Abstract:
Animal head control devices, e.g., halters for horses, are disclosed. In one aspect, the disclosure features an animal head control device comprising: a body dimensioned to receive an animal&#39;s head, an adjustable member connected to the body and dimensioned to wrap around at least a portion of the animal&#39;s head behind its ears; and a releasable closure configured to secure a first end of the adjustable member to a portion of the body. In some implementations, the halters disclosed herein include a releasable closure that can be easily replaced when damaged or worn, thus extending the useful life of the halter.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to an animal control apparatus, commonly referred to as a halter, intended to be applied to the animal&#39;s head. Generally, halters are designed to wrap around the head of an animal, e.g. a horse, for the purpose of catching, holding, leading, tying, or generally controlling the animal. Utilizing a fastener, e.g. a buckle, halters are designed to be removeably attached to the animal. 
     Halters are subjected to wear through repeated use. Damage to the halter can occur if the animal has a behavioral outburst, e.g. pulls back while tied. When this occurs it is frequently the fastener or closure mechanism that fails due to wear or damage. This may render the halter unusable, e.g., because the clasps typically used on halters are not designed to be easily replaced. 
     In the event that the halter does not fail under an extreme load, such as when an animal pulls back when tied, the animal could suffer an injury to the head, spinal column, etc. 
     SUMMARY 
     Generally, this invention relates to an animal control apparatus (hereafter “halter”) to be applied to the animal&#39;s head for the purpose of catching, leading, tying, holding or generally controlling the animal. In some implementations, the halters disclosed herein include a releasable closure that can be easily replaced when damaged or worn, thus extending the useful life of the halter. 
     The present invention allows the user to replace the closure of a halter easily and inexpensively. In addition, the present invention provides for a great amount of adjustability in sizing, allowing a single halter to be utilized on a variety of differently sized animals. In some implementations the halter is designed to safely release under a predetermined force, e.g., when the animal pulls back with sufficient force to be potentially injured by the restraint provided by the halter. 
     In one aspect, the invention features an animal head control device comprising: a body dimensioned to receive the animal&#39;s head, an adjustable member connected to the body and dimensioned to wrap around at least a portion of the animal&#39;s head behind its ears; and a releasable closure configured to secure a first end of the adjustable member to a portion of the body. 
     Some implementations include one or more of the following features. The releasable closure may comprise a fabric strap configured to be threaded through a first receiving element on the body and second receiving element on the adjustable member. The fabric strap may comprise a first region having hook fasteners and a second region having loop fasteners. The fabric strap may be configured so that when the hook fasteners and loop fasteners are engaged at least a portion of one of the regions is captured between two portions of the other region. 
     In some implementations, the releasable closure can be retained on one of the receiving elements and unthreaded from the other receiving element by disengaging an upper one of the two portions of the other region from the captured portion while the captured portion remains engaged with a lower one of the two portions. The receiving elements may comprise rings, e.g., at least one of the receiving elements may be generally rectangular. 
     In some cases, the body comprises a plurality of elongated body elements connected by connecting elements, such as rings. 
     The adjustable member may comprise a flexible strap and a slide buckle configured to allow the available length of the flexible strap to be adjusted, and a first end of the flexible strap may be threaded through the second receiving element and through the slide buckle. In some cases, the adjustable member further comprises a second slide buckle, and a second end of the flexible strap is threaded through a receiving element on the body and the second slide buckle, such that the adjustable member can be removed from the body by unthreading the two free ends of the flexible strap from the respective slide buckles. Alternatively, instead of slide buckles, the adjustable member may comprise a pair or pairs of rectangular rings through which the first end and/or the second end of the flexible strap is threaded. 
     In another aspect, the invention features methods of using the devices disclosed herein. For example, the invention features a method for controlling an animal&#39;s head, comprising placing the animal&#39;s head in a body of a head-controlling device, and wrapping an adjustable member connected to the body around at least a portion of the animal&#39;s head to position the adjustable member behind the animal&#39;s ears, wherein the device includes a releasable closure configured to secure a first end of the adjustable member to a portion of the body. 
     Some implementations include one or more of the following features. The method further comprises removing the releasable closure and replacing it with a new releasable closure. The releasable closure may comprise a fabric strap configured to be threaded through a first receiving element on the body and second receiving element on the adjustable member. The fabric strap may comprise a first region having hook fasteners and a second region having loop fasteners. The fabric strap may be configured so that when the hook fasteners and loop fasteners are engaged at least a portion of one of the regions is captured between two portions of the other region. The method may further comprise retaining the adjustable member on one of the receiving elements while unthreading it from the other receiving element, to position the adjustable member behind the animal&#39;s ears, by disengaging an upper one of the two portions of the other region from the captured portion while the captured portion remains engaged with a lower one of the two portions. The adjustable member may comprise a flexible strap and a slide buckle or pair of rectangular rings, and the method may further include using the slide buckle or pair of rings to adjust the available length of the flexible strap to fit the animal&#39;s head. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a halter according to one implementation on a horse&#39;s head. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the releasable closure of the halter shown in  FIG. 1 , in the open position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the releasable closure with one portion in the closed position. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the releasable closure with two portions in the closed position. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the releasable closure in the closed position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the animal control apparatus, or halter,  20  is applied to an animal&#39;s head  10 . The halter  20  generally wraps around the animal&#39;s head  10 , for example, over the nose, under the chin, behind the ears, along the cheeks and under the throat. The halter  20  generally comprises a plurality of elongated members including cheek straps  26  on opposite sides of the halter (only one is shown), a nose piece  30 , a chin piece  28 , a throat latch  24 , a poll band  32 , a closure mechanism  40 , and metal rings  21 ,  22 , which serve as articulation and connection points for the various members. The members may be formed of any suitable material, for example leather or multi-ply webbing, e.g., nylon webbing. The rings are generally formed of metal, and may be of any desired shape. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the poll band  32  is attached on one side of the halter  20  to the ring  22  via releasable closure  40  and closure ring  36 , which provides a receiving element through which the poll band and releasable closure are threaded. The poll band  32  runs through a sliding buckle  34  then loops around the closure ring  36  and back through the sliding buckle  34 . This configuration provides adjustability to the poll band  32 , allowing the user to easily configure the halter  20  to animals with differently dimensioned heads. The opposite end of the poll band (not shown) is attached to the halter  20  via a ring similar to ring  22 , and may be secured either by stitching, fabric weld, or through threading through a slide buckle. One free end of the releasable closure  40  threads through the closure ring  36  from the other side, while the other free end threads through ring  22 , such that the releasable closure provides a releasable link between the cheek strap  26  and poll band  32 . 
