FR3092229A1 - Protective item for the calf of a rider with reinforcement - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a calf protection article (1) comprising a sock (2) having an inner face (21) and an outer face (22) and at least one reinforcement (3) of which at least a part (31) is made of elastic material, the reinforcement being fixed to the sock so that said at least part of the reinforcement of elastic material extends over the outer face of the sock to the right of the calf. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

A rider's calf protection article with reinforcement

The invention relates to the field of horse riding. More specifically, the invention relates to the field of calf protection articles for riders.

It is known to replace riding boots, which are not very comfortable, not suitable for all morphologies and expensive, with a combination of ankle boots and high socks that line the rider's pants to protect their legs.

Indeed, due to the materials used to make these socks, the movements of the rider allow the leg to slide against the saddle, which on the one hand creates a feeling of pinching of the calves against the stirrup leathers. In addition, this sliding does not allow the rider to maintain fixed contact of his leg with the saddle and/or the body of the horse. The rider may then have to tighten his legs excessively against the saddle and/or the body of the horse in an attempt to recover this fixed contact. Therefore, the requests and instructions transmitted by the rider can be misinterpreted by the horse. Finally, the slipping of the leg can also compromise the rider's posture in the saddle and therefore his safety.

These disadvantages can be compensated by the addition of additional protections called mini-chaps. But these protections are also not very comfortable, not adapted to all morphologies and expensive too.

There is thus a need for an article for protecting the calf of a rider, which makes it possible to maintain fixed contact of the leg with the saddle and/or the body of the horse while retaining the qualities of socks.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an article for protecting the calf comprising a sock, in particular a high sock, having an inner face and an outer face and at least one reinforcement, at least part of which is partly made of elastic material. , the reinforcement being fixed to the sock so that said at least part of the reinforcement made of elastic material extends over the outer face of the sock in line with the calf. By elastic material is meant an elastomer or even a deformable material made for example from a foam.

It is understood that the use of a reinforcement in elastic material coming to the right of the calf against the body of the horse and/or the saddle makes it possible to guarantee a fixed contact of the leg with the horse and to protect the calf from friction against the stirrup leathers. In addition, the integration of this reinforcement in a sock makes it possible to retain all the advantages of the latter vis-à-vis riding boots, namely its price, its comfort and its flexibility.

Advantageously, said at least part of the reinforcement has a coefficient of friction greater than that of the sock. Here, the coefficients of friction of the reinforcement and of the sock are understood to mean the static coefficients of friction of the latter with the same surface, for example with the hair of the horse or with the leather of the saddle.

Advantageously, the elastic material has a Shore hardness of between 10 and 30, in particular 15.

In one embodiment of the invention, the elastic material consists of silicone, for example shore 15 silicone. Alternatively, the elastic material to be a combination of an elastic leather and a foam.

In one embodiment of the invention, the sock is made of meshes of textile fibers. For example, the sock could be made by knitting a mixture of composite fibers in polyamide and elastane. If necessary, the sock may be provided with one or more additional reinforcements, made for example by loop-type stitches, and in particular placed at the level of the heel and/or the Achilles tendon and/or the ankle and/ or the instep and/or the arch of the foot and/or the toes. The additional reinforcement(s) advantageously have a thickness greater than that of the rest of the sock, to protect parts of the leg and of the foot which are particularly stressed during the rider's exercises, such as in particular the back of the ankle, these parts possibly subject to injury, and the areas of the sock opposite that may be subject to wear.

Optionally, the sock may comprise an additional reinforcement zone in which is formed at least one sub-zone devoid of reinforcement, for example made with the same stitch as the rest of the sock. This sub-zone has the particular advantage of allowing the foot to be ventilated and the sock to dry quickly in the event of perspiration. It also allows the sock to slip easily into a shoe, whatever its shape.

In one embodiment, the sock comprises one or more strips of elastane, for example located at the level of an additional reinforcement zone or even of a sub-zone devoid of reinforcement. These elastane strips allow the foot to be adjusted in the sock, which guarantees its support.

Advantageously, the reinforcement may consist of a single piece attached to the sock in line with the calf. The term “single piece” means that the protective article comprises a single piece, of solid shape. This characteristic offers the advantage of guaranteeing the solidity of the protective article and of offering a sufficient surface to guarantee fixed contact of the leg with the body of the horse. Where appropriate, the reinforcement may extend the full length and width of the calf muscle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement is attached to the sock so that another part of the reinforcement extends over the inside face of the sock in line with the calf. This feature further protects the calf from the friction of the leg against the stirrup leather. In addition, this ensures that the sock stays in position and does not, on the contrary, turn around the leg. Where appropriate, said other part may be made of the same elastic material as that making up the part extending on the outer face. If desired, the entire reinforcement can be made of the elastic material. As a variant, said other part can be made of a material different from that making up the part extending on the outer face.

Advantageously, the reinforcement can be fixed to the sock so that the elastic material passes through the meshes of the sock. In other words, the reinforcement is integrated into the stitches to extend on either side of the sock, on its inner and outer faces. If necessary, the elastic material can be overmoulded on the sock to form the reinforcement.

