WEEKLY PLANNER FOR HORSES

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (2) for monitoring the distribution of rations (1) for a horse, comprising a vertically extending support plate (3) provided on its rear face (31) with removable fastening means (5); at least seven transparent, resealable containers (7), each of said at least seven containers (7) being intended to internally contain one of said rations (1); at least one shelf (8), (preferably two superimposed shelves (8)), projecting from the front face (30) of said support plate (3), said at least one shelf (8) being provided with at least seven removable slots (9) for receiving each of said at least seven containers (7) in a predetermined order. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: WEEKLY HORSE CASE Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention falls within the agricultural field of livestock and more particularly within the equestrian field.

[0002] The invention specifically aims at monitoring food and nutrition, managing the delivery of medical or paramedical treatments to horses.

[0003] The role of good nutrition and good treatment is essential in the care of a given horse, because they must provide in particular the elements necessary for its physiological needs, enable it to prevent the appearance of possible diseases and make it more capable of exertion.

[0004] A horse's needs are different at each stage of its life, whether it is a foal, an adult or a retired horse, and depending on its activity.

[0005] Such monitoring involves the delivery of a ration of product, for example a medication or a food supplement, with regular monitoring, most often daily, or even several times a day. In addition, each ration can be different, depending on many parameters, such as the horse's expected activity, its pathology, its age and growth, etc.

[0006] In the case of a sport horse (racing or equestrian competition) whose body is particularly stressed, it is necessary to provide, as for human athletes, a tailor-made intake of vitamins and trace elements, for example, whether occasionally, as part of treatments, or on a daily basis. Indeed, for sport horses, the intake of nutrients cannot be provided solely by food, and must be supplemented by a supply of food supplements.

[0007] Food supplements will help improve the horse's sporting performance. Some will help with recovery after a major effort. Other supplements enriched with B vitamins, particularly B12, will provide energy before a competition, a major effort or continuously over a period of the season, by acting on the horse's energy metabolism. There are also supplements enriched with antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium which will help support the muscles during intense effort by acting on oxidizing molecules, i.e. free radicals, which are produced by the body due to an acceleration of energy metabolism, and which in excess are harmful to the body.

[0008] Currently, monitoring the feeding, nutrition and treatment of a horse is carried out by several different people, such as a groom, a rider, an equine caretaker, or any person present on site at the time of the day of the week to deliver the ration planned at that given time.

[0009] With these multiple stakeholders, it is easy to understand the difficulty of respecting the regularity of the delivery of a determined ration, forgetfulness being very frequent, and a double intake can also be detrimental to the animal.

[0010] Indeed, incorrect dosages of food supplements or medicinal treatments taken by the horse can lead to numerous harmful consequences for the latter, a deficit or an excess can both prove harmful. For example, inconsiderate iron intake contributes to accelerating the “wear and tear” of vitamin E, essential for the integrity of muscle cells; the assimilation of zinc and copper is then disrupted, which has the effect of hindering bone production and that of hemoglobin. At high doses of iron, muscular lesions can appear with hepatic degeneration, the horse having no means of eliminating the excess iron. Excesses of vitamin K are also very dangerous for the kidneys. State of the art

[0011] In some stables, a barrel or large pot of food supplements is left on the ground so that the grooms can distribute the ration it contains during the horses' meals. The dosage is then indicated on the pot. However, one cannot be certain that the said food supplement has been regularly distributed, unless one checks at each meal that each pot is empty.

[0012] Another precarious solution consists of preparing each of the rations in advance, for example weekly, then planning a schedule to deliver each ration to each horse at the determined time. While such a planned procedure remains easy for monitoring one or two horses, it becomes all the more complex when the number of animals to be supervised is large, as is the case within an equestrian center or within a breeding farm. Indeed, in addition to preparing each ration specific to each horse, it is necessary to carry out traceability of the rations once prepared for each animal, inducing storage during the days before they are delivered.

[0013] For this purpose, a Waldhausen® weekly pillbox or pillbox system for horses is known, which can be attached via a removable fixing system to the grids of a box door to ensure the distribution of food supplements by means of seven pots made of opaque material and designed to be resealable.

