imparting reciprocating movement to said reciprocal member.
14. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the body member resembles a horse.