Patent Description:
Equestrian sports performance is based on the interaction of two beings: the horse and the rider. The horse rider communicates with the horse with the so-called "riding aids", which to the layperson could translate as horse riding "cues" for the horse. Such aids can be applied sonically (e.g. a gentle whistle to calm the horse down) or physically through the hands (e.g. pulling on the reins), legs (e.g. pressing the horse's belly with the rider's heel) or the weight (e.g. shifting the rider's weight to the inner side of a turn to encourage the horse to adopt a correct canter technique). However, correct application of the aids is very affected by the concept "independence of the seat", which in the field of equestrianism refers to an ability of the rider to independently control his or her own balance while applying the aforementioned aids. When a rider is in balance and does not need the legs or the hands to hold him or herself, it is easier for the horse to understand all the aids that it is receiving and furthermore, it is easier for it to find its own balance as well.

The Chinese horsemen already acknowledged the importance of balance two centuries before Christ. For more than <NUM> years, stirrups have evolved for warfare purposes, but it has not been until recently that they started to become oriented towards a more sportive equitation.

Modern stirrups focus on increasing grip, safety and comfort. The tendency is to increase the foot plate dimensions for increased base support, with cleats that enhance grip and a modified geometry of the piece that tends to favour rider ergonomics. Several safety mechanisms have also been implemented, that allow for the foot to rapidly dethatch from the stirrup in case of a fall or accident. Shock attenuation properties have also been implemented in some stirrups, especially those which are more jumping-oriented, for increased comfort of the rider and the horse.

It is undeniable that increasing grip, safety and comfort will ultimately lead to an increased performance. A more confident rider, that has a solid interface between him or her and the horse, and a pain-free riding will be able to ride in a more precise and assertive manner, and for longer.

It is the aim of this invention to develop a stirrup that allow these characteristics to be achieved, by means of a novel safety mechanism that allows rapid detachment of the foot from the stirrup in any direction in case of a fall, no matter which side of the horse the rider falls. Furthermore, the invention aims to improve rider's ergonomics, leading to a healthier and more individualise user experience.

Numerous stirrups have attempted to solve the issues related to safety, grip and comfort. To date, the most effective yet comfortable safety mechanism that has been implemented in equestrian stirrups is a flexible outer branch that opens in case of a fall, and many approaches to this idea have been commercialized.

Acavallo™ safety stirrups have embraced a safety mechanism that engages when the foot exerts medio-lateral forces, opening the outer branch by means of a pivoting arm connected to the upper end of the stirrup. The same system has been described in <CIT>. This mechanism is effective in most situations except when the foot exerts anterio-posterior force. A similar approach has been described in patent application <CIT>).

Such problem has been addressed by most stirrup brands (i.e., Amerigo™, Horka™, TechStirrups ™, BR ™ and TGstirrups ™) by placing the outer branch pivoting joint at the bottom, making it easier for the safety mechanism to engage under antero-posterior forces. However, it is not a truly effective solution to the problem. The device described in utility model <CIT> imbeds this solution and moreover, the footplate pivots together with the outer branch aiding the foot to find the way out in case of a fall. Ophena ™ stirrups have addressed this problem by eliminating the outer branch, but arguably this solution has decreased comfort.

Finally, a flexible outer branch is considered to be the safest and most comfortable solution for the design of safety stirrups and has been adopted by a few brands, the main representative being Freejump™ but also used by Equiline™, and Fouganza (Decathlon™). The device described in patent <CIT>, registered by Freejump™ has incorporated a flexible elastomer outer branch, that by shape is flexible in an omnidirectional fashion, allowing the foot to slide out in any type of fall, regardless of where the forces are applied from.

Samshield ™ has designed a stirrup, described in <CIT>, that incorporates a rigid outer branch that opens in omnidirectional ways by means of a swivel linkage at the top part of the stirrup, allowing for foot release wherever the forces come from, and FlexOn ™ has implemented a semi-flexible and detachable outer branch, aiming to achieve the benefits of the two systems. A similar system has been described in the patent <CIT>.

In all cases, an outer branch that allows for foot release will be of no benefit if the inner branch is not designed in a way that will guide the foot to the outside and avoid it from getting trapped by the inner branch. In this regard, only Freejump ™ has implemented a design that effectively guides the foot outwards towards the safety mechanism. This can be seen in <CIT> and <CIT>.

