WO1994006285A1 - Horseshoe systems including assembly and installation methods - Google Patents

Abstract

Light-weight plastic horseshoes (10) are held to the bottoms (12) of horse's hooves (14) by gluing them thereto, and by additionally providing preformed spaced depressions (20) in the hoof (14), into which extend fasteners (18) secured to the shoe (10); preferably the distal portions of the fasteners (18) fit tightly into the depressions (20) and are glued to the walls of the depressions (20) in one form the fasteners (18) are dowels, separate from or integral with the shoe (10); in other cases they may be expansion bolts (50), with each bolt screwed into an internally-threaded split socket (52) located in a preformed depression in the hoof (14). In other cases, dowels may be formed in situ by pouring an initially liquid but hardenable plastic through holes (72) in the shoe (70) into the preformed depressions (74) in the hoof (14), the liquid thereafter hardening to form the dowel extending through the shoe (70) and into the depression (74).

Description

Horseshoe Systems Including Assembly and Installation Methods

Reference to Related Application

This application is a continuation-in-part of Application Serial No. 07/947,550, filed September 21, 1992.

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to horseshoe systems of the type which comprise a horseshoe and means for securing it to the hoof of a horse; it also relates to methods for assembling and installing such a horseshoe system.

Background of the Invention

Horseshoes have long been used on the hooves of horses to protect the hooves from excessive wear. They have, for example, been made of steel, rubber or elastomeric plastic. The plastic shoe has many advantages, particularly with regard to lightness and flexibility, which allow easy, natural movement of the hoof during running, as well as being a convenience in the treatment of the hoof for medical reasons; additionally, the shoe provides protection when a bandage or other medical treatment has been applied to the horse's hoof. Such a plastic shoe has often been secured to the hoof by an adhesive. However, difficulty has been experienced in retaining the plastic shoe on the hoof for long periods of time when adhesives are relied on to accomplish this task. Factors which tend to shorten the attachment life of a plastic horseshoe include exposure to water, repeated shock and flexing, extremes of temperature and other conditions encountered in normal practical use. One basic factor believed to be involved in the tendency for an adhesively-bonded shoe to loosen is that the organic keratinous portion of the hoof to which the shoe is adhered is constantly growing, shedding and being replaced. Under these conditions, without some positive fastening system acting between shoe and hoof, the useful attachment life of a plastic shoe is generally much shorter than is desirable. While it is possible to attach plastic shoes, and of course metal shoes, to horses' hooves using nails, this is a specialized process requiring skill and care, and even if it is properly performed it has the drawback that the nails are inserted in such manner as -to protrude from the side edges of the hoof, where they can cause obvious practical difficulties.

U.S. Patent No. 4,189,004 of N.W. Glass, issued February 19, 1980, discloses a hoof boot of molded polyurethane which extends up over the sides of the hoof and is secured by self-tapping screws inserted through the boot into the side of the hoof. However, such a boot is bulky and unsightly, and it is easy to apply it improperly so that it is not entirely effective; furthermore, such a system can cause trauma to the horse, due to the insertion of the screws through the outer edge of the keratinous portion of the hoof into the inner living layers of the hoof.

It is therefore desirable to provide a safe and economical system for attaching a horseshoe, especially a horseshoe of resilient pliable material, to a horse's hoof in a manner to counteract the effects of the shear forces acting on the shoe, and to increase the attachment life of the shoe.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the invention, the desired objectives are obtained by the provision of a novel system and method of attaching a shoe to a horse's hoof which requires no boots or nails inserted on or into the hoof, is easy and inexpensive to install, and provides longer attachment life for the shoe. This is accomplished by securing the shoe to the bottom of the hoof with adhesive and also fastening it in place by means of a plurality of fasteners spaced along the shoe and extending into corresponding pre-drilled holes or preformed depressions in the hoof, into which they preferably fit tightly; preferably also, in most embodiments, they are glued in place at their distal ends, so that they are held in their corresponding depression when installed. This simple, inexpensive, safe, economical fastening system is effective in counteracting the shear forces which contribute to early loosening of the shoe.

