Flexible Martingale with Sliding Rein Rings

Abstract

The present invention is a modified martingale with a flexible central loop and rein rings that slide on the flexible central loop. The flexible central loop is attached in front of the animal's chest to a standard martingale chest strap and a leather loop around the neck, both adjustable to the horse's size and conformation. Standard reins run through the sliding rein rings, which can change their position on the central loop depending upon which way the rider pulls the reins. The flexible central loop can deform to the pull pressure of the reins, which will mitigate the pressure applied to horse's head, to prevent sudden and forceful pressure that could potentially startle or harm the horse.

Claims

1. A flexible martingale with sliding rein rings for controlling the movement of a horse and used in conjunction with standard horse tack including (1) headgear attached to the horse's head, (2) a breastplate attached to the horse's chest, and (3) reins attached to the headgear and running to the rider, said flexible martingale consisting of: a flexible central loop, said flexible central loop located below the horse's head and attached to the breastplate; two sliding rein rings slidably attached to the flexible central loop and configured to set below the horse's head; wherein said reins run through said sliding rein rings; and wherein when the rider pulls on the reins the flexible central loop deflects to create a gradual pressure on the horse's head; and wherein when a rider pulls directly back on the reins, due to the location of the flexible central loop and rein rings below the horse's head, the reins will pull downwardly on the headgear and apply downward pressure on the horse's head to induce the horse to lower it's head, and wherein, due to the flexibility of the flexible central loop, the downward pressure on the horse will be gradual and proportional to the natural resistance presented by the horse.

2. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 1, wherein said flexible central loop is attached to an adjustable attachment strap, and said adjustable attachment strap attached to the breastplate, which allows the orientation between the rein rings and the horse's head to be adjusted to the rider's requirements.

3. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 1, wherein said headgear is a standard bridle with bit placed in the horse's mouth.

4. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 1, wherein said headgear is a hackamore with a noseband.

5. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 1, wherein the reins comprise a right rein and a left rein, and the two sliding rein rings comprise a right rein ring and a left rein ring, and wherein further the right rein runs through the right rein ring and the left rein runs through the left rein ring.

6. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 5, wherein when a rider pulls the reins to one side it deflects the flexible central loop to that side, and the sliding rein rings slide to that side to create a gradual variable pressure on the headgear and the horse, and allow a rider to control the horse with minimal rein movement.

7. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 5, wherein when a rider pulls the reins to one side it deflects the flexible central loop to that side, and the sliding rein rings slide to that side to create a triangle which lowers the rein rings further below the horse's head, increasing the downward tension on the headgear and urging the horse's head lower in the turn.

8. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 1 wherein the flexible central loop made of a flexible material to allow deformation of the loop when pressure is applied by the reins on the rein rings.

9. A flexible martingale with sliding rein rings for training and controlling the posture of a horse and used in conjunction with standard horse tack including (1) headgear attached to the horse's head, (2) a breastplate attached to the horse's chest, and (3) reins attached to the headgear and running to the rider, said flexible martingale consisting of: a flexible central loop, said flexible central loop located below the horse's head and attached to the breastplate; two sliding rein rings slidably attached to the flexible central loop and configured to set below the horse's head; wherein said reins run through said sliding rein rings; and wherein a rider can hold the reins taut so there is no slack between the rider's hands and the headgear, and wherein the flexible central loop can deform to allow some head movement by the horse but with continued light pressure on the headgear, and wherein further the flexible central loop can flex and provide additional give, so that light pressure can always be maintained with no slack on the reins, and wherein further the position of the martingale below the horse's head keeps the reins pulling down to keep the horse's head down and neck convex.

10. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 9, wherein said headgear is a standard bridle with bit placed in the horse's mouth.

11. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 9, wherein said headgear is a hackamore with a noseband.

12. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 9, wherein further, when the rider pulls directly back on the reins, due to the location of the flexible central loop and rein rings below the horse's head, the reins will pull downwardly on the headgear and will apply downward pressure on the horse's head to induce the horse to lower it's head, and wherein, due to the flexibility of the flexible central loop, the downward pressure will deflect the flexible central loop to reduce so that the downward pressure on the horse will be gradual, allowing the rider to train the horse with gradual pressure.

13. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 9, wherein said flexible central loop is attached to an adjustable attachment strap, and said adjustable attachment strap attached to the breastplate, which allows the orientation between the rein rings and the horse's head to be adjusted.

14. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 9, wherein the reins comprise a right rein and a left rein, and the two sliding rein rings comprise a right rein ring and a left rein ring, and wherein further the right rein runs through the right rein ring and the left rein runs through the left rein ring.

15. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 14, wherein when a rider pulls the right reins, it pulls the right rein ring and deflects the flexible central loop to create a triangle that lowers the rein rings in relation to the horse's head, further urging the horse to lower it's head during the turn.

16. The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings of claim 14 where the deformable material allows the flexible central loop to deform in shape to left or right as a rein is pulled to that side, and allows constant tension on both the left and right rein regardless of which direction the horse is being turned.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 is a front view of the flexible martingale with sliding rein rings.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a front view of the flexible martingale attached to the standard tack of a horse.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a side view of the flexible martingale on a horse.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a front view of the flexible martingale with the martingale fully stretched.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the flexible martingale with the martingale deflected to the side during a turn.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, and that there may be a variety of other alternate embodiments. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specified structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the varying embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows the components of the flexible martingale 100. The main component of the flexible martingale 100 is the flexible central loop 11, which is a loop created by a length of soft, pliable, bendable material, such as half or three-quarter-inch vinyl or silicon tubing, or other similar materials. It can also be made of even more flexible and pliable material such as bungee cord or common rope. But in the preferred embodiment it is made from clear half-inch PVC tubing, which will retain its relatively circular shape when attached as described below, and will also provide sufficient flexibility for the sliding martingale. The overall dimensions of the flexible central loop 11 can vary greatly depending on the size of the horse, and its age, and the needs of the trainer or rider. In one embodiment the flexible central loop 11 is roughly six inches in diameter, meaning the overall length of the tubing material is roughly 19 inches. When attached to the attachment strap 21, as described below, the flexible central loop 11 has a generally tear-drop shape as seen in FIG. 1.

[0030] The length of the flexible tube that makes up the flexible central loop 11 has a first end 11a and a second end 11b. There are two attachment hoops 12a and 12b attached to each end 11a and 11b respectively. In one embodiment the attachment hoops 12a and 12b are hoop-end-screws inserted into and screwed into the first and second ends 11a and 11b of the tubing that creates the flexible loop 11. The attachment hoops 12a and 12b are attached to the O-Ring 14, which is attached to the adjustment strap 21 as described below. In the preferred embodiment the attachment hoops 12a and 12b are open ended, and crimped closed when inserted onto the O-Ring 14 to create a semi-permanent attachment. When the flexible central loop 11 is thus attached to the O-Ring 14, it will have a generally tear-drop shape, as shown in FIG. 1. But as pressure is applied, as described below, it will deflect to create a lengthened oval of roughly nine or ten inches in length.

[0031] There are two sliding rein rings 13, a right rein ring 13-R and a left rein ring 13-L, slidably attached onto the flexible loop 11. As can be understood, the rein rings 13 are attached to the flexible loop 11 before the attachment hoops 12a and 12b are securely attached to the O-Ring 14. Each rein ring 13 includes two perpendicularly attached loops, the lower martingale loop 13m, and the upper rein loop 13r. FIG. 1 shows these as separate loops, but it is within the conception of the invention for the slidable rein rings 13 to be made in a single piece, and two variations of single piece rein rings 13 are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. As can be seen in FIG. 1, each rein ring 13 slidably rides on the flexible loop 11 with the loop 11 running through the martingale loop 13m. The inner diameter of the martingale loop 13m is larger than the outer diameter of the flexible loop 11 so that the flexible loop 11 moves within the martingale loop 13m, allowing the rein ring 13 to slide. As seen in FIG. 2, the reins 44R and 44L from the horses head H will run through the two rein loops 13R and 13L with the right reign 44R running through the right rein loop 13R and the left rein 44L running through the left loop 13L and on to the rider. The flexible loop 11 is the main element of the flexible martingale 100. It is easily deformable such that it can deform based on the movement of the horses head H, and the rider's hand movements on the reins 44.