Grip is of paramount importance for both safety and comfort, allowing the rider to rest his or her foot without the worries of boot slip and ultimately focusing more on riding technique. The device in <CIT> includes a mechanism that holds the foot in place with a release function in case of a fall. Similar solutions have been developed in which the foot is secured to the stirrup, such as in patent application <CIT> in which the foot is secured by means of straps and in patent SE543472C2TM registered by Ophena™ where a magnetic insole is used to secure the foot onto the footplate. However, these solutions cannot be considered an improvement on grip properties of the footplate and might be considered comfortable for some riders but not for some others. Therefore, alternative solutions for the rider that seeks grip and the ability to freely move the foot is still needed.

Freejump ™ and FlexOn ™ have used footplates of wider and deeper-than-normal dimensions, with innovative use of cleats and spikes similar to the designs found on downhill mountain-biking flat pedals. Increased grip and comfort can be attained by the possibility of performing ergonomic adjustments in the stirrup, and shock attenuation capabilities can also enable a more constant contact between foot sole and footplate.

Ergonomic adjustments can be performed on Winderen ™ stirrups, which allow anterio-posterior tilt of the footplate but is limited to a <NUM>° positioning of the eye, where the stirrup leathers attach and requires external tools for it to be adjusted. Winderen ™ has also implemented shock absorption capabilities on the footplate, by the insertion of elastomer material between the plate and the skeleton of the stirrup. Such solution has been implemented by Freejump ™ and FlexOn ™. Winderen ™ however, has developed a novel shock absorption solution by footplate and the eye of the stirrup, for better foot clearance, and the upper shock absorbing mechanism is not adjustable to the rider's weight. A device described in <CIT> includes a shock absorbing mechanism at the top of the stirrup that dampens the shocks and eliminates the vibrations by means of a spring. The eye of the stirrup is rotatable but has no possibilities to be set on a locked position, making it difficult for a rider that has slipped the stirrup to relocate the foot in place.

The devices described in documents <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> allow for an adaptative anteroposterior tilt of the footplate while being ridden, however it lacks a system that allows the footplate to be locked on a desired tilt, impeding the ability to achieve a solid and stable support.

<CIT> discloses an equestrian stirrup comprising:.

Thus, this disclosure describes a stirrup comprising a footplate arranged to receive a sole of a shoe of the horse rider and a rotatable eye with an opening for connection with belts for installation of stirrups, but fails to disclose features of the present invention identified in the characterizing portion of the independent claim.

The present invention, as defined in independent claim <NUM>, is a horse-riding stirrup that comprises several adjustable components for the rider's comfort and safety and addresses the disadvantages of known solutions. The technical problem is solved as defined in the independent claim, while preferred embodiments are defined in dependent claims.

The essence of the stirrup according to the invention is in that the stirrup comprises:.

Preferably the locking mechanism comprises:.

External force applied to the flexible outer branch forces the ball to drop out of the circular hole in the axis into the channel and by that enables dismantling of the locking mechanism. The movement of the ball is affected by the spring - the softer it is, less force is needed to move or rotate the outer side branch, respectively. Thus, by using springs with different characteristics, the external force needed for dismantling of the locking mechanism can be adjusted.

The return to the original position is done manually by simply rotating the outer branch back to the upward vertical position, resulting in the ball pushed back into its socket.

The foot plate is connected to the first side branch with the axis via a spline coupling. Instead of spline other solutions, components or assemblies may be used. For example, a simple axis with a fixation pin/screw from the side. Spline coupling between the footplate and the bearing axis allows different tilted positions of the plate when placed on the axis.

The eye has an opening to receive straps for installation of stirrups, wherein said opening may be achieved and designed in any manner known to the person skilled in the art. The eye is connected to the upper part of the first side branch, which is provided with a central cavity arranged to receive a bolt provided with a spring surrounding said bolt.