[0014] However, this weekly pill box has many disadvantages. Although it can be positioned on a specific box, it is not nominative and customizable and therefore cannot be assigned to a specific horse, which must receive specific rations and treatment, without the risk of confusion and error, particularly in the event that this horse changes boxes. This pill box system also does not allow easy transport of the pots and good monitoring of the food supplements / treatment to be given to a horse determined when traveling for a competition, training courses, vacations, etc. In addition, this weekly system does not appear to be sufficiently stable, the pots risking falling following a simple closing of the door where the pillbox is attached, which could lead to a risk of confusion and error in the rations determined to be given to the horse.

[0015] This results in complex monitoring, inevitably leading to errors or omissions, or even inversions in the rations distributed. Statement of the invention

[0016] The invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art by proposing a device for monitoring the distribution of rations for a horse over at least one week, making it possible to prepare in advance and store the rations specific to each horse, in a determined order depending on the time at which each of said rations is to be delivered. In addition, such a device makes it possible to visually check, for any operator, that each ration has been delivered, limiting the risk of forgetting. This also saves time and money for the stable owners by avoiding the risk of error and the consequences that they can cause.

[0017] To do this, the tracking device is in the form of a support allowing to receive all of a horse's rations, for a weekly period. In addition, such a support is intended to be brought as close as possible to the horse, such as on the walls or the grids of the box or even of the enclosure of said horse.

[0018] The said device is also practical when traveling, since the owner moves everything at the same time, i.e. the ration sheet and the food supplements, which allows for proper monitoring without any risk of forgetting or making a mistake.

[0019] For this purpose, the device for monitoring the distribution of rations for a horse comprises - a support plate extending vertically and provided on the rear face with removable fixing means; - at least seven pots made of transparent material and designed to be resealable, each of said at least seven pots being intended to internally contain one of said rations; - at least one shelf mounted protruding from the front face of said support plate, said at least one shelf being provided with at least seven housings for removably receiving each of said at least seven pots in a determined order.

[0020] According to additional, non-limiting characteristics, such a tracking device may comprise at least two shelves mounted projecting on the front face of said support plate, said at least seven housings being distributed between said at least two shelves; said at least two shelves being superimposed at a distance at allowing the insertion and extraction of pots into and out of the housings of the shelf located lower than the shelf above.

[0021] According to one embodiment, each of said housings is in the form of an orifice provided passing through said at least one shelf; while each of said pots comprises an external diameter greater than an internal diameter of said orifice, preferably in the form of a peripheral wall forming a stop in the upper part of said corresponding pot.

[0022] According to one embodiment, said at least one shelf is mounted orthogonally relative to said front face of the support plate.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the front face of said support plate comprises at least one display surface located above said at least one shelf.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the tracking device comprises on the rear face, at least one pocket for receiving at least one sheet or card.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the tracking device comprises means for hanging at least one object, said hanging means being attached to the front face of said support plate. Presentation of the drawings

[0026] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows of the non-limiting embodiments of the invention, with reference to the appended figures, in which:

[0027] [Fig. 1] schematically represents a three-quarter front perspective view of an embodiment of the tracking device, provided with two shelves with four housings each, said housings being able to receive at least seven ration pots;

[0028] [Fig.2] schematically represents a view along a vertical median section of a shelf, showing two embodiments of the orifices of the housings and the pots introduced therein;

[0029] [Fig.3] schematically represents a three-quarter rear perspective view of an embodiment of the tracking device, showing in particular removable fixing means in the form of two hooks; and

[0030] [Fig.4] schematically represents a view along a vertical section of an embodiment of the tracking device, when it is fixed to an external wall, such as a horse box grid. Detailed description

[0031] The present invention relates to monitoring the distribution of rations 1 for a horse, in particular rations 1 of food supplements for a sport horse, namely for racing or competition riding.

[0032] To do this, the invention relates to a device 2 for monitoring the distribution of rations 1 for a horse, hereinafter “monitoring device 2”.

