GB2029684A - Horseshoe - Google Patents

Abstract

A horseshoe 10 comprises a steel upper portion 12 and a rubber sole portion 14 to increase grip and comfort of the shoe. Preferably the shoe is made by bending a steel strip to a horse-shoe shape and moulding a rubber layer thereto using a metal-to- rubber bonding agent. A further aspect provides a resilient rubber channel-shaped cushioning member between the shoe and the hoof. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Horseshoe This invention relates to an improved horseshoe and a method of making the same.

It has been found by many riders of ponies and horses shoed with conventional metal horseshoes, and by people using these animals in harness, that they can become very unstable on a metalled road surface, particularly on uphill and downhill gradients with the unstability being exaggerated in wet or icy conditions. It would therefore be desirable to find a satisfactory method of improving the stability the animals in all weather conditions.

Furthermore, for horses travelling on hard surfaces the conventional horseshoe may transmit too much shock to the horse's leg, on impact of the hoof on the surface, which in turn may prevent the animal from producing its best performance, or even cause permanent damage.

According to the broadest aspect of the present invention there is provided a horseshoe formed in two layers, one of metal and the other of rubber.

The invention also provides a horseshoe which comprises a generally horseshoe-shaped strip of metal to which is bonded a layer of rubber to act as a sole.

Ideally the rubber layer would be moulded in place on the strip and the lower surface of the rubber could advantageously be provided with indentations to form a tread thus increasing the road-grip of the shoe. Furthermore the rubber layer will absorb road shock to some extent Conventionally horseshoes are made from steel, or occasionally aluminium, and it is preferred to use such metals for the strip. In order to bond effectively the rubber to the metal it is preferred to employ one of the commercially available rubberto-metal bonding agents which are generally employed as a surface treatment of the metal before moulding the rubber to it.

The word 'rubber' as used herein encompasses any hard-wearing resilient material, including synthetic rubbers such as nitrile, thiol, silicone, polyurethane, butadiene or S.B.R. rubbers.

However natural rubber is preferred.

The strip of metal may carry holes, e.g. tapered holes, for horseshoe nails but in contrast to conventional horseshoes will in general be thinner and will have a generally flat lower surface, to which rubber is to be bonded, the rubber taking the place of the profiled lower surface of a conventional shoe.

According to the present invention there is also provided a method of making a horseshoe which comprises bending a strip of metal into the shape of a horseshoe, placing the strip in a mould with a rubber compound and applying heat and pressure to bond the rubber to the metal.

Preferably the metal strip will have holes suitable to accept horseshoe nails.

Ideally the metal is treated before moulding e.g.

with a rust-proofing agent, such as a phosphoric or chromic acid treatment, followed by coating with a suitable rubber-to-metal bonding agent.

As is normal practice the horseshoe of the invention may have one or two claws or grabs struck up out of it. When making a shoe according to the method of the invention it may be more convenient to cut depressions in the strip, before or after bonding, and weld suitable metal flanges therein.

It will be appreciated that hitherto it has been usual to make horseshoes, entirely or partly, individually by hand. Consequently each shoe will differ somewhat in dimensions. In carrying out the invention using a mould it is necessary that ea'ch metal strip, or shoe precursor, is of predetermined size to within fairly close tolerances, e.g. < 0.005't.

The method of the invention may be made automatic or semi automatic and will produce shoes within the necessary tolerances.

According to another aspect of the irvention there is provided a horseshoe which has a layer of resilient material between the shoe and the animal's hoof.

The layer of resilient material is preferably rubber and may be bonded to the upper face cf a conventional horseshoe our a horseshoe of the invention, but need not be bonded since it will be held in place by the rails which fix the shoe to the animal's hoof. Ideally the rubber is of a more resilient nature than would be chosen for the sole of a shoe according to the invention, and advantageously is in the form of a channel-shaped strip. A length of the strip can be cut and pressed into place over the upper face of the shoe, before the shoe is nailed to the animal's hoof.

