GB2505962A

GB2505962A - Saddle support extension member

Info

Publication number: GB2505962A
Application number: GB201216647A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vanessa Fairfax
Original assignee: FAIRFAX SADDLES Ltd
Current assignee: FAIRFAX SADDLES Ltd
Priority date: 2012-09-18
Filing date: 2012-09-18
Publication date: 2014-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 2032-09-18
Also published as: GB2505962B; GB201216647D0

Abstract

A saddle 1 comprising a seat 3 to support a rider and a support 5 positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal which includes, at either side, a support portion 5a, 5b extending generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminating forwardly at a leading edge 7a, 7b. Each side of the saddle is provided with a connection member 9a, 9b at least a portion of which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion. Each connection member provides a means for releasably connecting thereto a support portion extension member 11a, 11b for extending the length of the support in the leading edge direction. A cover portion 9a, 9b may be provided to cover the point of connection. Alternatively the support portions may be provided with a moveable portion. Methods of fitting said saddles are also claimed.

Description

Title: Saddle Descrirtion of Invention The invention relates to a saddle for an animal. In particular, though not exclusively, to a saddle for a horse.

A saddle is used to support a rider on an animal. A saddle typically includes a seat that is situated above a support formed by a pair of elongate parts that rest generally lengthwise on either side of the animal's spine. The support is commonly made of a leather casing that contains a padding material.

Additionally, the saddle may also have protective portions that extend from near a top of the saddle downwardly over either side of the animal. Each protective portion may be formed as a single piece of leather and is shaped to protect the animal against direct contact of the rider's leg with the side of the animal. A saddle ensures that a rider's weight is substantially evenly distributed over the animal thereby increasing the comfort experienced by the rider and horse respectively.

Prior art saddles can often impinge on the animal's movement by, for example, forming pressure points on the animal causing it discomfort. Prior art saddles may also have a tendency to interfere with the natural movement of the animal by directing forces resulting from the rider's weight onto muscle groups of the animal which it uses for movement, or by restricting movement of the animal's skeleton (e.g. restricting movement of the animal's scapula).

According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a saddle for an animal including: a seat to support a rider; a support positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal and including, at either side, a support portion which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminates forwardly at a leading edge; wherein each side of the saddle is provided with a connection member at least a portion of which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion, and wherein each connection member provides a means for releasably connecting thereto a support portion extension member for extending a length of the support in the leading edge direction.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide a saddle for an animal including: a seat to support a rider, a support positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal and including, at either side, a support portion, which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminating forwardly at a leading edge, wherein a part of each support portion adjacent the leading edge is moveable relative to a remainder of the support.

According to a third aspect of the invention we provide a method of fitting a saddle to an animal, the saddle including: a seat to support a rider; a support positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal and including, at either side, a support portion which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminates forwardly at a leading edge; and a connection member at each side of the saddle at least a portion of which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion; and the method including the steps of: selecting, based on the animal's physical characteristics, and for each side of the saddle, a support portion extension member to be positioned adjacent a leading edge of its respective support portion, so as to extend the overall length of the support; and connecting the selected support portion extension members to their respective connection member at each side of the saddle.

An embodiment of the invention includes a method of fitting a saddle according to a first or second aspect of the invention, the method including the steps of: selecting, based on the animal's physical characteristics, and for each side of the saddle, a support portion extension member to be positioned adjacent a leading edge of its respective support portion, so as to extend the overall length of the support; and connecting the selected support portion extension members to their respective connection member at each side of the saddle.

Further features of the various aspects of the invention are set out in dependent claims 2 to 9 and 11 to 16 appended hereto.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a saddle of the present invention; Fig. 2a is a rear perspective view of an underside of a saddle of the present invention; Fig. 2b is a bottom view of one side of the saddle; Figs. 3a to 3d are side views of a saddle on a horse supporting a rider through progressive phases of the horse jumping over a fence; Figs. 4a to 4d are tables showing the results of experiments undertaken to show the advantages of a saddle in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of an underside of a saddle with a modified support in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, Referring to Figures 1 and 2, these show a saddle 1 for horse jumping. Whilst the invention can be utilised on a saddle for many kinds of animals, the following examples have been described with reference to a horse saddle. It should be noted that the saddle of the present invention could be used for riding any appropriate animal, whether equine or non-equine.