[0032] Attached to the O-Ring 14 is the adjustment strap 21. The adjustment strap 21 can be any adjustable length strap that connects to the O-Ring 14 and attaches the flexible central loop 11 to the chest strap 43 or girth. In the preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the adjustment strap 21 is a two-piece belt style strap with one piece including a buckle and second piece the length with adjusting holes. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment the adjustment strap 21 includes the top length strap 22, which is attached at the top to the O-Ring 14 and includes a series of evenly spaced holes 23 along the length. In the preferred embodiment the holes 23 are spaced one-half inch apart. Sliding along the length strap 22 is the buckle attachment 24 which includes a common buckle 25 that attaches into the holes 23 to secure the buckle attachment 24 in place. The buckle attachment 24 is a short length of material, typically the same material as the rest of the adjustment strap, which includes the buckle 25 at one end and the tack attachment snap 26 at the other end. The attachment snap 26 includes the attachment snap loop 26l, by which the attachment snap 26 is attached to the buckle attachment 24 at one end, and the tack snap 26t which is used, as described below, to attach the sliding martingale 100 to the tack of the horse.

[0033] The length of the flexible martingale 100 can be adjusted for the needs of the horse, and the training of the horse, and its position on the horse can be adjusted by means of the adjustment strap 21. Both parts of the adjustment strap 21 will conventionally be made of leather, nylon, Biothene vinyl, or any similar tough and durable fabric typically used to make horse tack. The attachment strap 26 is used to attach the flexible martingale 100 assembly to the horse's tack, usually by attaching to the standard breast plate or chest strap. As seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the sliding martingale 100 is attached to the standard chest strap 41, or the martingale chest strap 43 by means of the attachment snap 26a.

[0034] As can be seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the sliding martingale 100 consists of a large flexible central loop 11, two smaller sliding loops that are the rein rings 13, and a straight attachment strap 21. Instead of the fixed rein-rings or the prior art, the rein rings 13 of the sliding martingale 100 of the present invention are sliding on a continuous loop perpendicular to the horse cervical spine or neck. The flexible central loop 11 is attached in front of the chest to a standard martingale chest strap 43 and a leather loop around the neck, both of them adjustable to the horse's size and conformation. The present sliding martingale is made of different materials with more or less give ranging from a 5% stretch to a 50% stretch. The flexible circular configuration of the flexible central loop 11 means that it is deformable when the horse attempts to raise its head. So rather than the full stop of the standard martingale, the flexible martingale 100 applies increasing pressure as the horse lifts its head. If, as in the preferred embodiment, the flexible loop has a diameter of six inches, it will have a circumference of 18.8 inches (C=D). That means when the loop material is fully stretched, the flexible central loop 11 will now be an oval of roughly just over nine inches in length. That means that the horse will be able to raise it's head an additional three inches once it hits the constraints of the sliding martingale 100. Additionally, because the flexible material of the flexible central loop 11 has spring or tensile strength, it will exert pressure on the rein rings 13 that will exert pressure on the horse's head. The horse will be able to continue to lift it's head, due to the flexibility of the material of the flexible central loop 11 but will feel the slight downward pressure exerted by the loop.

[0035] When a rider is controlling the horse the rider will maintain tension on the reins 44R and 44L so that there is no slack. There are a number of issues with allowing slack on the reins. The first is that the rider is not actively controlling the animal. The second is that when the rider does want to control the animal they will pull on the reins, and if there is slack, when the reins have been pulled to the point where there is no longer slack there will be a jerk or abrupt application of force on the horse's mouth or nose. A competent rider or trainer will be able to slowly and easily apply tension to the reins to prevent a harsh jerk on the animal, but there will still be an immediate application of force, which can be painful or harmful. The third issue is that the horse will more likely move its head when it does not feel the pressure of the reins, and the horse may move its head abruptly and when it hits the limits or point where the reins will stop it, it may be moving its head forcefully, and hurt or injure itself. Good riders know to avoid slack on the reins and to keep at least a light tension on the reins. The flexible martingale 100 allow the rider to keep light tension on the reins 44R and 44L, and there will still be some give or movement due to the give of the sliding rein rings 13, and the flexibility of the flexible central loop 11. This will allow the horse to move its head a bit more than normal with a standard martingale.

