SADDLE FOR RIDING AND PACK ANIMALS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME

Abstract

A saddle tree for a riding saddle has rear, middle, and front sections. The saddle tree has at least two flat panels projecting from the rear through the middle into the front section, as well as a frame element structure having at least one rear bridge element interconnecting the two panels in the rear section, and a front bridge element interconnecting the two panels in the front section. The connection of the panels via the rear bridge element is largely designed to be rigid. The panels in the rear section are substantially and relatively immovable. The connection of the panels via the front bridge element is movable so that the panels in the region of the front section and optionally also in the middle section can be deflected by bending and/or torsion out of a rest position defined with respect to the region of the panels in the rear section.

Claims

1. A saddle tree for a saddle, having a rear section, a middle section and a front section which is formed substantially mirror-symmetrically with respect to a plane of symmetry oriented in the longitudinal direction; comprising at least two flat saddle tree bars each having an inner side for placing onto the back of an animal and an outer side, which project from the rear section of the saddle tree through the middle section into the front section, and a frame element construction which has at least one rear bridge element which connects the two saddle tree bars to each other in the rear section, and a front bridge element which connects the two saddle tree bars to each other in the front section, wherein the connection of the saddle tree bars via the rear bridge element is substantially rigid and, in comparison to the connection via the rear bridge element, the connection of the saddle tree bars via the front bridge element is movable, and therefore the saddle tree bars in the region of the front section and optionally also of the middle section of the saddle tree are deflectable, by bending and/or torsion, out of a rest position defined with respect to that region of the saddle tree bars which is located in the rear section of the saddle tree.

2. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame element construction has a plurality of frame elements, wherein the rear bridge element and the front bridge element are connected to each other optionally via such frame elements.

3. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear bridge element and the front bridge element are not directly connected to each other via frame elements, wherein the front bridge element comprises two first frame elements which are connected to the saddle tree bars in the region of the middle section of the saddle tree and each lead along the saddle tree bars toward the front section or beyond the latter and are supported in the front section of the saddle tree on the saddle tree bars, and wherein each of the first frame elements is connected in the front section of the saddle tree or in an extension thereof to a second frame element which protrudes from the outer side of the saddle tree bar, and the two second frame elements are connected to each other via a connecting element.

4. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear bridge element and the front bridge element are connected to each other via frame elements, wherein the frame element construction has at least six frame elements, wherein in the rear section of the saddle tree, in each case on each side of the rear bridge element, two first frame elements are connected to the rear bridge element and each lead along the saddle tree bars toward the front section of the saddle tree or beyond the latter and are supported in the front section of the saddle tree on the saddle tree bars, and wherein each of the first frame elements is connected in the front section of the saddle tree or in an extension thereof to a second frame element which protrudes from the outer side of the saddle tree bar, and the two second frame elements are connected to each other via a connecting element, and wherein, starting from the front bridge element, two third frame elements lead back into the rear bridge element and are connected to the latter.

5. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the saddle tree bars are flexible, and therefore they remain substantially in contact with the animal during movements which are produced by an animal in the region of the supporting surface of the saddle tree bars on the back of the animal.

6. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second frame elements comprise or are spring elements.

7. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the saddle tree bars are formed from a thermoplastic material.

8. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the saddle tree bars and the rear bridge element are formed from an identical material and are connected to each other in an integrally bonded manner.

9. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear bridge element comprises a seat shell or is designed as a seat shell.

10. The saddle tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first frame elements are guided in the middle and/or in the front section of the saddle tree by in each case one or more guide eyelets which are attached to the saddle tree bars.

11. A saddle comprising a saddle tree as claimed in claim 1.

12. A saddle as claimed in claim 11, wherein it is a riding saddle, additionally comprising a seat for the rider or a device for securing other loads, a padding in the regions which are in contact with a riding animal and/or a rider, mechanical fastening elements for girth rigging and stirrups and/or a covering of the saddle with a cover and/or decorative elements.