In one embodiment of the invention, the shoe is of pliable, resilient plastic material having integral dowels spaced along it, on the side thereof which is placed against the bottom of the horse's hoof. The bottom of the hoof contains preformed depressions or pre-drilled holes, preferably drilled therein through a template, and aligned so that the dowels can be driven into their corresponding bores until the shoe lies flat against the bottom of the hoof. Prior to this, an adhesive is applied to shoe and/or hoof so as to glue the shoe to the hoof once the shoe is installed; in one preferred embodiment, a fast-setting adhesive, for example cyanoacrylate, may first be applied to the shoe, and a more slowly-setting adhesive such as epoxy applied to the dowels, so that the shoe will be held in the desired position by the fast-setting adhesive while the adhesive on the dowels dries and sets. Alternatively, a slow-drying adhesive may be applied to the shoe while a fast drying adhesive is applied to the dowels. In addition to cyanoacrylate, the present invention may be used with two- side adhesive tape, two-part epoxy compounds and silicone adhesives.

In another embodiment of the invention, the dowels are initially separate from the shoe and provided with heads; the bores in the hoof are preferably pre-drilled through corresponding holes already formed in the shoe, so as to assure proper alignment. After the shoe has been glued in place and the holes have been drilled, the dowels are inserted through the holes in the shoe into the bores in the hoof; adhesive is applied to the bores and/or the dowels prior to insertion of the dowels into the bores.

In a variation of the latter system and method, the headed dowels are formed in pairs, with a connecting spandrel extending between members of the pairs. These dowel pairs are driven or inserted through corresponding pairs of holes in the shoe, into positions such that their distal ends are wedged into a corresponding pairs of the holes or depressions which have been preformed or pre- drilled in the hoof. Preferably, but not necessarily, the spandrels and/or the heads of the dowels are recessed into the outer surface of the horseshoe by appropriate manufacturing of the horseshoe.

According to a further variation, the fasteners are expansion anchors or expansion dowels, the internally- threaded split socket of each expansion anchor being tightly-fitted, and optionally also glued, into a corresponding preformed depression in the hoof; the threaded bolts which spread the split sockets extend into the sockets by way of corresponding respective openings through the horseshoe, and are tightened to secure the shoe in place. This expansion bolt embodiment can also be made using pairs of joined split sockets, mounted in the preformed depressions or pre-drilled holes before application of the shoe.

In still another embodiment, the dowels may be provided by preforming the depressions in the hoof, aligning holes through the shoe with the hoof depressions, and while so aligned filling the depressions and the shoe holes with a hardenable liquid which is then allowed to harden, to form the dowels in situ; the liquid is preferably one which tends to expand on curing and has a tendency to adhere to the walls of the depression.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a horse's hoof with a horseshoe attached to its bottom as in the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a horseshoe embodying the invention in a first embodiment, and using integral dowels;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of a horse's hoof pre-drilled with a series of holes for use in this embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a bottom plan view showing the latter horseshoe mounted on the hoof;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of an apertured horseshoe used in a second embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 10;

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the prebored hoof of a horse to which the shoe of Fig. 6 is to be secured;

Figure 8 show the horseshoe of Fig. 8 in the hoof of Fig. 7; Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the headed dowel;

Figures 9a-9d are side elevational views of alternative headed dowels; Figure 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 10-10 of Fig. 8;

Figure 11 is a plan view of an apertured and recessed horseshoe according to a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 12 is a plan view of the hoof to which this shoe is to be applied;

Figure 13 shows the shoe of Fig. 11 assembled on the hoof of Fig. 12;

Figure 14 is an enlarged side elevational view showing the double-dowel used in this embodiment;

Figure 15 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along line 15-15 of Fig. 13;