The cushioning effect so provided is particularly useful with horses such as racehorses which do not perform at their best on hard ground but prefer'soft' going.

The invention will' be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a horseshoe of the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line Il-Il of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 illustrating a preferred embodiment of the shoe of the invention; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a strip of rubber channel suitable for use in cushioning a horseshoe.

The horseshoe 10 shown in figures 1 and 2 comprises a metal portion 12 to which a rubber sole portion 14 has been bonded. The shoe illustrated is a rear shoe and has two claws or grabs 1 6 struck up from it. The shoe was formed by making a mould in the form of a conventional all metal shoe, taking a conventional shoe and grinding away the sole portions (corresponding to the portions 14), inserting the shoe in the mould with a natural rubber compound and subjecting the mould to pressure and heat to bond the rubber and vulcanise it to the metal, forming the shoe shown in section in figure 2.

However, the above method is not practical for making more than a small number of shoes and Figure 3 illustrates in section a shoe made according to the method of the invention. It comprises a steel strip 1 8 to which has been moulded a block of rubber 20 having a tread pattern 22 moulded into it. The pattern may be altered according to intended eri-use, e.g. show jumping, racing, use on roads, ori-:,z like.

Figure 4 illustrates a suitable channel section strip of fairly soft and resilient rubber 24 for use between a shoe and the animal's hoof. In use, the walls of the channel are a tight fit over the upper sides of a horseshoe so that the strip is snug fit over the upper surface of the shoe. The shoe is then fixed to the horse with nails as usual, and the nails also pierce the channel, fixing it as well as the shoe firmly in place.

In a particular example a steel strip was bent into the shape of a horseshoe, stamped with nail holes, and provided with claws or grabs welded to the upper sides. The strip was treated with phosphate followed by treatment with 'Chemlok 220/205' rubber-to-metal bonding agent (Durham Chemicals Ltd) according to the manufacturers instructions. The treated strip was then placed in a mould with a natural rubber compound, and the mould subjected to heat and pressure to effect bonding. The de-moulded shoe had a metal upper layer and rubber lower layer bearing a tread pattern. The shoe performed well in practice giving the animal increased stability and more comfortable conditions on hard surfaces.

Claims (18)

1. A horseshoe formed in two layers, one of which is metal and the other rubber.

2. A horseshoe which comprises a generally horseshoe-shaped strip of metal to which is bonded a layer of rubber to act as a sole.

3. A horseshoe as claimed in claim 2 in which the rubber is moulded on to the metal strip.

4. A horseshoe as claimed in either of claims 2 or 3 in which the rubber layer bears a tread pattern.

5. A horsehoe as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 in which the metal is steel.

6. A horseshoe as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 in which the rubber is a natural rubber.

7. A horseshoe as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 in which a metal-to-rubber bonding agent is employed between the layers.

8. A horseshoe which has a layer of resilient material between the shoe and the animal's hoof.

9. A horseshoe as claimed in claim 8 in which the material is a resilient rubber.

10. A horseshoe as claimed in either of claims 8 or 9 in which the resilient material is in the form of a channel shaped strip.

11. A horseshoe as claimed in any of claims 8 to 10 in which the material is fixed to the shoe by the same means as the shoe is fixed to the hoof.

12. A horseshoe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 and 2, Figure 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of making a horseshoe which comprises bending a strip of metal into the shape of a horseshoe, placing the strip in a mould with a rubber compound and applying heat and pressure to bond the rubber to the metal.

1 4. A method as claimed in claim 13 in which the strip has holes stamped in it to receive horseshoe nails.

15. A method as claimed in either of claims 1 3 or 14 in which the metal is treated with a rubberto-metal bonding agent.

16. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 1 5 in which the strip has one or more depressions cut into it to which are welded flanges to act as grabs or claws.

17. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 1 6 in which the metal is steel and is given a rustproofing treatment before moulding.

18. A method of making a horseshoe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.