FARRIER'S APRON WITH STOP ELEMENTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a farrier's apron with stop elements, made from a piece of flexible material, having means for supporting the horse's limbs (B) secured to the front and/or rear thereof, these means being stop elements (3), arranged and secured in different positions and areas of the apron, these stop elements (3) being made of solid pieces of hard-wearing material, such as leather, rope, gum, plastic, rubber, silicone or any other material, lined or not, flat or raised and of different shapes, and secured to the surface of the apron by different means.

Claims

1. A farrier's apron made from a piece of flexible material, the farrier's apron comprising: one or more stop elements (3) arranged and secured in different positions and areas of a front and/or a rear of a surface of the apron, the one or more stop elements adapted to provide support for a horse's limbs (B).

2. The apron according to claim 1, wherein the one or more stop elements (3) are made of solid pieces of hard-wearing material selected from a group consisting of: leather, rope, gum, plastic, rubber, silicone, lined material, unlined material, flat material, and raised material.

3. The apron according to claim 1, wherein the one or more stop elements (3) are secured to the rear and/or the front of the apron by stitching.

4. The apron according to claim 1, wherein the one or more stop elements (3) are secured to the rear and/or the front of the apron by a fastener such as Velcro®.

5. The apron according to claim 1, wherein the one or more stop elements (3) are secured to the rear and/or the front of the apron by secure bonding adhesive materials with a permanent gripping force.

6. The apron according to claim 1, wherein the one or more stop elements (3) are secured to the rear and/or the front of the apron in a form of pockets located in the apron.

7. The apron according to claim 1, wherein the one or more stop elements (3) are formed by folds or seams in the material of the apron (1).

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] To better understand the description in this specification, a set of drawings is attached to be analysed and considered solely by way of example and not in a limiting or restrictive manner.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a front view of the apron with a detail of stop elements in different arrangements.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a front view of the apron placed on the user's pants with stop elements in different positions.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the apron with a detail of the rear housing.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an example of using the apron in shoeing the hoof of a horse's forelimb.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an example of using the apron in shoeing the hoof of a horse's hind limb.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0034] These figures explicitly show in detail the apron claimed in this application. Common elements such as pockets for housing tools, nails or other items, as well as the arrangement of magnets for nails and rivets are not shown in these figures as they are not part of the invention.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows the apron (1) that is claimed, made from a piece of flexible material, in this case with two legs (2) and intended for being placed on top of the user's pants (A), as shown in FIG. 2.

[0036] Both figures show the stop elements (3) arranged in different positions and points of the surface on the front of the apron, these stop elements (3) being of different shapes and/or dimensions, which can also be also can located in the rear of the apron (1).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the apron is placed and fitted on the user's pants (A), having various means for tying and fastening same such as belts, which are not representative of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows the back of the apron, likewise fitted on the user's clothing, the housing (4) being visible, said housing being in the form of a pocket in this example located in the upper part to make it easier for the user to access same with his hand, this housing (4) having an upper opening (5) and a hole (6) in the front intended for the user to quickly insert his fingers in order to push upwards and remove the object, especially a mobile telephone, located in such housing (4).

[0039] The use of these stop elements (3) is explained in FIGS. 4 and 5, which show respective examples of the shoeing work on the horse's forelimb (FIG. 4) and hind limb (FIG. 5), with the hoof (B) supported in the stop element or projection (3) that is the most convenient according to the posture and position of the horse and of the user, i.e., the manner in which said user holds the hoof for more comfortable and accessible work. The horse's hoof (B) is always supported on at least one of the stop elements (3), such that it is prevented from slipping and moving, making the user's job easier and at the same time relaxing the animal as it feels safer by having a stable point of support.

[0040] In view of the preceding pages, this apron with stop elements offers the novel advantage over existing aprons in alleviating the posture of the user's legs, since the support traditionally provided by the legs squeezing together in a constant and firm manner to keep the horse's limb still and accessible, is successfully achieved by supporting the horse's limb on the apron stop elements, without the need to use the user's body tension and strength to support the equine's limb.

[0041] Another advantage of this invention of the apron with stop elements is that it is equally effective by placing the stop elements on a single leg, which reduces the length of the apron, making it lighter, easier to handle and able to be used interchangeably on either leg of the user. This reduced conformation, which maintains all the technical and structural features of the stop elements, is suitable for daily care tasks, veterinary checks or even in the early stages of training young horses, as these tasks do not require the use of both legs of the user, likewise allowing the user to maintain a correct posture for lifting weight, avoiding arching of the spine, preventing straining in the lumbar area and arms, and on the other hand, it provides stable support to the horse, preventing it from moving.

[0042] Until now, the user had to bend at 90 degrees in order to, for example, clean or check a hoof, grabbing the hoof with one hand, holding the entire limb with said arm in order to, with the other hand, use the necessary tools for the work to be carried out.

[0043] With this apron, the horse's limb is fitted in the stop element and the weight forces it deep into said stop element, being perfectly supported and immobilised within it; in this way, the weight is suspended parallel to the user's thigh, giving the user greater freedom of manoeuvre to support the weight of the last small section of the horse's limb (corresponding to the horse's cannon and pastern), exponentially reducing the load, the pressures and the risk of injury.

[0044] This single-leg version of the present invention is also applicable to veterinary use, during the flexion test procedure to check for lameness, to locate and treat abscesses, to take local temperature, etc. These manoeuvres are usually carried out by resting the horse's limb against the professionals leg, using an opposing force with the leg, which is uncomfortable and dangerous for both (veterinarian and animal) and supporting the entire weight of the limb with the hand that holds it, with the joints of the arm, shoulder and dorsal and lumbar vertebrae suffering, whereas with the use of the apron with stop elements, the object of the present invention, the whole weight of the horse's limb rests on the apron stop element, the force exerted being vertical downwards.

[0045] Another advantage is that, in the preparation of the horse prior to entering the arena, during competitions, the rider gives the horse the last final preparations before the show, being dressed up in the regulation clothes for the competition, said clothing being white or light bridges. It is then that this apron, reduced to a single leg as it is shorter in length, allows the task to be carried out while maintaining neatness and discretion in the clothing, so highly valued by the rider for its presence and elegance, both necessary in competition, as well as for its high cost.

[0046] A further advantage is that the back of the apron incorporates one or more pockets, intended for holding fragile items, e.g. a mobile phone, which the practitioner/user needs to keep within reach, but protected from accidental blows from the animal.

[0047] It is not considered necessary to make this description more extensive, so that any person skilled in the art will understand the scope of the invention and the advantages derived from it. The materials, shape, size, position, direction and angle will be susceptible to variation provided that this does not alter the essence of the invention. The terms used in this specification must always be interpreted in a broad and not-limiting manner.