13. A method for producing a saddle tree for a saddle for an animal, comprising the following steps: providing a negative mold for saddle tree bars, comprising a continuous layer made of a flexible material and a layer lying thereon made of a flexible material, wherein said layer lying thereon has recessed regions in the shape and position of the subsequent saddle tree bars, and therefore said saddle tree bars can rest on those regions of the back of the animal which are provided for carrying loads; placing the negative mold onto the back of the animal, wherein the continuous layer without recessed regions lies between the back of the animal and the layer with the recessed regions, and wherein the position of the negative mold is marked by drawing fixing points on the negative mold and on the back of the animal; filling the recessed regions with a moldable material which can solidify, pressing the moldable material in the recessed regions onto the back of the animal and solidifying the moldable material, wherein the moldable material is essentially solidified on the back of the animal; fixing the two saddle tree bars formed from the solidified material in a stable position with respect to each other on the back of the animal.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the layer thickness of the layer with the recessed regions is selected in such a manner that the saddle tree bars once produced provide the saddle tree with sufficient stability and flexibility.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0112] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the figures. Identical elements are provided with the same reference signs in the various figures. Of course, the invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments shown and described. The features illustrated in the figures can be found in various embodiments of the invention and can be combined with one another.

[0113] FIG. 1A shows a side view of a saddle tree according to the invention consisting of rear section 1, a middle section 2 and a front section 3. The saddle tree bar 4 extends over the three sections and, in the region of the rear section 1, has a rear bridge element 5 which is designed as a seat shell in this embodiment. From the rear bridge element 5, the first frame element 7 extends along the saddle tree bar 4 from the rear to the front section of the saddle tree and, in the region of the front section 3, is connected to the second frame element 8. The second frame element 8 is in turn connected directly or via a front bridge element (not visible in the figure) to the third frame element 9 which leads back to the rear bridge element 5.

[0114] FIG. 1B shows an embodiment in which, in comparison to FIG. 1A, the front and the rear bridge element 5 are not connected to each other and the first frame element 7 is connected to the saddle tree bar 4, and which does not have a third frame element.

[0115] FIG. 1C shows an embodiment of a saddle tree as in FIG. 1B, but which, additionally thereto, comprises a third frame element 9 which is connected to the second frame element 8 and is connected to the saddle tree bar 4 in the region of the middle section 2 of the saddle tree.

[0116] FIG. 2A shows substantially the same view as FIG. 1A, wherein here the first frame element is connected to the rear bridge element 5 via a joint 10. Furthermore, the first frame element 7 extends in the region of the middle section 2 or of the front section 3 of the saddle tree through a guide element 13 fastened directly to the saddle tree bar, and is supported on the saddle tree bar 4 by said guide element 13. The second frame element 8 is illustrated here as a spring element, in particular as a gas-filled compression spring, and is likewise connected to the first frame element 7 via a joint 11. Furthermore, the second frame element 8 is connected via a joint 12 to the front bridge element (not visible in the figure) and the third frame element 9 leads back from said front bridge element to the rear bridge element 5. Also illustrated is the first layer 17, the second layer lies therebelow and is therefore not visible. The layers are cut to fit the saddle tree bars. Likewise illustrated are the girth rigging 21, which is fastened to the rear bridge element 5, and the support for the stirrups 22 with belts for the stirrups.

[0117] FIG. 2B shows a particularly preferred embodiment of the saddle tree, in which, in comparison to FIG. 1C, the second frame elements 8 are spring elements, i.e., for example, gas-filled compression springs, and the third frame element 9 is a combination of a metal rod or the like, which is connected directly to the saddle tree bar, and thermoplastic material which is molded directly onto the saddle tree bar and partially surrounds the metal rod and extends to the connecting element 6 (not shown), which connects the two joints 12 to each other. In this embodiment, that section of the metal rod which protrudes out of the thermoplastic material can serve as a support for the girth rigging and/or the stirrups and the like.

[0118] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the saddle tree as illustrated in FIG. 2. The position of the saddle tree bars 4 and the protrusion of the second frame elements 8, which are here in turn depicted as gas-filled compression springs, can be seen therefrom. Also shown is the connecting element 6 which connects the two second frame elements 8 to each other and from which the third frame elements lead back to the saddle tree bars in the middle section of the saddle tree or to the rear bridge element (not shown in the figure). The first and the second layers 17, 18 which surround the saddle tree bars can likewise be seen.

