SADDLE RACK

Abstract

The invention is a saddle rack comprised of an upper portion or body upon which the saddle rests, fabricated by plastic mould injection, approximating an equine's back shape and supported by four legs. Bridle and halter may be stored on handles, and baskets provide extra storage space. Numerous embodiments are provided, including embodiments to accommodate either Western or English shaped saddles. Preferably, the body is of webbed or perforated design allowing additional air penetration and ventilation of the underside of a saddle resting on the rack, advantageously providing the saddle a means to dry while being stored. More preferably, racks may be stacked for shipping or display, to save space. Maintenance and cleaning are greatly simplified by durable plastic design.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to saddle racks and, more particularly, to portable, ventilated and stackable saddle racks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Saddles provide support for a rider and protect the back of a horse, and as such are an essential piece of equestrian equipment. Some of the relevant parts of a saddle are the skeleton or saddle tree, shaped to clear the horse's backbone; the saddle flaps on the sides; the pommel at the front edge; the cantle at the rear edge; and the padded panels, which run the length of the saddle under the tree, between the pommel and the cantle. Saddles are generally the most expensive equipment a rider requires. They are bulky and awkward to carry and store, but if not properly supported during storage, they may lose their shape or become scarred. The padding next to the horse's body is often damp from sweat, and may mould if not properly aired. Arrangements must be made to properly store saddles both long-term, in a house, barn or other building; and temporarily, during transport or while awaiting use at a horse show, in an arena or ring, or in the field.

Various types of saddle racks are known. Many are made of metal pipe, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,521 (issued Nov. 9,1993) (Shaffer et al.), CA 963878 (issued Mar. 4, 1975) (Wilmoth). U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,971 (issued Dec. 25, 1973) (Filipps), EP: GB 2197781 (published Jun. 2, 1988) (Wilson), EP: GB 2097239 (published Nov. 3, 1982) (Safran) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,101 (issued Feb. 21, 1967) (Mills) or metal slats, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,656 (issued Sep. 6,1988) (Hartley). Metal racks are strong and usually provide ventilation and some are relatively easy to manufacture but they may damage the padding and may not properly support the saddle. Many saddle racks project horizontally from a vertical structure such as a wall, including the racks of U.S. Pat. No. 2,953,252 (issued Sept. 20,1960) (Koontz), US D 277,989 (issued Mar. 12, 1985) (Wakat), US Pub. No. 2004/0182803 (published Sept. 23, 2004) (Lay et al.), CA 1075207 (issued Apr. 8,1980) (Reti), U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,841 (issued Oct. 22, 1991) (Fernbaugh et al.), and EP: FR 2739435 (published Apr. 4, 1997) (Turpin). If properly constructed these saddle racks may provide support in permanent locations, or sometimes during transportation, but are not readily portable to hold the saddle while awaiting use ringside or in the field.

Other saddle racks rest on the floor and hold saddles or other equipment. Most of these are made of wood, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,553 (issued Nov. 24, 1992) (Benson), GB 2,309,890 (published Aug. 13,1997) (Beasley et al.), US D 284,122 (issued Jun. 3,1986) (Kizen), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,459 (issued Feb. 21, 1984) (Coldren) and meant for indoor use, but cannot easily be carried with the saddles in place and used as a free-standing saddle-holder. Wooden racks can be heavy, and may damage padding. Some saddle racks, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,755 (issued Oct. 15, 1957) (Martorello), U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,152 (issued Sep. 9, 2003) (Oliver), US D 221,871 (issued Sept. 14, 1971) (Pearce), EP: FR 2603856 (published Mar. 18, 1988) (Derenne), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,668 (issued Aug. 11, 1998) (Lenardson) have wheels, but these are often more expensive, bulky, and difficult to manufacture, store and transport. Previous saddle holders that were made of plastic such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,207 (issued May 27, 2001) (Kelley) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,929 (issued Nov. 8, 1994) (McLain et al.) were lightweight and provided support to the saddle panels but did not allow the padding to dry out during storage, so the saddles were vulnerable to mould.