The saddle 1 is symmetrical meaning that the components and their arrangement on one side of the saddle 1 (to one side of the horse's spine) are mirrored on the other side of the saddle 1. For this reason, only features of one side of the saddle 1 will be described hereinafter.

The saddle 1 includes a seat 3 to support a rider, and a support 5 positioned under the seat 3 for engagement with the horse. The support 5 includes, at either side, a support portion 5a, Sb which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminates forwardly at a leading edge 7a, 7b. The term "leading edge" as used herein refers to an edge of a component part of the saddle 1, which, when the saddle is positioned on a horse, faces and is closest to a forward direction of travel of the horse (i.e. the horse's head).

Each side of the saddle 1 is provided with a connection member 9a, 9b a portion of which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion 7a, 7b. Each connection member 9a, 9b provides a means 1 5a, 1 Sb for releasably connecting thereto a support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b for extending a length of the support 5 in the leading edge direction. The saddle 1 also includes, at either side, a cover member 1 3a, 1 3b which extends downwardly from the saddle 1. In this embodiment the cover member 1 3a, 1 3b, connection member 9a, 9b, and support portion 5a, Sb are connected to the seat 3 with the connection member 9a, 9b being positioned between the cover member 13a, 13b and the support portion 5a, 5b. Alternatively, however, each connection member 1 3a, 1 3b may be provided beneath the S support portion Sa, 5b.

Each cover member 1 3a, 1 3b is made from leather, but it could be made from any other suitable natural or synthetic material. In an alternative embodiment the cover member 1 3a, 1 3b may extend only over a portion of the connection member 9a, 9b rather than cover the whole of the connection member 9a, 9b.

The cover member 1 3a, 1 3b may, for example, only cover the portion of the connection member 9a, 9b which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion Sa, Sb.

Each connection member 9a, 9b is made from leather, but it could be made from any other suitable natural or synthetic material. The connection member 9a, 9b is shaped such that it tapers outwardly as it extends away from its connection to the seat 3. The connection member 9a, 9b is shaped such that part of the connection member 9a, 9b extends further forwardly (towards the horse's head) than the leading edge 7a, 7b of the support portion Sa, Sb. The reason for this feature is described below. The connection member 9a, 9b has connecting means 1 5a, 1 Sb to provide a releasable connection for the support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b. Abutting surfaces of the connecting means iSa, lSb and support portion extension member ha, llb may be provided with a hook and loop releasable connection. Alternatively, any other type of releasable connection could be used, for example, popper/snap fasteners or a reusable adhesive. The connection means 1 Sa, 1 Sb in the present example also extends over, and provides a releasable connection 16 between, an upper surface of the support portion 5a, 5b and the connection member 9a, 9b. This feature serves to hold the connection member 9a, 9b in position relative to the seat 3 during use.

In this embodiment, the connection members 9a, 9b also act as sweat flaps.

Sweat flaps protect the horse's skin from damage/irritation by contact with other components of the saddle 1. However, the connection members 9a, 9b do not necessarily have to perform the function of a sweat flap and can be made to different sizes and shapes. All that is required is that each connection member 9a, 9b has a portion which extends further forwardly of the leading edge of the support portions 5a, 5b to provide a means for releasably connecting thereto a respective support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b.

Support portion 5a, 5b and support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b are resiliently deformable and are each formed from a leather casing that contains a foam material. The foam is preferably a polystyrene butadiene rubber. The support portions 5a, Sb have a channel 6 therebetween which extends axially along the saddle 1 (along its axis of symmetry) to afford space for the horse's spine. The support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b, when connected to the connection member 9a, 9b extends an overall length of the support 7 on each side of the saddle 1. The length of the support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b is shorter than the length of the support portion 5a, 5b when measured in a direction lengthwise of the horse's spine.

As the connection members 9a, 9b are made from leather, which is a flexible material, when the support portion extension members 11 a, 11 b are attached thereto they can move relative to the larger support portions 5a, Sb, which is advantageous. The support portions Sa, Sb of the present invention are shorter than prior art support portions, when measured in a direction lengthwise of the horse's spine, and are configured to terminate short of the shoulders (e.g. rear of the scapula) of the horse. The support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b, when connected to the connection member 9a, 9b, effectively extends the length of the support portion 5a, 5b over the shoulders of the horse.

When fitting a saddle to a particular horse, it would be beneficial to be able to take into account the physical characteristics of that horse. For example, the horse's muscles and bone structure are unlikely to be perfectly symmetrical.

