Horseshoe system

• US 5,692,569 A
• Filed: 10/17/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mustad
• Original Assignee: Mustad
• Inventors: Constantino, Guilherme E. K., Mustad, Clarin
• Primary Examiner(s): Swiatek, Robert P.
• Application Number:
  US08/544,118
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 168/18, 168/19, 168/21, 168/22, 168/17, 168/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 168/17
• CPC Class Codes: A01L 3/00 Horseshoes fastened by means other than nails, with or without additional fastening by nailing

Abstract

A horseshoe support system supports a horseshoe on the bottom of a horse hoof by attachment of the horseshoe to the side of the hoof. The horseshoe has an upper surface engageable with the bottom of the hoof and an arrangement of a plurality of peripheral connectors spaced around the horseshoe. The horseshoe support system comprises a plurality of separate anchor pads, each having an inner face adapted to be adhesively secured at a selected position to the side of the hoof. Each anchor pad further has an outer connector, to provide an arrangement of anchor pad connectors around the side of the hoof adjacent to the arrangement of horseshoe connectors. Each anchor pad connector is positioned for connection to at least one horseshoe connector. The horseshoe support system further has a plurality of separate intermediate links, including at least on of said intermediate links for each anchor pad, each operable for connecting a horseshoe connector to an anchor pad, to support the horseshoe on the bottom of the hoof. The plurality of separate intermediate links are operable to hold the horseshoe against the bottom of the hoof and are selectively detachable from at least some of the connectors for removing the horseshoe from the hoof without removing the anchor pads from the hoof.

Claims

1. A horseshoe support system for supporting a horseshoe on the bottom of a horse hoof by attachment of the horseshoe to the side of the hoof, the horseshoe having an upper surface engageable with the bottom of the hoof and an arrangement of a plurality of peripheral connectors spaced around the horseshoe;

the horseshoe support system comprising a plurality of separate anchor pads, each having an inner face adapted to be adhesively secured at a selected position to the side of the hoof and an outer connector, to provide an arrangement of anchor pad connectors around the side of the hoof adjacent to the arrangement of horseshoe connectors and with each anchor pad connector positioned for connection to at least one horseshoe connector; and

a plurality of separate intermediate means, including at least one of said intermediate means for each anchor pad, each operable for connecting a horseshoe connector to an anchor pad connector, to support the horseshoe on the bottom of the hoof, the plurality of separate intermediate means being operable to hold the horseshoe against the bottom of the hoof and being selectively detachable from at least some of the connectors for removing the horseshoe from the hoof without removing the anchor pads from the hoof.

2. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein the support system has three of the anchor pads adapted to be adhesively secured to the side of the hoof in alignment with the front center and approximately the widest point on each side of the horseshoe respectively.

3. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each anchor pad connector has a hook for receiving one of said intermediate means.

4. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each of said intermediate means comprises latch means mounted for pivotal movement on the respective anchor pad connector for latching the respective horseshoe connector to the anchor pad connector.

5. The horseshoe support system of claim 4 wherein the latch means is an overcenter latch.

6. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each of said intermediate means comprises a tension spring.

7. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each anchor pad comprises an inner support pad having a said inner face.

8. The horseshoe support system of claim 7 wherein the inner face of each support pad has a plurality of grooves.

9. The horseshoe support system of claim 7 wherein each support pad has irregular side edges.

10. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each of said intermediate means comprises a threaded screw rotatable to adjust the effective length of the intermediate means between the respective horseshoe and anchor pad connectors.

11. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each anchor pad connector comprises a connector base with a first plurality of parallel teeth and a separate connector body with a second plurality of parallel teeth and adapted to be selectively mounted on the connector base with said second teeth in meshing engagement with said first teeth.

12. The horseshoe support system of claim 1 wherein each anchor pad connector has an outer face with a cavity contoured for receiving one of said intermediate means.