[0119] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the operation of the saddle tree in a cutout of the front view (FIG. 4) and in the side view (FIG. 5). The movement of the saddle tree bar 4, as takes place during the use of the saddle tree in a saddle for a riding animal, is indicated by arrows. This movement is transmitted to the frame element construction, wherein the frame elements are selected and designed in such a manner that the radius of movement R1 of the connecting point of the first frame element 7 to the second frame element 8 during movements which are produced by the riding animal in the region of the supporting surface of the saddle tree bars 4 on the back of the riding animal is greater than the radius of movement R2 of the connecting point of the second frame element 8 to the connecting element 6.

[0120] FIG. 6A shows a view from above of the saddle tree, from which, in addition to the previously described figures, the connecting element 6 and the third frame elements 9 can be seen. A reinforcement 26 which is integrated in the rear bridge element 5 can furthermore be seen in this figure. As already described above, in the embodiment shown here, the first and the third frame elements 7 and 9 are connected directly or indirectly, i.e. via threaded sleeves and/or joints, to said reinforcement 26. In the case illustrated, the reinforcement could basically also be the rear bridge element as such. In this case, the rear bridge element illustrated would simply be a seat shell.

[0121] FIG. 6B corresponds substantially to the illustration from FIG. 6A, the third frame elements 9 do not lead here back into the rear bridge element 5, but rather into the saddle tree bars 4 in the middle section of the saddle tree. In a preferred embodiment of that shown here, the third frame elements 9 and the connecting element 6 are at least partially surrounded with thermoplastic material, corresponding to that of the saddle tree bars, and the frame elements 9 and the connecting element 6 are connected to each other via said thermoplastic material. Such a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the form of a side view in FIG. 2B.

[0122] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 each show a perspective view of a saddle tree according to the invention which comprises all the essential components which are necessary for the further processing to form a riding saddle, typically for a horse. In addition to the components described previously, the saddle tree already has a padding 23 which lies between the saddle tree bars 4 and the back of the riding animal during use of the saddle tree.

[0123] In the case of the saddle tree illustrated here, the rear bridge element 5 is in the form of a blank for a seat for the rider, the third frame element 9 and the connecting element 6 are configured as a single part, and the third frame element 9 and the connecting element 6 are enclosed in the plastic from which the rear bridge element 5 is produced. This embodiment is appropriate since these components of the saddle tree are connected to one another rigidly here and the entire frame element construction is preferably premanufactured. In principle, it is also possible to dispense with metal bars or equivalent reinforcements, as indicated in these figures as third frame elements 9 and connecting element 6 enclosed in a material, if this material permits this for mechanical and processing reasons. In such a case, said seat shell which is formed from a rear and front bridge element and from the third frame elements could be produced from a single material, for example by injection molding, and would merely have to comprise fastening points for the first and second frame elements and for the saddle tree bars.

[0124] FIG. 9 shows a side view of a horse on which the method for producing a saddle tree is being carried out. The horse is illustrated with the negative mold 14 placed on its back, wherein said negative mold is placed at the location where the riding saddle is also intended to come to lie, and particular care should be taken to ensure that the recesses for the saddle tree bars lie in the region of the saddle area of the horse. Two fixing points 15 are drawn on the negative mold 14, with said fixing points also being marked on the back of the horse. This is important so that the saddle tree can be correctly placed later and sits optimally. Furthermore, the outlines 16 of the saddle tree bars are shown.

[0125] FIG. 10 shows a negative mold comprising the first layer 17 with the recesses 19 which have been made along the drawn outlines 16 of the saddle tree bars. The layers can have any desired shape as long as they enable the outlines of the later saddle tree bars to be included.

[0126] FIG. 10 furthermore shows a section line 24 which leads around the saddle tree bars. Said section line is optional and the layers 17 and 18 can be cut along it later in the method so that the saddle later does not cover too large an area of the horse, or for esthetic reasons. However, until the saddle tree bars have been fixed with respect to each other formed in a correct position matching the back of the horse, for example by temporary connections of thermoplastic material or with at least one of the two bridge elements, the layers should not be severed along their mirror plane since otherwise the fixing points and the correct position of the saddle tree bars are lost.