Advantageously, the present invention permits such custom fitting of a saddle, without the saddle having to be made custom-made from scratch (i.e. bespoke). Based on the measured/perceived physical characteristics of the horse, a suitable sized/shaped support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b may be selected by a user for positioning adjacent the leading edge of its respective support portion 5a, Sb so as to extend the overall length of the support 5. The selected support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b is then connected to the respective connection member 9a, 9b on each side of the saddle. Alternatively the support portion extension member may in itself be adjustable in length, width of thickness to accommodate the asymmetry of the horse or indeed the rider.

The present invention recognises that during jumping, the rider will move forwards onto portions of the saddle (i.e. of the cover, support and connecting members) that sit adjacent or directly above the shoulders of the horse thereby potentially limiting the movement of muscle groups of the horse that are involved in jumping. Prior art saddles have a one-piece support at each side of the horse's spine, which extends over and onto the muscle groups of the horse at the horse's shoulder, thus inhibiting movement of those muscles.

It is advantageous to have a saddle that can support the rider's legs during jumping whilst permitting freer movement of the horse to enable the horse to jump with improved performance. These factors are taken into account by the saddle of the present invention. In particular, the leading edge of the support portion 5 terminates rearwardly of the shoulders of the horse. The connecting member 9a, 9b and support portion extension member ha, hlb extend forwardly of the leading edge of the support portion 5 such that the support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b extends the length of the support 5 on to the horse's shoulders.

The saddle 1 can be fitted onto a horse using a girth in a known fashion.

During jumping, it will be appreciated that the horse's muscles around the shoulders will push against the support portion extension members 11 a, 11 b on either side of the horse. Unlike known saddles which have a rigid one piece support, the support portion extension members 11 a, 11 b of the present invention are free to move relative to the support portions 5a, Sb, and are therefore free to move in an upward and/or outward direction. Hence, the horse's muscles are not as restricted during movement as they are with prior art saddles. It will also be appreciated that as the muscles of a horse are interconnected as a single muscular skeletal system, freedom of movement in one area of the horse's body (e.g. its shoulders) may well result in greater freedom in other areas of the horse's body. The horse can therefore move more freely overall which translates into improvements in its performance.

The configuration of the saddle of the present invention can include altering the shape and/or size of the connecting means so that different sizes and shapes of support portion extension members can be connected thereto. For example, the connecting means may include a hook and loop connection that is of a particular surface area suitable for releasably connecting thereto different sizes and/or shapes of support portion extension member. The position of the support portion extension member may also be altered by connecting to different portions of the connecting means. This is advantageous as it can accommodate for the natural asymmetry in the physical characteristics of a horse, for example, differences in the size, shape and position of muscles and/or bones on either side of the horse.

Increases in horse jumping performance as a result of the saddle of the present invention can be illustrated using a method that measures, by collecting images of the movements of a horse's joints when jumping over a fence. The hind limb (HL), carpal (knee) flexion (CF), shoulder flexion (SF), and fore limb (FL) protraction of a horse during progressive stages of a jump over a fence can be used to determine whether a saddle permits a horse to move more freely.

Referring to Figures 3a -3d, these variables are defined with respect to the horse as follows.

Figure 3a shows the relevant angle eFL for measuring the degree of front limb protraction of the horse before taking off. The angle subtended by the front limb with respect to the vertical indicates the amount of protraction that has occurred. The larger the angle, the larger the degree of protraction and muscle movement obtained. A large extension of its front limbs means that the horse's muscles are in an extended state that can better support the horse's weight on take off. Conversely, if the front limbs cannot extend as far then the amount of support provided by the horse's front limb muscles is limited.

Figure 3b shows the pose of the horse as it is about to jump the fence. The front limbs have been lifted off the ground and the angle 0HL is a measure of the extent of hind limb protraction. eHL is measured as the angle subtended from the vertical with respect to the hind limb. The larger the angle, the greater extent of hind limb protraction, thus giving the horse more power on take off to allow it to jump higher.

Figure 3c shows the pose of the horse when the hind legs are at their last point of contact with the ground. At this stage the horse's front limbs are already over the fence and are in a contracted state, whilst the hind limbs are almost upright. The extent of movement made by the front limbs is measured as the angle ecF subtended between two lines defined by the elbow to the carpal, and the fetlock to the carpal. The smaller the angle ØCF the greater extent of flexion, or bending, obtained. It will be appreciated that the front limbs must obtain a good degree of flexion in order for the horse to clear the fence. Hence, larger amounts of flexion correspond to the ability to jump higher.