Figure 16 is an enlarged side elevational view of an expansion anchor or dowel used in a fourth embodiment of the invention;

Figure 17 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the fastener of Fig. 16 in place, holding a horseshoe to a hoof;

Figure 17a is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the fastener of Figure 16 in place, holding a horseshoe to the hoof;

Figure 18 shows a double expansion anchor or dowel used in a fifth embodiment of the invention;

Figure 19 is a fragmentary sectional view showing said fasteners in place on the shoe and hoof; and

Figure 20 shows a sixth embodiment of the invention in vertical section, showing fasteners in the form of in-situ molded dowels, in the course of their fabrication and as completed. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings by way of example only, Fig. 1 shows the location of the shoe 10 in its actual use, wherein it is secured flat against the bottom surface 12 of the hoof 14 of a horse 16. This arrangement is common to all of the embodiments described herein.

Figs. 2 to 5 show an embodiment of the invention in which the means for fastening the shoe to the hoof are in the form of a set of dowels such as 18 which are integral with the molded plastic shoe 10 and protruding therefrom toward the hoof of the horse. In a preferred embodiment, shoe 10 is constructed from polyurethane and preferably from a material such as ESTANE, manufactured by B.F. Goodrich Company. The dowels are are substantially cylindrical in cross-section and are equally spaced along the shoe. Dowels may be constructed from a styrinic plastic or polyurethane. While in this case sixteen such integral dowels are shown, a different number, typically a smaller number, of such dowels may be used in other applications depending upon the size of the hoof being shoed.

The hoof of the horse is prepared by preforming in its bottom surface a set of depressions such as 20, alignable with the set of dowels. These depressions or bores may be formed with any suitable drilling or boring tool, and are easily located in proper position by means of a template (not shown) having openings corresponding to the positions of the integral dowels and laid against the bottom of the hoof when the drilling is being performed; alternatively, the template can merely be used to accomplish a marking of the positions at which the bores are to be provided and then removed during the actual boring process.

The face 26 of the molded shoe with integral dowels, the lower surface 12 of the hoof 14, and the interior walls of the depressions formed therein are preferably coated with an adhesive 28, and the shoe is then hammered into place with each of the dowels being pressed and forced into its corresponding bore in the adjacent hoof to provide the completed assembly of Figures 4 and 5.

As mentioned above, during this process either one or both of the exposed surfaces of the hoof and the adjacent side of the shoe may be coated with a suitable adhesive such as cyanoacrylate, two-sided adhesive tape, a two part epoxy compound, silicone adhesives, before application of the shoe to the hoof; if desired, a fast-setting adhesive such as cyanoacrylate can be applied only between the exposed major surface of the hoof and the major confronting surface of the shoe, with a slower-setting adhesive such as an epoxy applied to the dowels and/or the interior surfaces of the bores; this will enable the shoe to be held initially in the desired position while a stronger bond is being formed by the slower-setting epoxy adhesive. Alternatively, the slower-setting adhesive may be applied between the major surface of the hoof and the major confronting surface of the shoe with the faster-acting adhesive applied to the dowels 18. In another embodiment shown particularly in