What is desired therefore is a saddle rack which overcomes the limitations and problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a saddle rack comprising a moulded body portion curved in cross section, said body portion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle and having oppositely disposed end walls, said body being formed from relatively light but hard material formed to provide means for supporting a saddle; and preferably legs to support said body portion having a keyed slide thereon, the body of said saddle rack being coupled slidably, via a key-way slot, to said keyed slide.

The present invention is also directed to a saddle rack with legs having a length such that saddles just clear the ground. Said legs may be adapted to prevent their removal from the body of the saddle rack once the rack is assembled. There may preferably be handles on each end of the body of the rack each adapted to serve as a holder for the bridle and halter. Extra storage may be provided by baskets or trays. The saddle rack may preferably be formed from fiberglass or injection moulded plastic, preferably with UV protection. Preferably, the bodies and legs of the saddle racks are nestable for storage and display. The body of the saddle rack is preferably of a webbed or perforated design to assist in ventilating the underside of a saddle resting on the rack.

Advantages of the various embodiments of the invention over the prior art include:

1) a webbed or perforated design so that the saddle and its padding can breathe and dry quickly after use, preventing the moulding common to saddles stored on plastic saddle racks of the prior art;

2) lightweight and useable indoors or out, unlike wooden saddle racks;

3) easily carried with the saddle in place.

4) provides good support to all parts of the saddle, unlike tubular metal racks, so that the saddle retains its shape;

5) inexpensive to manufacture, being preferably made of injection moulded plastic;

6) inexpensive to ship and store, as the legs are not attached until the point of use, and the parts are stackable and nestable as well as light.

This and other advantages will become more readily apparent from the attached more detailed description of the saddle rack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, designed for an English saddle;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are front and back elevational views of the embodiment of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are top and bottom views of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention, designed for a Western saddle;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are front and back elevational views of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are top and bottom views of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 15 to 18 are various additional views of the embodiment of FIG. 13, with FIGS. 17 and 18 providing detailed views of the leg attachment;

FIGS. 19 to 25 are various views of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrating stacking of two saddle racks and FIGS. 24 and 25 providing detailed views of the leg attachment;

FIGS. 26 and 27 are perspective views of a fifth embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 27 illustrating stacking of two saddle racks;

FIGS. 28 and 29 are perspective views of a sixth embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 29 illustrating stacking of two saddle racks;

FIGS. 30 to 39 are various views of a seventh embodiment of the present invention, with FIGS. 36 and 37 providing detailed views of the leg attachment and FIGS. 38 and 39 illustrating stacking of two saddle racks;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is to be had to the Figures in which identical reference numbers identify similar components.

Referring to the Figures generally, the present invention is of a saddle rack or holder (1) preferably constructed of a lightweight but strong plastic injected into a mould. The rack (1) generally comprises an upper surface or body (10) disposed between end walls (11) and is preferably supported by legs (12). Preferably, the upper surface or body (10) of the saddle rack (1) is of a webbed (18) or perforated (18o) design within a heavier framework (16), the whole curved in cross section and shaped to fit the underside of a saddle (not shown). More preferably, the body (10) of the saddle rack (1) is of a shape and size such that a plurality of them can be nested or stacked together to fit into a box for shipping. The body (10) may be constructed using any appropriate material, most desirably a light-weight but strong plastic, and may be formed by injection moulding.

In a preferred embodiment, the body (10) is supported by detachable legs (12), which may also nest together and be snapped into place upon assembly of the rack (1). Preferably, the legs (12) are sized so that the flaps of larger saddles will just clear the ground. More preferably, the legs (12) slidably engage with the body (10) of the saddle holder (1). The legs (12) may be slidably coupled to the body (10) through a keyed slide (13) on the leg (12), and key-way slot mechanism (14) on the body (10). See FIGS. 17-18, 24-25 and 36-37 for three different embodiments of the keyed slide (13) and key-way slot mechanism (14). Even more preferably, the keyed slide 13 further comprises tabs (13t) to insert in, or engage with, corresponding openings (14o) in the key-way slot mechanism (14), thereby providing additional frictional engagement between the legs (12) and body (10) and thereby reducing the likelihood that the legs (12) will accidentally detach when a rack (1) is lifted from the ground; see FIGS. 17-18 and 36-37. Alternatively the body (10) and legs (12) are of a unitary moulded construction.

