GB2467765A

GB2467765A - Equine leg guard

Info

Publication number: GB2467765A
Application number: GB0902401A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clive Davies
Original assignee: PREMIER EQUINE INTERNAT Ltd
Current assignee: PREMIER EQUINE INTERNAT Ltd
Priority date: 2009-02-13
Filing date: 2009-02-13
Publication date: 2010-08-18
Also published as: GB0902401D0

Abstract

An equine strike guard for a horses leg comprising a collar 10, with means for releasable attachment 11 of the collar to a lower region of a horse leg. A substantially rigid curved strike plate 14 formed from a homogeneous non-composite polycarbonate material, is mounted on the collar such that it is supported over a lower part of the horse leg to protect the leg or part thereof from damage caused by impact. The strike plate may fit within a pocket 15 formed on the collar. The invention also provides a set of such equine strike guards, comprising two strike guards specifically adapted for the front legs and two specifically adapted for the rear legs. The radius of curvature of the strike plates of the front leg strike guards is less than that of the strike plates of the rear leg strike guards.

Description

EQUINE LEG GUARD

The present invention relates to an improved equine leg guard.

Equine leg guards are attached to horses' legs -often around the cannon bone -to protect them from, in particular, strike impacts from hard objects, especially another of the horses' legs. Strikes, such as those caused during overreach by hind legs, can cause traumatic injuries to the horses' legs, in particular to the tendons, ligaments and other parts at the rear thereof.

There are many examples in the prior art of boots or other strike protectors for horses' legs. One example is that disclosed in GB patent 2 394 666, however this requires the use of an expensive composite material such as Kevlar (RTM) or carbon fibre and a smooth low friction outer surface.

This device however is expensive and of insufficient strength to fully protect a horse's leg. Further when such composites fracture they cause splinters that can be damaging to the horse or rider.

There is therefore a need for an improved equine strike guard (or strike boot) which will provide enhanced protection at a reduced price. The present invention provides such an improved device. It also preferably aims to provide an improved set of strike guard boots, at least one for each of the horses' legs which boots are specifically adapted for the special requirements of differing legs.

Therefore according to the present invention there is provided an equine strike protection device comprising: a horse leg engaging collar; means for releasable attachment of the collar to a lower region of a horse leg; and a substantially rigid curved strike plate formed from a homogeneous non-composite polycarbonate material, which strike plate is mounted on the collar such that it is supported over a lower part of the horse leg to protect it from damage caused by impact thereon.

It is preferred that impact absorbing material is provided on the collar between the strike plate and the horses' leg. This may be material forming part of the collar or may be additional padding added thereto. The padding may be between the collar and the leg or between the strike plate and the collar. The collar may also be formed from a material such as neoprene which has impact absorbing properties.

The nature of the material from which the strike plate is formed is important. It is important that is formed from a homogenous material, rather than a composite, which material is unitary in character rather than being formed from discrete components joined together such as carbon fibre. The material must demonstrate a high strength to weight ratio. All forms of polycarbonate offer these characteristics but particularly preferred materials are grade one quality.

The collar, and the means for releasable attachment, should be adapted to permit easy yet secure attachment to a horses' leg. Preferably the collar may include tabs, or the like, with cooperating two-part hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro (RTM) so that it may be opened to wrap around the leg and then fixed in place.

The strike plate needs to be mounted on the collar and a convenient way of achieving this is to locate it within a pocket or the like formed in the collar. Preferably the strike plate is wholly concealed within that pocket, and may also be permanently fixed therein during manufacture. The strike plate may be on the inside or outside of the collar or within the material that forms the collar.

The strike plate may advantageously be a curved sheet approximately 1-3 mm thick. The sheet may be generally oblong, with substantially linear parallel side edges, which in use run generally vertically (ie parallel to the leg), and with convexly curved top and bottom edges.

The strike plate is preferably formed by some form of moulding, such as press, blow, vacuum or injection moulding.

The shape of a horses' front leg differs from that of a hind leg. Also the direction and type of impact that the strike plate protects the leg from is different. It is feasible to have an identical strike plate on front and hind leg guards, or indeed to use an identical guard for both, but it is preferred that the collars for front and hind leg guards are different. It is also preferred that the shape of a hind leg strike plate and a front leg strike plate are differently adapted to their particular use. Preferably the curvature of a strike plate for a collar adapted for a front leg is different as compared to the strike plate for a hind leg. The radius of curvature of a rear leg strike plate may be larger than that for a front leg strike plate.

According to the present invention there is also provided a set of equine strike guards as previously described, the set comprising two strike guards specifically adapted for the front legs of a horse and two specifically adapted for the rear legs of a horse, wherein the radius of curvature of the strike plates of the front leg strike guards is less than that of the strike plates of the rear leg strike guards.