Figures 6 - 10, the headed dowels are separate fasteners in the form of short, headed dowels such as 30 in Figs. 9 and 10. In this case, the shoe is provided with openings 30 of counterbored form, extending through the shoe in the positions to be occupied by the dowels and in alignment with the preformed holes 34 in the horse's hoof 35. This shoe may be then used itself as a template to mark or punch the locations of the holes to be drilled in the hoof. The apertured shoe is placed over the hoof 35 with its openings 34 in alignment with the bores 30 in the hoof, and the dowel pins such as 30 are driven through the shoe into the depressions or bores, into which they preferably fit tightly. It will be understood that, prior to this, suitable adhesive has been applied to the bottom of the hoof, including the walls of the depressions or bores, and/or to the surface of the shoe which is to be placed against the hoof; the dowel pins may also be coated with an adhesive prior to their insertion. Upon curing of the adhesive, the shoe is held to the hoof by the adhesive and by the dowel pins as well. Figures 9a-9d are alternative dowel embodiments in which the dowels are serrated 30a, splined 30b, finned 30c and threaded 30d, respectively. In a third embodiment illustrated particularly with reference to Figs. 11-15, the dowel pins may be formed in joined pairs such as 40 in Fig. 14, wherein each dowel pin of the pair is joined to the other by a spandrel 44. Preferably the outer surface of the shoe is molded to include a recess or depression into which the heads of the dowel pins, as well as the spandrel, are recessed, although if one desires the latter may be allowed to protrude somewhat above the surface. This arrangement is assembled in the same manner as the individual dowel system, except that the dowels are inserted in pairs, resulting in the stitched appearance of the completed shoe as shown in Fig. 13.

In a further embodiment illustrated particularly with respect to Figures 16, 17 and 17a, the glued-on shoe is additionally secured in place by means of expansion anchor or dowel assemblies such as 50 shown in Fig. 16. The expansion bolt assembly consists of an internally threaded split socket 52, and a threaded screw 54 or drive pin 54a which when screwed or driven into the socket 52, 52a expands it as desired. The shoe with appropriate adhesive on it is placed in position with its openings aligned with the sockets, and the anchors are then passed through the shoe and screwed into the split sockets until the sockets expand and are expended against the sidewalls of the preformed depressions in the hoof, to hold the entire assembly securely in place. The completed arrangement resulting from this operation is shown in Fig. 17. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 17a, threaded screw 54 is replaced with a drive pin 54a which is driven into the expansion joint.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the expansion bolt fastening system just described is modified to use pairs of split sockets 60 and 62 joined by a spandrel as shown particularly in Fig. 18. The sockets are inserted into the hoof bores in pairs, the shoe and hoof adhered together, and the bolts such as 66 screwed into the split sockets to tighten them and thus secure the sockets in the bores. This also provides a sewn or laced appearance similar to that shown in Fig. 13.

In a still further embodiment illustrated in Fig. 20, the dowels connecting and holding the shoe 70 against the hoof may be provided in situ by again molding the horseshoe 70 with apertures 72 extending through it, providing preformed bores such as 74 (preferably undercut at the bottom as shown) , gluing the shoe over the hoof with the openings in the shoe aligned with the bores in the hoof, and then pouring or otherwise injecting an initially-liquid, hardenable plastic material such as epoxy through each of the openings in the shoe and into the underlying bores in the hoof until the bores and the shoe openings are filled, with the liquid plastic extending from the bottom of the bore to the top or outer surface of the shoe; the plastic is then left in place as it hardens, whereby the dowels are produced in situ. Alternatively, a two-part epoxy compound, two-sided adhesive tape or silicone adhesive may be used. Where desirable, appropriate trapped-air release arrangements may be inserted through the opening and into the bores to permit the escape of air otherwise trapped as the liquid plastic is inserted.

There are a relatively wide variety of materials which may be used for the shoe itself, and the shapes of the shoe holes and the hoof bores may be other than cylindrical when desired. Similarly, the dowels or other fastening means may be of a variety of materials and shapes suitable for this purpose.

Accordingly, while the invention has been described with particular reference to specific embodiments in the interest of complete definiteness, it will be understood that it may be embodied in a variety of forms diverse from those specifically shown and described, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. In a horseshoe system: a horseshoe adhered to the bottom of a horse's hoof, and additionally held by fasteners each having an outer end secured to said horseshoe and an inner end extending into a corresponding closely-fitting preformed depression in said hoof bottom.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the inner end of each of said fasteners is glued to the interior surfaces of said corresponding closely-fitting preformed depression.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said fasteners is of wedge shape at its distal end, and is wedged into said corresponding depression.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said each fastener is a dowel.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said dowel is a headed dowel, having its head positioned on the exterior side of said horseshoe.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said fasteners are expansion anchors each comprising a split socket positioned in a corresponding one of said preformed depressions and carrying internal screw threads, and a threaded bolt extending freely through said horseshoe and threadingly into said threads, to expand said split socket against the walls of the depression in which it is located when said bolt is rotated.

