Saddle tree

Details Saddle tree Saddle tree

1999-08-25

2001-05-01

Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)

Harness for working animal

Riding saddle

Specific material

C054S044400

Reexamination Certificate

active

06223509

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to saddle trees, that is to say frames which are used in horse saddles to provide strength and shape therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Saddle trees have been used in horse saddles for very many years and many different designs have been proposed, it being necessary to consider the anatomy of the horse, the anatomy of the rider and the balance of the saddle and the rider on the horse's body. Typical saddle trees are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,988 (Anderson), PCT Application No. PCT/GB97/02192 (Huggins), and PCT Application No. PCT/US97/20013 (Coffin). However, known saddle trees do not satisfactorily meet all of the above-mentioned desired criteria with respect to the rider.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved saddle tree which enables a saddle incorporating the tree to more clearly meet such desired criteria.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a saddle tree has an arched body portion shaped to fit over a horse's back, a pair of laterally-spaced fork members which project downwardly from opposite sides of the arched body portion so as to extend downwardly on opposite sides of a horse's body when in use and a pair of laterally-spaced independently resiliently deflectable spring members projecting rearwardly from the arched body portion. The spring members are of blade-like shape curved to conform with the shape of a horse's back and have a length sufficient to extend along at least eight vertebrae when in use and a lateral spacing causing at least laterally-inner rear-edge portions thereof to rest on the relevant vertebrae when in use.
It has been found that a horse saddle incorporating a saddle tree in accordance with the invention, particularly because of the length and spacing of the spring members, much more satisfactorily meets the desired criteria than horse saddles with previously-known saddle trees.
The spring members may have laterally-inner edges which, in plan view, are substantially parallel and laterally-outer edges which diverge in a curved manner from the arched body portion to a maximum just beyond halfway along their length and then converge towards their rear ends.


REFERENCES:
patent: 497665 (1893-05-01), Hotze
patent: 4965988 (1990-10-01), Anderson
patent: 5517808 (1996-05-01), Schleese

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