Figure 3d is identical to Figure 3c but shows the relevant angle 66F for measuring the shoulder flexion of the horse. 8SF is defined as the angle subtended by the shoulder with respect to the vertical and indicates the degree of shoulder flexion. A larger angle corresponds to greater shoulder flexion. It will be appreciated that having a larger degree of shoulder flexion results in the horse being able to have greater carpal flexion and hence jump correspondingly higher.

Referring to Figures 4a-d, these show results obtained from experiments that involved taking measurements of the angles as defined above for the left and right sides of eight different horses during jumping with a prior art jump saddle (OS) and a saddle of the present invention (FF). Each horse made four passes left and four passes right to obtain an average value for the results. It should be noted that consideration should be made of the inherent variability in the physical characteristics of horses and other factors such as the health, medical condition of the horses, when interpreting these results. What is clear, however, is that the saddle according to the present invention gives improved performance.

Referring to Figure 4a, six of the horses had an increase in the amount of front limb protraction. Horse 2 experienced a decrease in protraction for the right and left front limbs in comparison to the prior art saddle. It can be seen that Horse 3 had a significant difference between the degree of protraction of its left and right front limbs when the rider used the prior art saddle. Although when using a saddle of the present invention the protraction of the left front limb was less than that obtained with the prior art saddle, the protraction of the front right limb was much greater than that obtained with the prior art saddle.

Furthermore the protraction of the front right and left limbs was much more symmetric. It will be appreciated that jumping with the saddle of the present invention for horse 3 would result in a larger successful jump than with the prior art saddle as having one of the front limbs less extended than the other would still result in the horse failing to clear a higher fence.

Referring to Figure 4b, it can be seen that six horses experienced a larger degree of shoulder flexion when using the saddle of the present invention in

comparison to the prior art saddle.

Referring to Figure 4c, a positive improvement corresponds to a smaller carpal flexion angle BOF. In this case six horses had a positive improvement when using the saddle of the present invention in comparison to the prior art saddle.

Referring to Figure 4d, there was a positive improvement in the degree of hind limb protraction on take off for six of the horses.

Horses 1 and 3 only improved in some types of movements. This is not unexpected given the various clinical and environmental factors that may affect their performance. However, a large majority of the horses tested showed an improvement in three of the four movements studied. A significant difference in shoulder flexion and carpal motion is also evident from the data.

Although some of the differences observed may at first glance be considered small, with sufficient training time and the horse's physiological adaption along with changes in the horse's proprioception, we would expect these small differences to improve further with the saddle of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the saddle of the present invention improved the symmetry of the movement of at least one of the horses in the study. This can be an important factor in establishing the longevity and performance of a horse, particularly one used in competition. It is inconclusive as to why horses 5 and 8 had an anomaly in their results related to shoulder flexion. In conclusion, from the eight horses tested there was a positive improvement (ranges +1-FL protraction 1.69°, Shoulder flexion 2.75°, Carpal Efexion 5.17°, HL protraction 1.06° -these were calculated by averaging the meaairements over eight passes per horse, and then taking the average over the eight horses) with a significant difference in carpal and shoulder motion. This would be expected given that the support portion extension member of the present invention is situated in that region of the horse, and thus provides a significant improvement in the movement of muscles in that region.

Referring to Figure 5, this shows a saddle 101 according to a second embodiment of the invention with a seat 103 to support a rider and a support 105 positioned under the seat for engagement with the horse and including, at either side, a support portion 105a, 105b, which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminates forwardly at a leading edge 1 07a, 1 07b. The saddle also has a rrioveable support part 1 06a, 1 06b of each support portion 105a, 105b adjacent the leading edge 107a, 107b which is moveable relative to the remainder of the support 105a, 105b. The combined length of the moveable part 106a, 106b and remainder of the support 105a, 105b are similar to the support portion 5a, 5b and support portion extension member 11 a, 11 b of the first embodiment of the invention.

The saddle 101 is symmetrical meaning that the components on one side and their arrangement on the saddle 101 are mirrored on the other side of the saddle 101. For this reason, only one side of the saddle 101 will be described hereinafter.

Each side of the saddle 101 has a cover member 108a, 108b similar to the cover member isa, lSb. The saddle 101 has a sweat flap 109a, 109b which extends downwardly on either side of the saddle 101.