As a variant, one could envisage other methods of fixing the reinforcement to the sock, for example by stitching or gluing.

The invention also relates to a mold for producing a reinforcement intended for a protective article according to the invention.

The present invention is now described using only illustrative examples and in no way limiting the scope of the invention, and from the accompanying illustrations, in which:

shows a side view of the inside of the leg of a protective article according to one embodiment of the invention;

shows a side view of the outside of the leg of the protective article of [FIG. 1];

represents a partial section of the protective article of [FIG. 1].

It has been represented in [Fig. 1], [Fig. 2] and [Fig. 3] a protective article 1 according to one embodiment of the invention, intended to be worn by a rider and to protect his calf. The [Fig. 1] shows the protective article 1 from the side, seen from an observer placed on the inside of the leg, the [Fig. 2] shows the protective article 1 from the side, seen from an observer placed on the outside of the leg and the [Fig. 3] shows a partial section through a vertical plane of the protective article 1, at the level of a reinforcement of this protective article.

The protective article 1 comprises a high sock 2 comprising a cylindrical body having an inner face 21 and an outer face 22. This high sock extends from the toes towards the leg to below the knee. The protective article also comprises a reinforcement 3. The reinforcement 3 is fixed to the sock 2 so that a part 31 of this reinforcement extends over the outer face 22 of the sock, in line with the calf of a rider wearing the sock 2.

The sock 2 is made of meshes of composite fibers made of polyamide and elastane, represented by hatching in [FIG. 3].

The reinforcement 3 is made of silicone with a shore hardness of 15. This choice of material allows part 31 of the reinforcement 3 to protect the rider's calf from the friction of the sock 2 against a stirrup leather. In addition, the coefficient of friction of the silicone against the body of the horse or the saddle being greater than that of the mesh of composite fibers, the part 31 can remain in contact with the body or the saddle without effort on the part of the rider, so that his leg remains fixed.

The reinforcement 3 is formed from a single piece, the part 31 thus extending over the outer face 22 so as to cover the entire calf of the rider.

The protective article 1 was made by placing the sock 2 in a mold in which silicone was poured to form the reinforcement 3. The silicone thus passed through the meshes of the sock 2, so that another part 32 of the reinforcement extends over the inner face 21 of the sock 2. This part 32 also protects the rider's calf and furthermore ensures that the sock 2 remains in position against the rider's leg and does not, on the contrary, turn around that leg.

The sock 2 comprises a reinforcement zone 4, formed by loop-type stitches arranged at the level of the heel, the arch of the foot, the back of the ankle, the instep and the toes. The reinforcement zone 4 extends in particular over the entire contour of the foot, from the toes to the back of the ankle at the level of an extended zone 7. The reinforcement zone 4 has a thickness greater than that of the rest of the sock. It thus makes it possible to protect parts of the foot which are strongly stressed during the exercises of the rider or when he walks.

Sub-zones 5 devoid of reinforcements extend in the middle of zone 4, so as to favor the ventilation of the foot and the drying of the sock in case of perspiration.

Portions 6 of the reinforcement zone 4, at the level of the top of the foot, comprise, in addition to loop-type stitches, strips of elastane, which allow the foot to be held correctly in the sock.

The preceding description clearly explains how the invention makes it possible to achieve the objectives that it has set itself, and in particular by proposing an article for protecting the calf of a rider, which makes it possible to keep a fixed contact of the leg with the horse while being inexpensive and able to adapt to all morphologies.

In any event, the invention cannot be limited to the embodiments specifically described in this document, and extends in particular to all equivalent means and to any technically effective combination of these means. In particular, it is possible to envisage the use of materials other than silicone or the use of several materials for the production of the reinforcement. In addition, other methods of attaching the reinforcement to the sock could be envisaged by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

Protective article (1) for the calf comprising a sock (2) having an inner face (21) and an outer face (22) and at least one reinforcement (3) of which at least part (31) is made of elastic material, the reinforcement being attached to the sock so that said at least part of the reinforcement made of elastic material extends over the outer face of the sock in line with the calf. Protective article (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the said at least part (31) of the reinforcement (3) has a coefficient of friction greater than that of the sock (2). Protective article (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the elastic material has a shore hardness of between 10 and 30, in particular 15. Protective article (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the elastic material consists of silicone. Protective article (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the sock (2) is made of meshes of textile fibers. Protective article (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the sock (2) is provided with additional reinforcements (4) produced by loop-type stitches. Protective article (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the reinforcement (3) consists of a single piece fixed to the sock (2) in line with the calf. Protective article (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the reinforcement (3) is fixed to the sock (2) in such a way that another part (32) of the reinforcement extends on the inside (21) of the sock to the right of the calf. Protective article (1) according to Claim 8 in combination with Claim 5, in which the reinforcement (3) is fixed to the sock (2) in such a way that the elastic material passes through the meshes of the sock. Protective article (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the elastic material is molded over the sock (2) to form the reinforcement (3). Mold for producing a reinforcement (3) intended for a protective article (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 10.