13. In a horseshoe system comprising a horseshoe having a horseshoe body and an arrangement of a plurality of peripheral connectors spaced around the horseshoe body, the horseshoe body having an upper surface and adapted to be supported on a horse hoof with said upper surface engaging the bottom of the hoof;

and a horseshoe support system for supporting the horseshoe body on the bottom of the hoof by attachment of the horseshoe to the side of the hoof;

the improvement wherein the support system comprises a plurality of separate anchor pads, each having an inner face adapted to be adhesively secured at a selected position to the side of the hoof and an outer connector, to provide an arrangement of anchor pad connectors around the side of the hoof, each positioned for connection to at least one horseshoe connector; and

a plurality of separate intermediate means, including at least one of said intermediate means for each anchor pad, for connecting the horseshoe connectors to the anchor pad connectors at a plurality of positions around the horseshoe to support the horseshoe body on the bottom of the hoof, the plurality of separate intermediate means being operable to hold the horseshoe body against the bottom of the hoof and being selectively detachable from at least some of the connectors for removing the horseshoe from the hoof without removing the anchor pads from the hoof.

14. The horseshoe system of claim 13, wherein the horseshoe system has three of the anchor pads and three of said horseshoe connectors, the horseshoe connectors being located at the front center and at approximately the widest point on each side of the horseshoe body.

15. The horseshoe system of claim 13 wherein the horseshoe connectors extend upwardly beyond said upper surface to fit around and to be engageable with the side of the hoof.

16. A horseshoe system comprising a horseshoe with a horseshoe body and a set of a plurality of peripheral connectors spaced around the horseshoe body, the horseshoe body having an upper surface and adapted to be supported on a horse hoof with said upper surface engaging the bottom of the hoof;

the horseshoe system further comprising a horseshoe support system for supporting the horseshoe body on the bottom of the hoof by attachment of the horseshoe to the side of the hoof;

the support system comprising a plurality of separate anchor pads, each having an inner face adapted to be adhesively secured at a selected position to the side of the hoof and an outer connector to provide a set of anchor pad connectors around the side of the hoof; and

a plurality of separate intermediate means for connecting the horseshoe connectors to the anchor pad connectors, the plurality of separate intermediate means being operable to hold the horseshoe body against the bottom of the hoof and being selectively detachable from at least some of the connectors for removing the horseshoe from the hoof without removing the anchor pads from the hoof.

17. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein each of said intermediate means is adjustable to adjust the distance between the respective horseshoe connector and anchor pad connector.

18. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein the horseshoe body is molded at least in part and the horseshoe connectors are fixed to the horseshoe body when the horseshoe body is molded.

19. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein each horseshoe connector comprises an outwardly projecting stud.

20. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein the horseshoe body has a transverse slot in its upper surface for each horseshoe connector and wherein each horseshoe connector has a generally flat portion received in a said slot in the horseshoe body and a removable fastener which fixes the horseshoe connector to the horseshoe body.

21. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein each anchor pad connector is adjustable to adjust the distance between the horseshoe connector and the inner face of the respective anchor pad.

22. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein each of said intermediate means comprises a tension spring connected between the respective horseshoe and anchor pad connectors.

23. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein each of said intermediate means comprises overcenter latch means for latching the horseshoe connector to the anchor pad connector, the latch means comprising a latch body pivotally mounted on the respective anchor pad connector and a bail pivotally mounted on the latch body for receiving a horseshoe connector.

24. The horseshoe system of claim 16 wherein each of said intermediate means comprises a preformed wire body having a first open end portion at one end thereof adapted to be mounted on a horseshoe connector and a second open end portion at the opposite end thereof adapted to be mounted on an anchor pad connector, the wire body having an intermediate spring section adapted to place the wire body under tension between the respective horseshoe and anchor pad connectors.

25. The horseshoe system of claim 24 wherein each of the connectors of at least one of the sets of connectors comprises a plurality of laterally extending slots for selectively receiving one of the open end portions of the wire body.