Said bolt is fixed in the eye and is further vertically movable in said cavity depending on the state of the eye relative to the first side branch. When the eye is in contact with the first side branch, the bolt is at its lowermost position and the spring is relaxed. If due to a jump or other movement the foot plate is pressed and the eye is no longer in contact with the first side branch, the fixed mounting of the bolt in the eye pulls the bolt upwards and thus compresses the spring and creates a gap between the eye and the first side branch. Change between these two positions in regular during riding and damping is thus achieved. The spring installed in the cavity of the eye may be any suitable spring, preferably a coil (helical) spring. By using springs with different characteristics, the damping effect may be adjusted.

A plurality of circularly arranged holes is provided in the upper part of the first side branch, said holes being configured to receive two mounting pins, bolts or screws that define the position of the eye with regards to the first side branch. The eye is provided with two openings for affixing two mounting pins, bolts or screws.

The mounting pins, bolts or screws are movable in the openings made in the upper part of the first side branch depending on the relative positions of the eye and the first side branch.

The rotation of the eye with regards to the first side branch may be controlled with the mounting pins and plurality of holes in the upper part of the first side branch. Namely, unwinding the central bolt enables the eye to lift, then the mounting pins may be removed from holes and installed in a different pair of holes. Consequently, the construction with circumferentially arranged holes in the upper part of the first side branch allows <NUM>-degree rotation of the eye (in the vertical direction). In a possible embodiment, the eye can be fixated in <NUM>-degree increments, by positioning the mounting pins inside the dedicated holes of the upper part of the first side branch. Said mounting pins may be made from any suitable material, preferably steel.

The foot plate may be interchangeable and may be shaped in any suitable manner. The preferred foot plate, however, is selected in the group comprising:.

These shapes of foot plates allow personalized settings of foot, leg, and whole-body position. Different geometry of footplates thus allows individualized comfort and ergonomic parameters to fit riders with varying anatomical characteristics (namely: knee valgus, knee varus, and a diverse range of internal/external rotation of the leg).

The first, inner side branch, and the bearing axis or shaft are made from aluminium alloy or a material with similar mechanical properties, such as plastic, polymer composite, carbon fibre, etc. The second, outer side branch may be made from any suitable flexible material. The side branches may have any suitable shape, and can be either full or with cut-outs, said cut-out preferably following the shape of side branches.

When the stirrup according to the invention is in use, the horse rider places a foot on the foot plate and further moves it forward. Upon applying pressure to the foot plate or during jumps, up-down movement during riding the damping eye allows damping of impacts due to horse gaits, jumps and other movements.

The stirrup according to the invention enables the rider to adjust the settings according to his/her needs and contributes to safety of riders, particularly younger riders that are more prone to falls, as the foot can be safely, quickly and without injuries removed from the stirrup.

The invention will be further described in the continuation based on exemplary embodiments and figures, which show:.

<FIG> shows a rider sitting in a saddle mounted on a horse (partially shown). The leg of the rider is placed in the stirrup according to a possible embodiment, wherein said stirrup comprises:.

<FIG> depict the rider in two possible positions, wherein <FIG> relates to a situation before placing the foot on the foot plate of the stirrup and <FIG> is a situation in case of a fall. In such cases the foot is displaced from the stirrup and the flexible outer side branch allows safe and fast removal of the leg from the stirrup. As shown, the forces exerted by the foot on the outer side branch cause the latter to bend due to flexibility of the material and lack of connection to the eye as well as rotation of the outer side branch due to the movable mounting and/or connection to the foot plate and consequently to the inner side branch.

<FIG> shows a possible example, not according to the claimed invention, of the eye, wherein:.

When the eye is in contact with the first side branch (upper left part of the figure) the bolt or the screw <NUM> is at its lowermost position and the spring <NUM> is relaxed. If due to a jump or other movement the foot plate is pressed and the eye <NUM> is no longer in contact with the first side branch <NUM>, the fixed mounting of the bolt or the screw <NUM> in the eye pulls the bolt or the screw <NUM> upwards and thus compresses the spring. A gap is created as shown in the upper right part of the figure. Change between these two positions in regular during riding and damping is thus achieved. The damping effect may be affected by the size of the bolt or the screw <NUM> (the longer the bolt/screw, the larger the possible gap between the side branch and the eye <NUM>), by the spring (size, force).