[0033] Such a tracking device 2 comprises a support plate 3.

[0034] This plate 3 extends vertically or substantially vertically. It has a front face 30 and a rear face 31, as well as lateral edges 32.

[0035] Said support plate 3 can be of any geometric shape, polygonal or rounded, preferably with rectangular faces 30, 31.

[0036] This support plate 3 can be made of any type of material, preferably based on wood fibers, such as natural wood, melamine, chipboard (OSB for “Oriented Strand Board”, MDF for “Medium Density Fiberboard” or HDF for “High Density fiberboard”).

[0037] This plate 3 therefore serves as a support for the other components of the tracking device 2, as well as for external elements, attached in a removable manner.

[0038] In this respect, according to one embodiment, the tracking device 2 comprises means 4 for hanging at least one object, such as for example an accessory or a tool. Said object is equipped with a member making it possible to cooperate with the hanging means 4, by a ring or a strap. These may be keys, a hoof pick, a riding crop, etc.

[0039] In addition, said attachment means 4 are attached in a fixed manner to the front face 30 of said support plate 3. In other words, one or more attachment means 4 may be attached to the front of the support plate 3 of the tracking device 2.

[0040] In addition, the attachment means 4 extend projecting relative to said support plate 3, namely in a direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the plane containing said support plate 3.

[0041] Such an arrangement of the attachment means 4 makes it possible to limit the risks of the horse coming into contact by rubbing itself, or even injuring itself or causing the objects to fall. It also limits the oscillation of the attached objects, as well as reducing the hanging space.

[0042] The attachment means 4 may comprise one or more small hooks 40, in particular of rounded shape, with the opening facing the top of the support plate 3, as visible in the examples of figures 1.

[0043] Further forward, said rear face 31 is provided with removable fixing means 5. These means 5 make it possible to attach the tracking device 2 to a wall, such as for example a grid 6.

[0044] According to one embodiment, as visible in Figures 3 and 4, said removable fixing means 5 comprise hooks 50, fixed in the upper part of the rear face 31 of said support plate 3. The hooks 50 therefore extend projecting towards the rear, with a lower opening, allowing them to be hooked while resting on a horizontal surface of said wall, such as its edge, in particular on a horizontal bar 60 of said grid 6.

[0045] The hooks 50 can have any shape, with dimensions complementary to the thickness of the wall on which the tracking device 2 is attached for fixing.

[0046] Thus attached, the tracking device 2 rests and is held by its weight, under the simple effect of gravity. In addition, it can be removed easily, simply by lifting it.

[0047] In order to improve the fixing, the fixing means 5 may comprise fasteners 51, in particular in the form of ties, to be knotted, clipped or the like, preferably around a vertical bar 61 of the grid 6.

[0048] [Fig.4] shows an example of hooks 50 and the removably fixing of the tracking device 2 on a grid 6.

[0049] Thus, the tracking device 2 can be quickly attached and detached, allowing it to be taken with the horse during competitions or trips, while keeping the rations 1 allocated to it with the animal.

[0050] In this respect, the monitoring device 2 comprises at least seven pots 7. These pots 7 are used to internally receive a ration 1 of a quantity of product, such as one or more dietary supplements or one or more medications. Thus, seven pots 7 make it possible to receive the rations 1 to be delivered over a period of one week.

[0051] Each pot 7 has a bottom with at least one peripheral wall extending upwardly in a projecting manner, delimiting an opening at the top, for filling and emptying its contents.

[0052] Each pot 7 is designed to be resealable and has a lid 70, attached in a removable manner at the top, covering said opening. In addition, the lid 70 can close the opening in a fluid-tight manner, in particular airtight.

[0053] Each pot 7 can have any shape, preferably cylindrical or truncated, with a circular or ovoidal section.

[0054] Each pot 7 can be made of any type of material, in particular plastic-based, preferably a food-grade plastic-based material.