Preferably, handles (20) are advantageously positioned at each end of the body (10), so that the saddle and saddle rack (1) may be easily carried from place to place. The handles (20) preferably are formed as extensions of the end walls (11) of said body (10), curved in cross section or otherwise shaped to provide means for supporting a bridle and halter and keeping them off the floor or ground; see FIGS. 1-12 and 30-39. Alternatively, handles may be formed by indentations or recesses in the end walls (11) at each end of the body (10); see FIGS. 26-29.

More preferably, baskets (22), for other equestrian equipment, are releasably mounted across or between paired legs (12) of the saddle rack (1) at either end, to hold other equestrian equipment and provide additional stability to the legs (12); see FIGS. 1-4, 7 and 30 - 34. These baskets (22) are preferably shaped so that, when detached from the rack (1), they may be nested or stacked together for ease of shipping and storage.

Stacking Embodiments

In some of the embodiments, the body (10) of the saddle rack (1) is of a generally hollow or concave shape with the underside (15) of suitable dimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddle rack (1′). In these embodiments a first saddle rack (1) may be stacked or nested upon the body of a second rack (1′). Additional racks (not shown) may likewise be added to the stack.

See FIGS. 15, 21-23, 27, 29, 35 and 38-39 for various stacking saddle rack embodiments, with components of the second rack (1′) generally being referenced with identical reference numbers, to those used for the first rack (1), and then followed with the prime (′) symbol; so as to easily identify similar components on each of the two racks (1 and 1′); e.g. the webbed area (18) on the first rack (1) and the webbed area (18′) on the second rack (1′).

Ventilated Embodiments

In some of the embodiments, the body (10) has a solid frame (16) for strength, supporting larger webbed areas (18) designed to provide both support and ventilation to a saddle (not shown) placed on the saddle rack (1). Alternatively perforations, holes or openings (18o) may be provided in place of, or in addition to, the webbed areas (18), to supply ventilation or augment the ventilation provided by the webbed areas (18).

English and Western Saddle Embodiments

FIGS. 1 to 6 generally illustrate an embodiment suitable to hold an English saddle while FIGS. 7 to 12 generally illustrate an embodiment suitable to hold a Western saddle.

As seen most readily in FIGS. 1 and 4, it has been found advantageous when manufacturing the saddle holder (1) for English saddles if the length (24) of the holder (10) is 24 inches, the height (26) is 10¾ inches, and the length (28) of the legs (12) is 22½ inches. In FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, it can be seen that the width (30) of the saddle holder (10) is advantageously 17 inches front and back to support an English saddle. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the frame (16) is 3 inches wide lengthwise along the apex of the saddle holder (32), and 1½ inches wide elsewhere, including around the edges (34) and in a lateral support (36) (see FIG. 5).

An embodiment of the rack (1) suitable for Western saddles is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 10; with optional baskets (22) only shown in FIG. 7. It has been found advantageous when manufacturing the saddle holder (10) for Western saddles if the length (38) of the holder (10) is 29 inches, the height at the front end (40) is 10¾ inches and at the back end (42) is 9½ inches, and the length (44) of the legs (12) is 22½ inches (see also FIGS. 8 and 9). In FIGS. 8, 9 and 11, it can be seen that the width (30) of the saddle holder (10) is advantageously 17 inches at the front (46) and 19 inches at the back (48) to support a Western saddle. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 12, the frame (16) is 3 inches wide lengthwise along the apex of the saddle holder (50), and 1½ inches wide elsewhere, including around the edges (52 and 54) (see FIG. 11).

