Animal husbandry – Exercise or amusement device – Hurdle – jump – or support therefor
Patent
1996-11-15
1999-07-20
Apley, Richard J.
Animal husbandry
Exercise or amusement device
Hurdle, jump, or support therefor
472 86, 482 15, A63K 304
Patent
active
059243864
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to jumps for horses, and has application to such jumps for showjumping competitions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Existing showjumping courses employ a number of jumps consisting of a static obstacle with one or more components which can be knocked loose if struck by a horse. As a variant, known jumps comprise water filled ditches. Scoring includes the award of penalties when a horse knocks loose a component and/or comes into contact with the water of a jump. The scope for varying the design of such jumps is limited. To increase interest in the sport, progressively higher and more intimidating jumps have been used. However, it is difficult to reconcile such developments with the overriding need for safety of both horse and rider, and, in particular, the increase in jump height greatly increases the physical strain and risk of injury to horses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is therefore a need to provide jumps for horses which capture the interest of spectators and riders without compromising the safety and good health of the horses.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a jump for horses which is non static and comprises means for altering with elapse of time, the shape and/or configuration of the obstacle presented by the jump to a horse.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a jump which is non static and comprises means for altering with elapse of time, the position of the obstacle presented by the jump to the horse relative to the ground.
One embodiment of the jump comprises a plurality of water jet nozzles from which water issues to constitute said obstacle. Valve control means are provided to alter with time, the shape and configuration of the obstacle by selectively controlling issue of water from the jets.
In another embodiment, the jump comprises an axially rotatable beam whose cross-section is non-circular and which defines said obstacle. Drive means are provided to rotate the beam about its axis thereby altering the shape and configuration of the obstacle presented to the horse.
In a further embodiment of the invention, means are provided for altering with elapse of time, the shape and/or configuration of the obstacle presented to the horse and also the position of that obstacle relative to the ground. In one such embodiment means are provided to move a plurality of mutually parallel elongate elements defining said obstacle in a direction perpendicular to their length along a closed loop which itself moves along the ground.
A preferred feature of embodiments of the invention is the provision of display means to indicate whether the jump has been attempted. Preferably, such display means are turned on when a sensor detects the proximity of a horse attempting the jump. A suitable sensor for this purpose is an infra-red thermal detector.
A further preferred feature of embodiments of the invention is the provision of a second display means to provide an indication of the current physical state of the jump. Such second display means are preferably configured to provide an indication of the present difficulty of the jump so as to assist a rider in determining when to attempt the jump.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, remote control means are provided for remote operation of the means for altering the shape and/or configuration, or the position, of the jump with elapse of time. Advantageously, these altering means are programmed/programmable enabling the shape and/or configuration, or the position, of the jump to be altered in a predetermined manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
Embodiments of the invention are described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a jump according to the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a section through one support of the jump depicted in FIG. 1, viewed in direction y;
FIG. 3 shows a section through the jump shown in
REFERENCES:
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patent: 2279539 (1942-04-01), Vogt et al.
patent: 3637204 (1972-01-01), Dawson
patent: 4739985 (1988-04-01), Rudell et al.
patent: 5152727 (1992-10-01), Moore et al.
patent: 5256116 (1993-10-01), Robinson
patent: 5549195 (1996-08-01), Aulagner et al.
Apley Richard J.
Hwang Victor K.
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