In this embodiment the moveable part 106a, 106b is connected to the remainder of the support 1 05a, 1 05b by a connection means 11 Oa, 11 Ob provided at or near the abutting surfaces (although they do not need to abut in order to function) of the moveable part 1 06a, 1 06b and the remainder of the support 1 05a, 1 05b. The connection means 11 Oa, 11 Ob may be in the form of a hook and loop releasable connection. Alternatively, other types of connection could be used provided that the connection permits the moveable part 1 06a, 1 06b to move relative to the remainder of the support 1 05a, 1 05b.

A variation of this embodiment has a moveable part 1 06a, 1 06b formed on the same body as the remainder of the support 1 05a, 1 05b. The support has a recess or division therebetween which permits the moveable part 1 06a, 1 06b to move towards and away from the recess or division so that it can move relative to the remainder 1 USa, 1 05b of the support. Alternatively each support may be a one-piece construction and its leading edge may have a portion which deforms more easily than a remainder of the support.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A saddle for an animal including: a seat to support a rider; a support positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal and including, at either side, a support portion which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminates forwardly at a leading edge; wherein each side of the saddle is provided with a connection member at least a portion of which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion, and wherein each connection member provides a means for releasably connecting thereto a support portion extension member for extending a length of the support in the leading edge direction.
2. A saddle according to claim 1 wherein the connection member permits the support portion extension member to move relative to the support portion.
3. A saddle according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the means for releasably connecting thereto the support portion extension member is provided on a portion of the connection member which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion.
4. A saddle according to any preceding claim, further including, at each side of the saddle, a cover member which extends over at least a portion of the connection member.
5. A saddle according to claim 4, wherein the cover member covers the portion of the connection member which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion.
6. A saddle according to any preceding claim wherein the connecting means provided on or by the connection member permits the support portion extension member to be placed in a plurality of positions.
7. A saddle according to any preceding claim wherein the connecting means provided on or by the connection member is one of a hook or loop configuration arranged to fasten to the other of the hook or loop provided on or by the support portion extension member.
8. A saddle according to any preceding claim including a removable support portion extension member connected to each connection member.
9. A saddle according to any preceding claim wherein the connection means also provides a releasable connection between an upper surface of the support portion and the connection member.
10. A saddle for an animal including: a seat to support a rider, a support positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal and including, at either side, a support portion, which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminating forwardly at a leading edge, wherein a part of each support portion adjacent the leading edge is moveable relative to a remainder of the support.
11. A saddle according to claim 10, including a connecting means for connecting the moveable part of each support portion adjacent the leading edge to the remainder of the support.
12. A saddle according to claim 11, wherein the connecting means is one of a hook or loop configuration arranged to fasten to the other of the hook or loop provided on or by the remainder of the support.
13. A saddle according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the connecting means provides a releasable connection between the part of each support portion and the remainder of the support portion.
14. A saddle according to any one of claims 9 to 13 wherein each support portion has a recess or division between the moveable part of each support portion and the remainder of the support which permits the moveable part to move towards and away from the recess or division so that it can move relative to the remainder of the support.
15. A saddle according to any one of claims 9 to 13 wherein each support each support is a one-piece construction and its leading edge has a portion which deforms more easily than a remainder of the support.
16. A saddle according to any one of claims 9 to 15 wherein each side of the saddle is provided with a connection member which extends downwardly away from the seat and a further connection means which provides a releasable connection between an upper surface of the support and the connection member.
17. A method of fitting a saddle to an animal, the saddle including: a seat to support a rider; a support positioned under the seat for engagement with the animal and including, at either side, a support portion which in use extends generally lengthwise of the animal's spine and terminates forwardly at a leading edge; and a connection member at each side of the saddle at least a portion of which extends further forwardly than the leading edge of the support portion; and the method including the steps of: selecting, based on the animal's physical characteristics, and for each side of the saddle, a support portion extension member to be positioned adjacent a leading edge of its respective support portion, so as to extend the overall length of the support; and connecting the selected support portion extension members to their respective connection member at each side of the saddle.
18. A method of fitting a saddle according to any one of the claims 1 to 16, the method including the steps of: selecting, based on the animal's physical characteristics, and for each side of the saddle, a support portion extension member to be positioned adjacent a leading edge of its respective support portion, so as to extend the overall length of the support; and connecting the selected support portion extension members to their respective connection member at each side of the saddle.
19. A saddle or method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.
20. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.