[0127] FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a cross section through a negative mold, with the first layer 17, the second layer 18, a fixing point 15 and the recesses 19. The first and the second layer 17 and 18 are connected to each other here. This connection can be undertaken over the entire area of the layers or only at points or in partial regions. It can readily be seen in FIG. 11 that the two layers 17 and 18 together form a negative mold into which the moldable material for producing the saddle tree bars can be filled.

[0128] The negative mold, produced as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for the saddle tree bars, comprising the layers 16 and 17 which are connected to each other at least in sections, is then placed on the back of the horse, and the fixing points 15 are drawn on the back of the horse. It is thereby ensured that the later saddle also lies optimally on the back of the horse.

[0129] The recessed regions 19 are then filled with a moldable material which can solidify. Alternatively, the recessed regions 19 can also first be filled with a moldable material and then placed on the back of the horse. As already described, the placing on also has to be undertaken here in such a manner that the recessed regions 19 come to lie along the outlines 16 of the saddle tree bars in such a manner that the saddle tree bars rest on the saddle area, and wherein the second layer 17 without recessed regions lies between the back of the riding animal and the first layer 16 with the recessed regions.

[0130] The moldable material in the recessed regions is then pressed against the back of the riding animal and solidifies substantially in this position. The solidification should be undertaken here on the back of the horse to an extent such that the saddle tree bars are dimensionally stable upon removal.

[0131] On the back of the riding animal, the two saddle tree bars formed from the solidified material are fixed in a stable position with respect to each other and can then be removed from the back of the horse.

[0132] FIG. 12 shows a side view of a frame element construction 20, as is typically used as a premanufactured component during the production of a saddle tree according to the invention. It has all of the components already described previously.

[0133] FIG. 13 shows the step of fixing the saddle tree bars 4 formed on the back of the horse, by application of the frame element construction 20. The latter is placed onto the saddle tree bars 4 and the layers 16 and 17 and any further components, such as padding (not illustrated), and are aligned there and fastened thereto.

[0134] In an embodiment in which the saddle tree bars 4, the rear bridge element 5 and the guide eyelets 8 are formed from the same thermoplastic material, the latter, for fastening the frame element construction 20 to the saddle tree bars 4, can be heated at points at said locations, for example with a hot air gun or a solder device, and the parts can then be connected in an integrally bonded manner by bringing them together.

[0135] FIG. 14 finally shows the completed saddle tree on the horse.

[0136] FIG. 15 shows a typically premanufactured component of the saddle tree, comprising the rear bridge element 5, the two third frame elements 9 and the front bridge element 6 in a single-part configuration. Said premanufactured component can have reinforcing elements, for example made of metal, in its interior, but can also be manufactured from a single material. At the locations at which the first frame element 7 with the guide eyelet 13 and the second frame element 8 are intended to be attached to the premanufactured component, the latter can have threaded sleeves 25. The dashed lines show the connecting points at which the first and second frame element are fastened to the premanufactured component.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0137] 1 Rear section of the saddle tree

[0138] 2 Middle section of the saddle tree

[0139] 3 Front section of the saddle tree

[0140] 4 Saddle tree bar

[0141] 5 Rear bridge element

[0142] 6 Connecting element

[0143] 7 First frame element

[0144] 8 Second frame element

[0145] 9 Third frame element

[0146] 10 Joint

[0147] 11 Joint

[0148] 12 Joint

[0149] 13 Guide eyelet

[0150] 14 Negative mold

[0151] 15 Fixing point

[0152] 16 Outline

[0153] 17 First layer

[0154] 18 Second layer

[0155] 19 Recessed regions

[0156] 20 Frame element construction

[0157] 21 Girth rigging

[0158] 22 Support for stirrups

[0159] 23 Padding

[0160] 24 Section line

[0161] 25 Threaded sleeve

[0162] 26 Reinforcement

[0163] R1 Radius

[0164] R2 Radius