In addition, unwinding the bolt <NUM> from the central lower part of the subassembly, enables the eye to lift, remove the pins from contact with matching pin holes <NUM> and consequently allows <NUM>-degree rotation of the eye (in the vertical direction). The assembly can be fixated in <NUM>-degree increments, by positioning the steel pins inside the dedicated holes of the lower part of the subassembly. Mentioned mounting pins, bolts, screws or similar elements <NUM> may be moved to different openings <NUM> of the upper part of the side branch in order to adjust the rotatability of the eye <NUM>. This adjustment is achieved with an allen key that disengages contacts and allows re-placement of the mounting pins <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the flexible second, outer side branch <NUM>, which can be deformed in any direction (indicated by dashed lines in the left part of the figure) and can be moved due to flexible mounting on the foot plate <NUM>.

<FIG> depicts the connections between both side branches <NUM>, <NUM> and the foot plate <NUM>. Namely, the foot plate <NUM> is connected to the first side branch <NUM> with the axis <NUM> via spline coupling. Instead of spline other solutions, components or assemblies may be used. For example, a simple axis with a fixation pin/screw from the side. The axis <NUM> is preferably centrally installed in the foot plate and in the bottom part of the inner side branch <NUM>. On the other end of the axis a locking mechanism is provided for locking the axis in place. The locking mechanism comprises:.

External force applied to the flexible outer branch forces the ball to leave the circular hole in the axis and move into the channel, which consequently enables movement of the side branch as well as dismantling of the locking mechanism. The force needed for this depends on the spring <NUM>. Because of the posterior rotational torque applied to the outer side branch during either:.

By using springs <NUM> with different characteristics, the external force needed for dismantling of the locking mechanism can be adjusted. When the locking mechanism is rotated <NUM> degrees the insert matches the groove on the axis <NUM> and the locking mechanism can be completely removed. Removing the locking mechanism enables the footplate to be removed and replaced by a footplate with different geometry as shown in <FIG>.

Spline coupling between the footplate and the bearing axis allows different tilted positions of the plate when placed on the axis. <FIG> shows tilting of the foot plate <NUM>, wherein due to the mounting in axis <NUM> the foot plate <NUM> may be tilted towards the rider or away from him/her, depending on the position of the foot, leg, body of the rider and/or the horse.

<FIG> depicts various options for the foot plate <NUM> installed between the two side branches <NUM> and <NUM> with the axis <NUM>. Said foot plates <NUM> may be interchangeable and selected in the group comprising:.

Claim 1:
A stirrup for equestrian sports comprising:
- a footplate (<NUM>) arranged to receive a sole of a shoe of the horse rider,
- an adjustable eye (<NUM>) provided with
∘ an opening for connection with belts for installation of stirrups,
characterized in that
the adjustable eye (<NUM>) is further provided with
∘ two or more mounting pins, bolts or screws (<NUM>) engaging with two or more of a plurality of holes (<NUM>) in a first side branch (<NUM>), said mounting pins, bolts or screws (<NUM>) enabling setting of rotation of the eye (<NUM>) relative to the first side branch (<NUM>),
∘ an inner cavity inside which a bolt (<NUM>) and a first spring (<NUM>) are installed for connection to the first side branch (<NUM>), said bolt (<NUM>) and said first spring (<NUM>) ensuring adjustable distance between the eye (<NUM>) and the first side branch (<NUM>) in order to provide damping/attenuation of movement,
- the first side branch (<NUM>), wherein the first side branch is in its upper part connected to the rotatable eye (<NUM>) and in its bottom part connected via a shaft or axis (<NUM>) to the foot plate (<NUM>), wherein the upper part of the first side branch (<NUM>) is provided with the plurality of circularly arranged holes (<NUM>) configured to receive two mounting pins, bolts or screws (<NUM>) that define the position of the eye (<NUM>) relative to the first side branch (<NUM>),
- a second, outer side branch (<NUM>) having a bottom part connected to the foot plate (<NUM>) via the shaft or axis (<NUM>), and the upper part of the second branch (<NUM>) ends freely without connection to the eye (<NUM>) or the first branch (<NUM>), wherein the second branch (<NUM>) is made from a flexible material and wherein the connection with the foot plate (<NUM>) is rotatable due to said shaft or axis and a locking mechanism configured to unlock in case of the sagital-plane, i.e. axis rotation torque applied to the second side branch (<NUM>).