1995-05-31
1996-10-22
Swiatek, Robert P.
Farriery
Shoes
168 24, A01L 104
Patent
active
055667651
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to the field of farriery and more particularly to a horseshoe design for horses hooves which enables the animal to move with a more natural motion of its feet.
2. Background Art
As those skilled in the art, particularly farriers and veterinarians, are aware domestic horses have for a great many years been routinely shod with shoes the purpose of which was to lengthen the stride of the animal to provide traction and prevent concussion. Thus, it has been commonplace to lengthen the toe in order to accomplish the longer stride, especially in race horses. As a result horses were shod with long shoes and lowered heels in the belief that this would decrease the concussion and lengthen the stride. In point of fact research departments in farrier science have found that the opposite may be true. Studies indicate that lengthening the toe and dropping the heel decrease the hoof angle, and that the old ways have been contributing factors to hoof related problems such as bowed tendons, ringbone, navicular disease, bucked shins and sesamoid problems. The longer toe and shorter heel theory has been thought to lower the arc of the foot's flight pattern. Again, however, it has been found that it takes the hoof longer to break over and delayed break over increases fatigue. It is to be kept in mind that break over is the last phase of the stride prior to the hoof's leaving the ground. The end of the toe and the foot rotate over losing traction with the ground and beginning the next stride.
For race horses the desire has been to minimize stresses on the leg structure including tendons and ligaments. Tendons become pulled if the hoof comes off the ground unnaturally so that the flexor tendons are stressed and the extensors in turn are also stressed trying to compensate for the unnatural flexor action. Another common problem is that of chipped knees caused by unnatural break over placing excessive strain on the multiple bone structure. The result can be and often is that corners of the bones are chipped off. Because it is conventional and most practical to fit a shoe to the most forward part of the hoof the art of shoeing horses has perpetuated the practice of causing unnatural foot action, and thus the excessive strain on the tendon system and secondary stress on the bone structure.
Among the prior art references are the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 90,394; 100,328; 155,362; 180,980; 421,349; 483,537; 507,276; 591,166; 562,567; 764,950; 804,839; 980,655; 998,196; 3,460,637; 3,794,120; 3,311,174; 2,791,280; 3,159,220; 4,333,532; 4,721,165. See also HORSESHOEING THEORY AND HOOF CARE, Leslie Emery, Jim Miller, Nyles Van Hoosen, 1977, Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia. The only horseshoe of those shown in the prior art and identified above is the structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,165 by applicant herein. The referenced patent, however, does not teach a shoe which places the calk or grab plate forward of a line substantially directly under the tip of the coffin bone.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a horseshoe having a closed end or toe portion which is formed to extend transversely or laterally across the front and under the hoof rather than being rounded to the shape of the toe of the hoof. A grab plate is shaped to extend across the toe from just forward of a line extending substantially directly down from the tip of the coffin bone of the hoof to another line about thirty degrees forward measuring from the coffin bone tip. The toe is formed so that the inside edge of the toe portion angles downwardly and forwardly and the front edge of the toe angles downwardly and rearwardly so that there is no inclination for the shoe to drag or interfere through the horse's stride. The shoe is also formed so that the branches conform to a natural pattern of wear in unshod horses. The heel is slightly raised so that for racing horses the grab plate is slightly higher than or even with the heel because of the soft material of race tracks. For more conventional sadd
REFERENCES:
patent: 265567 (1882-10-01), Billings
patent: 483537 (1892-10-01), Chapman
patent: 585187 (1897-06-01), Davies
patent: 3548947 (1970-12-01), Mackay-Smith
patent: 4721165 (1988-01-01), Ovnicek
patent: 5165481 (1992-11-01), Duckett
Cross, Jr. Harry M.
Swiatek Robert P.
World Wide Horseshoes, Inc.
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