[0036] The flexible martingale deflects and mitigates excessive hand movements from the rider as well as excessive head movements from the horse, therefore increasing the efficacy of the rider's demands by rapidly eliminating toxic interactions between the two, improving the horse's goodwill to perform all the movements required in equestrian sports. Toxic interactions are those which can startle the animal with abrupt pulling on the reins 44 that result in abrupt forces on the bit or headgear and that cause pain to the animal, causing it to flinch or misinterpret a control movement. When activated by the horse's upward deviations from the required head position and/or the excessive backward pulling from the rider's hand, the soft, gradual, proportional downward automatic action created by the flexible martingale 100 results in reducing the rein tension as the horse's head yields slightly backward and the rider's hand yields slightly forward. This results in the desired lightness of contact that reduces pressure on the horse's sensitive tongue and jaw bones and is a tenet of correct horsemanship. This experiential improvement has proven to become educational for both horse and rider, as the deviations from the desired horse's head's posture rapidly diminish in frequency and intensity, and the rider's hand mistakes also diminish in frequency and intensity. Hand mistakes are those where the rider inadvertently pulls the reins 44 in an unplanned or inadvertent manner. It is self-evident that such positive experiences have an immediate beneficial effect on the behavior and biomechanics of humans and horses.

[0037] During training, horse are trained to respond to changes in pressure on its headgear, either the bit or the nosepiece. With the standard martingale the end pressure is an often painful full stop, so the horse goes from no external input on its head movement to a painful full stop of movement. Pain will often startle the animal, and the animal will not react in a manner conducive to learning. Infliction of pain will often make the animal anxious, as it will be awaiting further pain. With the flexible martingale 100 of the present invention there is variable tension as the horse raises its head beyond the set point of the martingale 100, and as it lifts the head further it feels the slight downward pressure, which increases as the head continues to lift. This trains the animal to respond to smaller input pressures. And this allows the trainer to teach the animal to respond to slight or subtle movements, resulting in a better trained animal. It will also allow the subsequent rider to control the animal with lighter pressure on the reins.

[0038] The sliding configuration of the rein rings 13 also allows the flexible martingale 100 to change its configuration according to the horse's head position and the rider's actions. If the horse raises his head, the loop 11 becomes progressively narrower, tighten the side of the bit in the horse's mouth and progressively, and quickly, convinces the animal to return to a lower position that becomes progressively more comfortable. If the horse raises one side of his head, the rein-ring 13 follows and resists it progressively, exerting pressure to force the horse to bringing its head back to level, also progressively. The pressure increases in very small increments, and the relief also increases in equally small increments. FIG. 4 depicts the flexible central loop 11 when either the horse has raised its head, or the rider has pulled back on the reins 44. As seen, the flexible central loop 11 is stretched and narrows, and the rein rings 13 come closer together and are at the top of the central loop 11. While changing position creates tension on the reins 44, which is applied to the headgear, the flexible material of the flexible central loop 11 allows the animal to pull and not have an immediate full stop.

[0039] As can be seen in FIG. 5, when the riders turns the horse by moving one hand to the side, which pulls the rein 44 on that side, which pulls the horse's head to that side, the flexible central loop 11 turns into a wider triangle. As the central loop 11 becomes a triangle it lowers both rein-rings 13L and 13R, because the flexible central loop 11 is attached to chest strap or girth, and because the rein rings 13L and 13R are lower, it entices the horse to keep its head low, and turn in a lower and classically desirable head position. If, as occurs in some situations, the horse completely inverts the shape of his neck, from the normal convex to a concave position, which has a profoundly negative effect on its entire musculature, which often happens before or after jumping an obstacle, the sliding martingale 100 will bring the horse back painlessly to the normal and desirable convex neck shape. In use, the effect has proven so persuasive that its effect becomes obsolete quite rapidly.

