The present invention relates to a horseback riding saddle.

Horseback riding saddles normally consist of a core, saddle tree or supporting frame made of plastic, composite material, wood, or tempered steel, which is intended to support the rider and extends from the gullet at the front to the cantle in the rear part.

The frame and the parts associated therewith are covered with a covering, shaped so as to form the so-called seat.

Typically, in addition to the seat, saddles are provided with cushions and so-called flaps, which often have a padding designed to support the knee of the rider.

A frame for a horseback riding saddle is known from EP3733591 in which the frame structure in the region comprised between the contact region of the ischial bones and the cantle has an axis of oscillation that is transverse to the longitudinal direction starting from a zero position preset by an abutment.

DE10306226 and US3888070A also describe a frame for a saddle with flexible parts constituted by steel hinges or strips.

A frame with a flexible structure allows traditional saddles to be used even with shorter horses, improving the mobility of the horses. Moreover, it reduces possible orthopedic problems in horses by reducing the risk of dangerous and defensive reactions, such as bucking.

However, the embodiments provided in EP3733591 and US3888070A are fully implementable only if the frame of the horseback riding saddle is horizontally planar and is extended orthogonally to the back of the horse.

In fact, the use of "splints" provided in EP3733591 means that in a curved frame these are forced to enter and exit from of the frame, leading to excessive wear of the adjacent parts.

Furthermore, if applied to a curved frame, the steel strips provided in DE10306226 and US3888070A are stressed differently along the width of the strip, in practice preventing the bending movement of the saddle.

Furthermore, in EP3733591, in order to limit the bending of the saddle, a limit stop is added. This limit stop produces a noise that can irritate the horse. The aim of the present invention is to provide a horseback riding saddle that is capable of improving the background art in one or more of the aspects mentioned above.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a horseback riding saddle that allows an oscillation about a horizontal axis of the rear part of the frame with respect to the front part if the frame has a curved shape in the pivoting region as well.

Not least object of the invention is to provide a horseback riding saddle that is highly reliable, relatively easy to provide and at competitive costs. This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a horseback riding saddle according to claim 1, optionally provided with one or more of the characteristics of the dependent claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the horseback riding saddle according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a frame of a saddle according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the frame of figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged-scale perspective view of a portion of the frame of Figure 1;

Figures 4 to 7 are schematic top views of other embodiments of the frame of a saddle according to the invention. With reference to the figures, the horseback riding saddle according to the invention comprises a supporting frame, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, which is associated with at least one covering body designed to form a sitting portion for the user.

The supporting frame 1 has a front region 2, which comprises the gullet, and a rear region 3, which comprises at least one cantle.

The frame 1 has a curvature which forms a concavity which during use is directed towards the back of the horse.

In particular, the concavity extends symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of extension 100 of the supporting frame 1.

According to the present invention, the supporting frame 1 is provided with means 4 for connection between the front region 2 and the rear region 3, which are adapted to allow a rotation about an oscillation axis, designated by the reference numeral 101, which in use is substantially horizontal, of the rear region 3 with respect to the front region 2.

Conveniently, the concavity of the supporting frame 1 which during use is directed towards the back of the horse is extended at least up to the connection region between the front region 2 and the rear region 3.

The connection means 4 comprise hinge means connecting respective portions of the front region 2 and of the rear region 3.

The expression “hinge means” refers to kinematic connection means, which are adapted to allow a relative rotation movement, at least about one axis, between the respective positions interconnected by virtue of the hinge means.

The hinge means comprise exclusively two connecting elements 20: a first connecting element 20a, which connects a first front connecting portion 2a formed on the front portion 2 and a first rear connecting portion 3a formed on the rear portion 3, and a second connecting element 20b, which connects a second front connecting portion 2b formed on the front portion 2 and a second rear connecting portion 3b formed on the rear portion 3. In particular, the first connecting element 20a and the second connecting element 20b act at action regions which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of extension 100.

Furthermore, the oscillation axis 101 passes through the two connecting elements 20.