The specific embodiments described should be taken as illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting its scope. Many further modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and the inventions should be construed in accordance with the accompanying claims. For example, the baskets could be omitted or replaced by a tray suspended under the body (10) and removably coupled to the legs (12). The legs (12) may be bolted to the body (10) or the key slot mechanism (14) may be designed so that once the legs (12) are engaged with the body (10) they cannot be removed.

Claims

1. A saddle rack comprising:

a moulded body portion curved in cross section, said body portion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle and with oppositely disposed end walls, said body being formed from relatively light but hard material formed to provide means for supporting a saddle; and

legs to support said body portion having a keyed slide thereon, the body of said saddle rack being coupled slidably, via a key-way slot, to said keyed slide.

2. The saddle rack of claim 1 further comprising stop means, provided in association with each said leg, said stop means adapted to prevent the removal of the leg from the body of the saddle rack.

3. The saddle rack of claim 1 wherein a handle is disposed on each end wall.

4. The saddle rack of claim 3 wherein the handle is an extension of each end wall, said extension being curved in cross section, serving as a bridle holder.

5. The saddle rack of claim 1 wherein said saddle rack has a basket and means to support a basket.

6. The saddle rack of claim 1 further comprising means for compactly storing said saddle rack.

7. The saddle rack of claim 6 wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises means for nesting a plurality of said saddle racks together.

8. The saddle rack of claim 7 wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises:

said body portion having a generally concave shape; and

an underside on said body portion of suitable dimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddle rack's body portion.

9. The saddle rack of claim 1 wherein the body of the saddle rack comprises at least one webbed area within a heavier framework, the whole adapted for ventilating the underside of the saddle.

10. The saddle rack of claim 1 wherein the body of the saddle rack comprises at least one perforated area within a heavier framework, the whole adapted for ventilating the underside of the saddle.

11. A saddle rack comprising:

a hollow moulded body portion curved in cross section, said body portion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle and with oppositely disposed end wails, said body being formed from relatively light but hard material formed to provide means for supporting a saddle; wherein the body of the saddle rack comprises at least one webbed area within a heavier framework, the whole adapted for drying the saddle.

12. The saddle rack of claim 11 wherein a handle is disposed on each end wall.

13. The saddle rack of claim 12 wherein the handle is an extension of each end wall, said extension being curved in cross section, serving as a bridle holder.

14. The saddle rack of claim 11 wherein said saddle rack further comprises:

a plurality of legs;

a basket;

and means to support said basket from at least one of said legs.

15. The saddle rack of claim 11 further comprising means for compactly storing said saddle rack.

16. The saddle rack of claim 15 wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises:

said body portion having a generally concave shape; and

an underside on said body portion of suitable dimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddle rack's body portion.

17. A saddle rack comprising:

a moulded body portion curved in cross section, said body portion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle and with oppositely disposed end walls, said body being formed from relatively light but hard material formed to provide means for supporting a saddle; and

means for compactly storing said saddle rack.

18. The saddle rack of claim 17 wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises a generally concave shaped body portion having an underside of suitable dimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddle rack.

19. A saddle rack comprising:

a hollow moulded body portion curved in cross section, said body portion being moulded to correspond to the underside of a saddle and with oppositely disposed end wails, said body being formed from relatively light but hard material formed to provide means for supporting a saddle; wherein the body of the saddle rack comprises at least one perforated area within a heavier framework, the whole adapted for drying the saddle.

20. The saddle rack of claim 19 wherein a handle is disposed on each end wall.

21. The saddle rack of claim 20 wherein the handle is an extension of each end wall, said extension being curved in cross section, serving as a bridle holder.

22. The saddle rack of claim 19 wherein said saddle rack further comprises:

a plurality of legs;

a basket;

and means to support said basket from at least one of said legs.

23. The saddle rack of claim 19 further comprising means for compactly storing said saddle rack.

24. The saddle rack of claim 23 wherein said means for compactly storing said saddle rack comprises:

said body portion having a generally concave shape; and

an underside on said body portion of suitable dimensions and shape so as to receive the upper side of a second saddle rack's body portion.