[0040] The flexible martingale with sliding rein rings 100 is an educational equine training tool that provides soft and effective control in training an animal. It eliminates the purposeful infliction of pain as a training tool, and thus reduces anxiety in the horse, making the horse more responsive to training and input commands from the reins. This can best be shown with the example of training a horse to make the rapid turns or a figure-8 pattern. Serpentines and Figure 8s, as these rapid tight turns are called, are foundational exercises for all horses, from racing to reining, dressage, showjumping, or endurance. As a result they are frequently used in training. The included frequent and rapid turns create symmetry of movement for the horse, which results in a regular rhythm, roundness and relaxation of the toplineas the muscles running along the spine from the neck to the croup are calledwhich results in a supple neck and long-term soundness in the animal. Conducting training of these patterns with the flexible martingale 100 develops the accuracy of the animal's performance. Normally these quick turns leave slack in the reins 44 as the rider quickly moves from pulling the reins from the right to the left, then to the right. Typically this quick shift in hand pressure almost always results in the creation of some slack on the reins. But, with the flexible martingale 100 constant tension can be maintained on the reins 44 and there will be no slack, and as a result no painful jerk on the headgear when tension is resumed. These quick turns flex the back laterally and encourage the horse to lengthen his entire body on the outside of the turn. The animal arches its neck and opens the throat latch in a forward and downward direction, as a foundation of all classical training principles. When the horse is directed to make a small turn (10 feet diameter, as a horse would do when turning around in a small stall), the rider or trainer will use a shortened opening rein on the inside, pulling the animal's head into the turn, while releasing the outside rein, with the rider's weight squarely loaded on the outside stirrup. It is fundamental for the inside hand to move away from the neck inside the turn and never pull back toward the shoulder. Pulling back would block it, reduce its range of motion, stiffen the neck, compromise the rhythm and the impulsion, this is how we see many horses plainly refusing to turn. To train the animal in this manner, start the process at the walk, then continue in trot and canter and progressively increase speed. The more frequent the turns, the easier it is to obtain the correct response to increasingly lighter turning aids, suppleness and relaxation. Because the smallest turns technique asks for the maximum bending of the horse's back, the wider turns become automatically more symmetrical and much easier to achieve.

[0041] When the rider uses an opening rein to turn (inside hand away from the neck, like opening a book), the flexible martingale 100 flexible loop 11 geometry becomes wider and lowers the contact on the inside of the turn. The outside rein follows softly without being shortened and the contact pressure remains on both reins, and so there is no slack on the outside rein. Through its progressive sliding action, the horse is quickly persuaded, by the restraining pressure of the sliding martingale 100 to turn, bend, and lower his head at the same time without resistance. This exercise decompresses the thoracic vertebrae and stretches all the muscles on the outside of the body.

[0042] By improving the lateral balance and the uprightness, the flexible martingale 100 relaxes and slows down anxious horses. For the animal, more balance equals less fear of falling, which creates less anxiety, and results in less likelihood of bucking. Shorter turns with a pronounced bend are the most effective way to do the following: (a) Loosen the neck and tilt the withers slightly to the outside, which is key to lateral flexion and uprightness for balance. It is greatly facilitated by loading the outside stirrup and releasing the outside rein. (b) Round the topline without compression back to front (or front to back). This type of turns followed by a neck stretch to the ground were one of Master Oliveira favorite exercises. (c) Free the shoulders and increase their lateral range of motion, the outside one has to reach forward and inward to cover the extra ground on the outside of the turn or circle. (d) To engage and flex the inside hind leg and increase the drive of the outside hind leg. (e) Prevent inversion of the topline. A convex neck is a reflection of pain and anxiety in the animal, and a convex neckline is a reflection of a calm or relaxed animal. And a more relaxed horse is easier to train, and more receptive to learning.