Patent ID: 7195076

Claim:
A hoof trimming stall comprising: a frame having a rear portion through which a four-legged hoofed animal may enter the stall and a front portion through which the animal may exit the stall; a front gate on the front portion of frame, the front gate having two pivotally mounted spaced-apart doors for swinging inwardly into the stall and outwardly away from the stall, the doors movable between a catching position in which the doors point inwardly for receiving a head and neck of the animal entering the stall in a gap between the spaced-apart doors, a closed position for holding the animal in the stall with the neck of the animal caught in the gap between the doors, and an open position in which the doors point outwardly for permitting the animal to exit the stall; a door lock/release mechanism having a slider arm movable forward and backward with respect to the frame, actuating means connected to the frame for moving the slider arm forward and backward, a rear catcher mounted on the slider arm for preventing the doors from moving from the closed position to the catching position, a front catcher mounted on the slider arm for preventing the doors from being opened by the animal when the doors are in the closed position, and a release mechanism for permitting the doors to move from the open position to the catching position; and, an automatic reset mechanism for automatically resetting the doors and door/lock release mechanism, the reset mechanism having a sensor for signaling the actuating means to move the slider arm backwards when the doors are in the open position to thereby reset the door lock/release mechanism, and a biasing means connected to the doors and the frame for biasing the doors from the open position to the catching position to thereby reset the doors.