7. The method of securing a horseshoe to the bottom of a horse's hoof, comprising: forming a plurality of depressions in said hoof bottom in the general pattern of a horseshoe; and securing a horseshoe to said hoof bottom by adhering it to said hoof bottom, and by inserting into said depressions closely-fitting fasteners secured to said horseshoe at their outer ends.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said fasteners are dowels, and said method comprises driving said dowels into said depressions.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising gluing said dowels into said depressions.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein each of said fasteners is an expansion bolt comprising a split, internally-threaded socket and a threaded screw insertable therein to expand said socket, and said method comprises inserting said each socket into a corresponding one of said depressions, passing said bolt through said horseshoe into said each socket, and thereafter tightening said bolt.

11. A horseshoe assembly, comprising: a horseshoe made of a resilient, pliable material, and shaped to lie against the bottom of a horse's hoof; a plurality of fastening members extending from one side of said shoe for insertion into corresponding preformed depressions in said bottom of said horse's hoof; and an adhesive material on said one side of said horseshoe for bonding it to said bottom of said hoof, as well as on said fastening members for bonding them to the walls of said depressions.

12. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said horseshoe is of polyurethane.

13. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said adhesive material comprises cyanoacrylate ester.

14. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said adhesive material comprises a double sided tape.

15. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said adhesive material comprises silicone adhesive.

16. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said adhesive material comprises two-part epoxy compound.

17. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said fastening means comprises dowels spaced along said one side of said shoe.

18. The horseshoe system of claim 14, wherein said dowels are integral with said shoe and are of the same material as said shoe.

19. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said fastening means comprises headed dowels, and said horseshoe is provided with openings through which said dowels pass, with their heads against the outer side of said shoe and their distal ends extending out of said openings for insertion into said depressions in said hoof bottom.

20. The horseshoe system of claim 19, wherein adjacent ones of said dowels are joined together in pairs at their head ends.

21. The horseshoe system of claim 20, wherein said joining is provided by a spandrel, and said main shoe portion is provided with a recess in which said heads and said spandrel are recessed.

22. The horseshoe system of claim 11, wherein said fastening means comprises a plurality of expansion anchors extending through and spaced along said main body portion, each expansion anchor comprising a split socket portion of a polymeric material for insertion into said depression and a headed drive pin member drivable into the interior of said socket to expand said socket against the sides of the corresponding depression in which it is located.

23. The horseshoe system of claim 11, comprising an integral spandrel joining each adjacent pair of said sockets at their head ends and made of the same material as said sockets.

24. The method of applying a shoe to the bottom of a horse's hoof, comprising: providing a pliable, resilient horseshoe adapted to lie flat against said bottom of said horse's hoof; providing a plurality of depressions in the bottom of said horse's hoof; providing a plurality of fastening means spaced along said main horseshoe body and extending from said main horseshoe into said depressions; pressing said horseshoe against said bottom of said hoof and pressing said fastening means into said depressions; and prior to said pressing, providing an adhesive on said fastening means and on the side of said horseshoe which is to lie against said bottom of said horse's hoof.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said fastening means are provided in the form of dowels integral with said main shoe body.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said fastening means are provided as headed dowels separate from said shoe, and are inserted through said shoe into said depressions, to fasten said shoe to said bottom of said hoof.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said fastening means are provided as individual expansion bolts, each comprising a split socket of resilient material and a companion bolt for expanding said socket when forced into it, and said method additionally comprises passing each of said bolts through said horseshoe and into its corresponding split socket.