Abstract:
A pad for a saddle includes a number of layers of compressible material. Uppon layers fill the space between the saddle and the spine of the animal formed by the gullet of the saddle. Lower layers of the compressible material are contiguous with the upper layers and evenly distribute the load of the saddle over the back of the animal.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a pad for use with a saddle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A saddle on which a rider sits is designed to prevent application of the weight of the rider to the spine of an animal. A typical saddle for a horse has a longitudinal void, or &#34;gullet&#34;, extending the length of the saddle for providing a space between the saddle and the spine of the horse. This space prevents contact between the spine and the saddle because the spine can be bruised by application of the weight of the rider to it. 
     A problem arises, however, with the traditional saddle because the weight of the rider is not evenly distributed to the back of the animal. Those areas of the animal which receive greater force are often injured, particularly if the rider is heavy or the riding session is long or difficult. The general practice is to place a blanket between the saddle and the animal in an attempt to distribute the weight and prevent injury, but this is usually not successful. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, a unique pad distributes the weight of the rider and saddle over the back of an animal and protects the spine from injury. A first portion of the pad engages the top of the saddle gullet and spreads the forces from this part of the saddle. A second part of the pad engages the first portion and other parts of the saddle and further spreads the forces to evenly distribute the load of the rider and saddle over the back of the animal. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the pad is made of a plurality of layers of resilient material such as polyurethane. The first portion of the pad, which fills the gullet, comprises two layers bonded to each other, the lower one being wider than the upper one. The second portion of the pad also includes two layers bonded to each other, and the lower layer of the first part is bonded to an upper layer of the second part. The lower layer of the second part essentially conforms to the shape of the saddle. 
     The layers are of different densities. The two layers of the first portion of the pad are preferably &#34;6E&#34; polyurethane, the upper layer of the second portion is also &#34;6E&#34; polyurethane, and the lower layer of the second portion is &#34;4E&#34; polyurethane. By this construction, the forces applied to the gullet of the saddle are spread out laterally to layers of the pad which are increasingly wider. Thus, the weight is evenly distributed over the back of the animal. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an animal and saddle using the pad of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of a pad according to the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to FIG. 1, the back 2 of an animal is shown schematically in a phantom line, and a saddle 4 is also shown schematically. The saddle may take any of several forms known in the art, but is of the type having a gullet which forms a void 6 between the spine of the animal and the ridge of the saddle. 
     Referring to the figures generally, a pad 8 according to the invention comprises a series of layers of resilient polyurethane foam material for distributing the weight of the rider and saddle over the back of the animal. The pad includes a first portion comprising upper layer 10 and a lower layer 12. The upper layer 10 is narrower than the lower layer 12 whereby the first portion is tapered for filling the void created by the gullet of the saddle. The upper surface of the layer 10 engages the top of the gullet and the outer surfaces of the layers 10 and 12 deform so as to engage substantially the entire inner surface of the gullet. 
     The bottom surface of the layer 12 contacts the upper surface of the second portion, which is in turn formed by two layers 14 and 16. Layer 16 extends over the area where the saddle has contact with the animal and is the largest of the layers. Side parts of the layer 16 engage those parts of the saddle which are not considered to be weight bearing. For example, a saddle typically includes leather flaps engaged by the knees of the rider but which do not carry the weight of the rider. Layer 16 is of a material having a lesser density to allow the rider to feel the horse with the knees to permit accurate control of the animal. 
     Layer 14 is contoured at 18 so that the layer conforms to the shape of the weight bearing portion of the saddle. Thus, the layers 10, 12, and 14 carry the majority of the weight of the rider and saddle, and these are made of materials of density heavier than that of layer 16. Layers 10, 12, and 14 are preferably of &#34;6E&#34; polyurethane, while layer 16 is of &#34;4E&#34; polyurethane. In a preferred embodiment, layer 10 has a thickness of about 3/8 in. and a width of about 11/2 in., layer 12 has a thickness of about 3/8 in. and a width of about 23/8 in., and layer 14 has a thickness of about 3/8 in. and is about 13 in. across at it widest part. Layer 16 has a thickness of about 1/4 in. 
     The designations &#34;6E&#34; and &#34;4E&#34; apply to materials having a variety of properties, but one important property is the extent to which the material can be said to distribute the force applied to one surface. The &#34;6E&#34; material in general distributes a load applied to one surface to a larger area on the opposite surface than does the &#34;4E&#34; material. 
     In the preferred embodiment, each of the layers is bonded to its contiguous layer or layers to provide a unitary pad which can be easily placed on an animal and to transfer loads through a more positive contact. It is possible, however, for the layers to be separate elements. 
     The pad shown in the drawings is stepped due to the use of discrete layers. The pad could be molded such that the profile is smooth, and the first portion comprising layers 10 and 12 could be a solid molded portion having substantially the exact profile of the saddle&#39;s gullet. 
     The pad is provided with a number of holes 20 for allowing air to circulate through the pad to allow the animal to cool through vaporation of the perspiration. These holes could be eliminated if a resilient material having high permeability to air and vapor were used.