In order that it may be better understood, but by way of example only, an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in more details with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a simplified embodiment of strike guard according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through plane X-X of the embodiment in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the strike plate; Figure 4 is an end view of the strike plate of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional end view of an alternative embodiment of strike plate for use on a front leg.

Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, the present invention provides a strike guard for use on a horse's leg. The strike guard comprises a collar 10 formed from a sheet of material (such as layered fabric and neoprene) which is is wrapped round such that tabs 11 on one end thereof may be attached to the opposite end of the sheet using suitable releasable hook and loop fasteners (not shown) such as those sold under the trade name Velcro. Using these tabs lithe collar may be releasably connected to, and removed from, a horse's leg as is required.

A generally curved strike plate 14, as more fully discussed with respect to Figures 3-5 below, is located on the outer side of the collar 10 and is held in place within a pocket defined beneath a cover sheet 15 which is stitched in place around the strike plate 14. On the inside of the collar 10, in the area behind the strike plate 14, there is provided a shock absorber 16 which provides additional padding between the collar and the horse's leg (not shown) to cushion impacts. The horses' leg would be wholly located within the area bounded by the collar 10. This shock absorber may take any suitable form, but conveniently comprises resiliently deformable material attached to the inside of the collar 10.

In use the collar 10 is connected round an appropriate part of a horse's leg, such as the cannon bone, and is positioned such that the strike plate 14 is located over that part of the leg requiring protection. Often this part could be a delicate structure such as the tendons at the rear of the leg. Should an object such as the horse's hind leg impact the strike plate 14 it will prevent damage to the leg around which the collar has been attached.

The strike plate 14 is shown in more detail in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a side view of the strike plate and Figure 4 is an end view. The strike plate 14 is formed from a generally oblong sheet of polycarbonate by suitable methods such as pressing. The sheet has generally parallel straight side edges 17 and a curved upper edge 18, and oppositely curved lower edge 19.

The strike plate is generally linear in the direction up and down between the upper edge 18 and lower edge 19. However, across the sheet between the side edges 17 the sheet is curved. The profile of this curvature can be adapted to suit a particular size of horse or the particular anatomy of a leg to which it is to be attached. For example, the strike plate 14 as shown in Figures 3 and 4 is most suited to a hind leg. However, Figure 15 shows an end view of an alternative strike plate profile more suited to a front leg.

As can be seen in Figure 3 the upper and lower edges 18 and 19 are not cut at right angles to the inner and outer surfaces of the sheet. Instead the angle of cut varies between an angle approximately 90° at the apex of each curve to a more splayed angle of approximately 45° adjacent the side edges 17.

The strike plates 14 are in this embodiment permanently connected into the collar as the cover sheet 15 is stitched in place. However, it is feasible for an end of the pocket formed between the cover sheet 15 and the collar 10 to be left open thereby allowing the strike plate 14 to be removably insertable therein. This would permit a damaged strike plate to be replaced without replacing the entire item and would also allow for strike plates providing different capabilities to be substituted in different circumstances.

Claims

Claims 1. An equine strike guard comprising: a horse leg engaging collar; means for releasable attachment of the collar to a lower region of a horse leg; and a substantially rigid curved strike plate formed from a homogeneous non-composite polycarbonate material, which strike plate is mounted on the collar such that it is supported over a lower part of the horse leg to protect it from damage caused by impact thereon.
2. An equine strike guard as claimed in claim 1 wherein impact absorbing material is provided on the collar between the strike plate and the horses' leg.
3. An equine strike guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the means for releasable attachment to the horses' leg include cooperating two-part hook and loop fasteners.
4. An equine strike guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims is wherein the strike plate is located within a pocket formed in the collar.
5. An equine strike guard as claimed in claim 4 wherein the strike plate is wholly concealed within that pocket.
6. An equine strike guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the strike plate is a curved sheet approximately 1-3 mm thick, with substantially linear parallel side edges and convex curved top and bottom edges.
7. An equine strike guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the strike plate is formed by moulding.
8. An equine strike guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the curvature of the strike plate if different for a collar adapted for a front leg as compared to that for a hind leg.
9. An equine strike guard as claimed in claim 8, wherein the radius of curvature of a rear leg strike plate is larger than that for a front leg.
10. A set of equine strike guards as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising two strike guards specifically adapted for the front legs of a horse and two specifically adapted for the rear legs of a horse, wherein the radius of curvature of the strike plates of the front leg strike guards is less than that of the strike plates of the rear leg strike guards.