The connecting elements 20, and more generally the hinge means, can comprise elements of the mechanic type, but also elastic elements, both metallic and made of different materials such as polymers or elastomers, or flexible connection portions.

Preferably, the first and second front connecting portions 2a, 2b are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of extension 100, and so are the first and second rear connecting portions 3a, 3b.

Conveniently, the connection means 4 are arranged at the region of the seat of the horseback riding saddle.

Advantageously, the oscillation axis 101 is arranged, when in use, at a lower level than the top portion of the frame 1.

Conveniently, the connection means comprise a gap 32 arranged between the respective ends of the front portion 2 and of the rear portion 3 which are arranged so as to face each other.

At at least one portion of the gap 32 there is an elastic membrane 40 adapted to allow the mutual spacing and/or approach between respective facing portions of the front portion 2 and of the rear portion 3.

With reference to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 and to the one shown schematically in Figure 7, the gap 32 has, proximate to the longitudinal axis 100, a U-shaped contour 33 which is shaped complementarily with respect to a tab 34 that is integral with the front portion 2.

Conveniently, the U-shaped contour can be omitted, creating an overlap region between the tab 34 that lies below the rear portion 3.

With reference to the embodiments shown from Figure 4 to Figure 7, the elastic membrane 40 extends along the entire extension of the gap 32.

The gap 32 may have an extension that is substantially parallel to the oscillation axis, but may in particular be extended in a rectilinear manner (as shown in Figures 4 and 5), or in a sawtooth manner (as in Figure 6), or with straight portions and U-shaped portions (as shown in Figure 7).

All the embodiments provide, however, for the presence of only two hinge elements 20a, 20b which allow the oscillation of the rear portion 3 with respect to the front portion 2 without stressing said hinge elements 20 excessively.

The membrane, where provided, allows to manage the relative oscillation between the rear portion 3 and the front portion 2 by virtue of the fact that in some regions the membrane will extend while in other regions will compress as a consequence of the relative movement.

The elastic membrane can be replaced, for example in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, by one or more inserts made of materials with elastic behavior, for example rubber, capable of contrasting the rotation of the rear portion 3 with respect to the front portion 2 about the oscillation axis 101 between the raised position and the lowered position.

Preferably, the first and second connecting elements 20a, 20b are arranged so as to be spaced from the top portion of the frame 1 in a transverse direction: in this manner, the oscillation axis 101, which as explained passes through the connecting elements, is arranged so as to be spaced downward with respect to the top of the frame 1.

In particular, as shown, the first and second connecting elements 20a, 20b are arranged substantially halfway along the extension, in a transverse direction, of the frame 1.

According to a preferred embodiment, shown in Figures 1 to 3, the first and second connecting elements 20a, 20b comprise respective hinges which are configured to allow rotation about at least two rotation axes: said hinges can for example comprise a respective spherical joint or a respective universal joint 30.

Preferably, the at least two rotation axes are substantially at right angles to each other.

With reference to the embodiment shown in the figures, the hinges with spherical joint or universal joint 30 comprise, respectively, a joint body which is integral with one between the front connecting portion 2a, 2b and the rear connecting portion 3a, 3b and an articulated head which can rotate about an axis that is parallel to the joint body and can be engaged in a pivot which is extended along a respective axis 102 and is supported by the other between the front connecting portion 2a, 2b and the rear connecting portion 3a, 3b.

As an alternative, as shown in Figures 4 to 7, the connecting elements 20a, 20b comprise respective laminas with an elastic behavior, which can be arranged in a position similar to the hinges with spherical or universal joint 30, or crossed, as shown in Figure 5.

The use of the horseback riding saddle according to the invention is as follows.

The frame 1 has elastic contrast means adapted to maintain the rear portion 3 in a raised position (as shown in Figure 3).

Such elastic contrast means, as explained previously, can be constituted by portions of elastic membranes or by elastic inserts.

The rider, loading the rear portion of the saddle with his own weight, produces an oscillation of the rear portion 3 of the frame about the oscillation axis 101.

In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, providing an articulated horseback riding saddle having a frame that is concave at the seat as well.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the accompanying claims: all the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102021000013055, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.