GB2262425A

GB2262425A - A horseshoe.

Info

Publication number: GB2262425A
Application number: GB9126897A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dennis George Maroudas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-01-08
Filing date: 1991-12-19
Publication date: 1993-06-23
Also published as: ZA91136B; GB9126897D0

Abstract

Conventional metal horseshoes are hard and unyielding, so that a horse wearing them can suffer damage from the transmitted shock as its feet impact the ground. Shock-absorbent plastics horseshoes are known, but under the loads involved they deform too easily, especially by spreading apart and so shearing away from the hoof. The invention proposes a novel form of shoe (10) made of a suitable plastics material and having a tension bar (20) adjustably mounted across the shoe's arms (16, 18) at the open end, each arm being cross-channelled (22) near its ends and the bar 20 carrying thereon at its ends (25) a number of formations, such as serrations or corrugations, which mate lockingly with corresponding formations in the channels 22 so as to inhibit movement of the arms to or from each other. <IMAGE>

Description

BACKGROUND OF ThH INVENTION This invention relates to a horseshoe.

Known horseshoes are either made of a metal, such as iron or aluminium, or of a plastics material.

Metal horseshoes are affixed to horses' hooves by driving nails through apertures defined in the horseshoes and into the hooves. Metal horseshoes are relatively rigid and thus tend to maintain their shape under the impact of a hoof, to which they are attached, on a surface. Such rigidity prevents the arms of a horseshoe from "spreading" ie. moving apart from one another under pressure. Thus, the connection between a hoof and a metal horseshoe tends to remain fast.

However, a disadvantage of metal horseshoes is that they have little or no shock-absorbing properties. They thus transmit the full impact of a hoof on a surface to the hoof and thus to the tendons and bones in the leg of the animal. This problem is especially severe in racehorses which, due to the strenuous nature of their work, often sustain injuries such as stress fractures and pulled tendons.

Plastics horseshoes on the other hand, because of their resilient nature, tend to "spread" excessively under the impact of a hoof on a surface. If the plastics horseshoe is affixed to a hoof by nails, "spreading" causes the nails to pull through the relatively soft plastics material causing loosening and eventual loss of the horseshoe. Attempts have been made to prevent this by adhering plastics horseshoes to hooves. However, the "spreading" causes a loosening of the bond between any adhesive applied between the horseshoe and the hoof itself.

It is known to place a bridge between the two arms of a C-shaped horseshoe. However, no successful way has yet been found to anchor a plastics bridge between the arms so that it is resilient enough to allow for natural contraction and expansion of a hoof but still limits excessive "spreading" of the horseshoe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention a horseshoe comprises a Cshaped base which defines an apex with two arms extending therefrom and a discrete, elongate tension element which bridges the two arms, the tension element having one or more formations, which are engageable with corresponding formations in the arms, defined near each of its opposed ends, to inhibit movement of the arms towards and away from one another.

Preferably, each of the arms has a channel defined therein through which the tension element extends, one or both of the opposed sides of the channel defining the corresponding formations.

The formations defined on both the arms and the tension element are preferably serrations which co-operate with one another.

The tension element is preferably a bar, the central region of which may be rectangular or elliptical in section.

One or more parallel grooves, extending between the opposed sides of the channel, may be defined in one or both of the arms, the grooves being adapted to receive corresponding ridges defined on one surface of the tension element to supplement the engaging formations in inhibiting the movement of the arms towards and away from one another.

The horseshoe is preferably made of polyurethane.

The tension element may be made of a different, less flexible grade of polyurethane to that of the base.

An insert of a harder plastics material, for example polycarbonate resin, may be embedded in the base of the horseshoe at its apex.

One or more apertures, through which nails may be driven to fix the horseshoe to a hoof of an animal, may be defined in the arms of the base.

An adhesive, placed between the underside of the hoof and the base of the horseshoe, may be used, in addition to nails, to fix the horseshoe to the hoof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TRE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a view of the underside of a horseshoe of the invention with the tension element in position; Figure 2 is a view of the underside of a horse's hoof, with a horseshoe of the invention attached to it; Figure 3 is an exploded view of one of the arms of the horseshoe of Figure 1 and the tension element which, in use, extends through it; Figure 4 is an exploded view of one of the arms of an alternative horseshoe of the invention and the tension element which, in use extends through it; Figure 5 is a section through the channel of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a section through the channel of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a sectional side view on 7-7 in Figure 1; Figure 8 is an alternative tension element; and Figure 9 is a section on 9-9 through the tension element of Figure 8.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT The horseshoe 10 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a. C-shaped base 12 which defines an apex 14 and two arms 16 and 18. The horseshoe 10 also comprises a tension bar 20 which bridges the two arms 16 and 18.

The base 12 is made of standard polyurethane comprising a mixture of grade 472 and grade 460 of Bayer's Desmopan and is injection moulded. Any two or more compatible grades of polyurethane may be combined to form a composition from which the base is moulded. An insert 32 of a harder plastics material, for example polycarbonate resin, is embedded in the base 12 at its apex 1t. This insert of harder material is more abrasion resistant and thus protects the underlying polyurethane of the base and increases the life of the horseshoe.