     Thus, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the releasable closure  40  secures the halter  20  to the animal&#39;s head  10 . Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the releasable closure  40  utilizes a combination of hook and loop fabric fasteners oriented on opposing surfaces to achieve a strong, releasable bond. To remove the halter from the animal, the user need only disengage element  46 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , and unthread it through ring  22 , which releases the poll band  32 . The releasable closure  40  will be discussed in detail below. 
     In the preferred implementation shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , releasable closure  40  includes a substantially planar elongated band of material having first and second portions. The first portion includes loop fasteners on both of its opposite surfaces  43  and  44 . This may be achieved, for example, by attaching two pieces of loop material back-to-back, or by providing a two-sided loop material. The second portion, which extends lengthwise from the first portion, includes two side-by-side surfaces  41  and  42 , both of which carry hook elements. In preferred implementations the opposite surface  46  of the second portion is free of fastener elements, and may be smooth or may have any desired texture. This configuration allows the releasable closure to be folded in thirds such that when the releasable closure is closed the first portion is captured between the two surfaces  41  and  42  of the second portion, and the generally smooth surface  46  is exposed. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , to initially position the releasable closure  40  on the halter, e.g., when replacing the releasable closure, the releasable closure  40  is looped through the rings  36  and the surface  43  is folded back on to surface  42  ( FIG. 3 ). Preferably, surface  43  includes loop fasteners and surface  42  includes complementary hook fasteners as shown. The interaction of these two surfaces forms a strong releasable bond, which would generally only be disengaged when the releasable closure  40  needs to be replaced due to material deterioration or damage. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , to fasten the halter on an animal the second portion of the releasable closure is threaded through the ring  22  and hook-carrying surface  41  is folded over onto the corresponding loop fasteners on surface  44 , capturing the first portion of the releasable closure as discussed above. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the releasable closure  40  is shown in the preferred orientation. Disengagement of the releasable closure would be accomplished by pulling down on surface  46 . This would allow the releasable closure  40  to unthread through ring  22  allowing removal of the halter  20  from the animal&#39;s head. Poll band  32  is shown looping through two rectangular rings  36 , around the second ring and then back through the first ring. This configuration prevents slippage or unwanted change of length of the poll band  32 . This configuration provides easy adjustment of the length of the poll band to allow the halter be utilized on differently dimensioned animal heads. 
     The releasable closure  40 , in the event of an emergency, would allow for quick release of the animal&#39;s head from the halter  20  helping prevent injury to the animal. The releasable closure  40  and/or the closure ring  36  can be designed to release or fail under a predetermined load that is representative of the force produced in such a situation, or the releasable closure  40  can be released manually by the animal&#39;s handler. 
     The strength of the bond between the first and second portions, and thus the force required to disengage the releasable fastener, can be increased or decreased by altering the amount of interaction between the complementary surfaces  41  and  44 . This can be done by the animal&#39;s handler, by only partially overlapping the complementary surfaces, or by the manufacturer, e.g., by providing fewer complementary fasteners, less aggressive hook fasteners, or bands of hook fasteners rather than a continuous array of hook fasteners. 
     In some implementations, the releasable closure  40  utilizes woven nylon hook and loop material measuring from ¾ to 3 inches in width, but preferably e.g. 2 inches in width. The poll band  32 , in some embodiments, is configured to match the width of the releasable closure  40 . The poll band  32 , in some embodiments, utilizes a flat, woven nylon material but can be leather or any other material that meets the necessary strength and aesthetic requirements. 
     OTHER EMBODIMENTS 
     A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
     For example, many different configurations of where the hook and loop fasteners are located on the closure device are possible so that similar results are achieved. 
     An alternate embodiment may feature a poll band that is removable/replaceable from the body of the halter by having the poll band be removable from the body of the halter on both sides of the horse&#39;s head. Removability can be accomplished, for example, by having a second sliding buckle or pair of rectangular rings at the other end of the poll band, or a sliding buckle or pair of rings and a second releasable closure similar to the releasable closure  40 . 
     Another embodiment may feature different types of rings to accommodate different types or sizes of materials. For example, the rings may be round, rectangular or box-shaped, D-shaped, or have any other desired configuration. 
     Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.