The two arms of the base 16 and 18 each have a channel 22 defined therein towards their free ends 38. The tension bar 20 extends through these channels 22 and bridges the arms 16 and 18. The opposed sides 24 of each of these channels 22 are serrated and the opposed ends 25 of the tension bar 20 are also serrated. The serrations cooperate with one another to anchor each of the arms 16 and 18 to the tension bar 20. The tension bar 20, when in position, inhibits movement of the arms 16 and 18 towards or away from one another while pressure is applied to and removed from the shoe. In use, this occurs when the weight of a horse to which the horseshoe is fitted applies its weight to and removes it from a particular hoof.

The serrations defined on the tension bar 20 extend inwardly from its opposed ends 25. This allows for fine adjustment of the distance between the arms 16 and 18 depending on the size of the hoof to which the horseshoe 10 is to be fitted. Obviously, large adjustments in the distance between the arms 16 and 18 cannot be made as this will substantially alter the curvature of the arms 16 and 18 and thus the orientation of the channels 22.

If the opposed sides 24 of a channel 22 are not substantially parallel to one another, the tension bar 20 cannot extend through it. The horseshoes of the invention are made in a number of different sizes to fit hooves of different sizes.

A number of grooves 26, which may either be U-shaped, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, or V-shaped, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, are defined in the channels 22. The grooves are parallel to one another and follow the curvature of the arm 16 or 18. A number of complementary ridges 28, which are either U-shaped or V-shaped, depending on the shape of the grooves 26, are defined in the surface 30 of the tension bar 20 which abuts each arm 16 and 18. The interlocking of the grooves 26 and the ridges 28 supplements the anchoring action of the serrations.

In one embodiment of the invention, the central region of the tension bar 20 is rectangular in section, as shown in Figure 7. In another embodiment of the invention the central region of the tension bar 20 is elliptical in section, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. This elliptical central region helps to prevent dirt from becoming wedged between the tension bar 20 and the underside of a hoof to which the horseshoe 10 is attached. The tension bar 20 may be made of a different grade of polyurethane to that of the base to increase its stiffness and thus the tension it can exert on the arms 16 and 18 A plurality of apertures 34 are defined in the arms 16 and 18 of the horseshoe 10. Nails 36 are driven through these holes 34 into a hoof 40 to anchor the horseshoe 10 to the hoof 40 as shown in Figure 2.In those regions of the arms 16 and 18 which define the channels 22, nails 36 are driven through both the tension bar 20 and the arms 16 and 18 and into the hoof 40. An adhesive may be applied to the surfaces of the horseshoe 10 and the tension bar 20 which abut the hoof 40 to complement the nails 36 in fixing the horseshoe 10 to the hoof 40, especially if the hoof is damaged or broken. The ends 25 of the tension bar 20, which extend beyond the edge of the hoof 40 when the horseshoe 10 is fitted to the hoof, are cut off.

The co-operating serrations and the interlocking grooves and ridges anchor the tension bar 20, in its predetermined position, to the base 12 of a horseshoe of the invention. This anchoring action of the tension bar 20, which bridges the arms 16 and 18 of the horseshoe 10, inhibits "spreading" of the free ends 38 of the horseshoe under the weight of a horse. This helps to prevent the nails anchoring the horseshoe to a hoof from ripping through the base.

The polyurethane, from which the horseshoes of the invention are made, has good shock-absorbing characteristics. It is thus ideal for horseshoes, particularly horseshoes for racehorses, as it can absorb some of the impact of a hoof on a surface thereby protecting horses from stress-related injuries.

Claims

CLAIM8:

1. A horseshoe comprising a C-shaped base which defines an apex with two arms extending therefrom and a discrete, elongate tension element which bridges the two arms, the tension element having one or more formations, which are engageable with corresponding formations in the arms, defined near each of its opposed ends, to inhibit movement of the arms towards and away from one another.

2. A horseshoe according to claim 1 wherein each of the arms has a channel defined therein through which the tension element extends, one or both of the opposed sides of the channel defining the corresponding formations.

3. A horseshoe according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the formations defined on both the arms and the tension element are serrations which co-operate with one another,

4. A horseshoe according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the tension element is a bar, the central region of which is rectangular in section.

5. A horseshoe according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the tension element is a bar, the central region of which is elliptical in section.

6. A horseshoe according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein one or more parallel grooves extend between the opposed sides of at least one of the channels, the grooves being adapted to receive corresponding ridges defined on one surface of the tension element.

7. A horseshoe according to claim 6 wherein the grooves and the corresponding ridges are V-shaped.

8. A horseshoe according to claim 6 wherein the grooves and the corresponding ridges are U-shaped.

9. A horseshoe according to any one of the preceding claims which is made of polyurethane.

10. A horseshoe according to claim 9 wherein the base of the horseshoe is made of two different grades of polyurethane.

11. A horseshoe according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the tension element is made of a different, more rigid grade of polyurethane to that of the base.

12. A horseshoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an insert of a harder plastics material is embedded in the base of the horseshoe at its apex.

13. A horseshoe according to claim 12 wherein the insert is made of polycarbonate resin.

14. A horseshoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one or more apertures, through which nails may be driven to fix the horseshoe to a hoof of an animal, are defined in the arms of the base.

15. A horseshoe substantially as herein described with reference to any one of figures 1 to 9.