[0055] In addition, each pot 7 is provided to be transparent, in order to allow a person to see whether it contains a ration 1 or whether it is empty, without having to open it, ensuring a rapid visual check of the delivery of the corresponding ration 1 according to the date of the day.

[0056] Furthermore, each pot 7 can be graduated, in order to facilitate the quantification of the ration 1 when filling it.

[0057] It will be noted that on each pot 7, on the cover 70 or on the peripheral wall, information can be reported, directly written or by labeling, such as a day of the week, or even such as the identification of the horse, such as its name.

[0058] Further forward, the tracking device 2 comprises at least one shelf 8 mounted protruding from the front face 30 of said support plate 3.

[0059] According to one embodiment, each shelf 8 extends orthogonally or substantially orthogonally relative to the front face 30 of said support plate 3, namely horizontally or substantially horizontally when it is attached to a wall.

[0060] According to another embodiment, each shelf 8 can be slightly inclined downwards, moving away from the front face 30, facilitating the gripping of the pots 7, as well as the readability of the information written on each of them.

[0061] Each shelf 8 can be made of any type of metallic, plastic or composite material, preferably wood-based, preferably the same material as the support plate 3.

[0062] Thus, each shelf 8 forms a tablet on the front face 30 of the support plate 3.

[0063] In addition, said at least one shelf 8 is provided with at least seven housings 9 for removably receiving each of said at least seven pots 7.

[0064] In particular, it is possible to introduce the pots 7 in a determined order, in particular according to the daily information affixed to each of said pots 7, and / or reported on the support plate 3, from left to right, or vice versa.

[0065] Furthermore, each of said housings 9 has a complementary shape and dimensions to allow the insertion and maintenance of each of the pots 7.

[0066] According to one embodiment, each housing 9 has a hollow formed within each shelf 8, of the shape and dimensions of the bottom of each pot 7.

[0067] Preferably, each of said housings 9 is in the form of an orifice provided passing through said at least one shelf 8.

[0068] In addition, each of said pots 7 comprises external dimensions, in particular an external diameter, greater than an internal diameter of said orifice, preferably in the form of a peripheral wall forming a stop 71 in the upper part of said corresponding pot 7.

[0069] According to the two embodiments shown in [Fig.2], said stop 71 may be in the form of a peripheral ring or bead, or simply due to the truncated cone shape of the pot 7, i.e. the external diameter in the upper part of each pot 7 being greater than the internal diameter of said orifice of the housing 9. In addition, the orifice of the housing 9 may be straight or have inclined internal edges. Thus, each pot 7 rests within the housing 9, due to its weight and under the simple effect of gravity, limiting any other cumbersome means of support, in particular from below.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the tracking device 2 comprises at least two shelves 8 mounted projecting on the front face 30 of said support plate 3. Therefore, said at least seven housings 9 are distributed between said at least two shelves 8. Preferably, the seven or more housings 9 are distributed as evenly as possible, namely three housings 9 on one shelf and four on the other.

[0071] Furthermore, at the level of each housing 9, in particular in visual alignment when a person is positioned in front of the tracking device 2, a day of the week can be written, in particular on the edge of the corresponding shelf 8.

[0072] According to the embodiment shown in [Fig.l], the tracking device 2 comprises eight housings 9, distributed equally over the two shelves 8. In addition, the last and eighth pot 7 can contain related elements, such as pens or felt-tip pens, keys, etc.

[0073] Further forward, said at least two shelves 8 are superimposed at a distance allowing the insertion and extraction of the pots 7 to and from the housings 9 of the shelf 8 located lower than the shelf 8 located above. In other words, the vertical space between the shelves 8 allows the pots 7 to be easily handled.

[0074] As mentioned previously, the support plate 3 can serve as a support for different components, which can be combined or not.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the front face 30 of said support plate 3 comprises at least one display surface 10 located above said at least one shelf 8.

[0076] Such a display surface 10 may be of any shape and made of any type of material, such as slate-based, allowing writing with chalk or using a dedicated pen or felt-tip pen (offering better resistance to friction and requiring moistening for erasing). This display surface 10 may also include a pocket or a labeling surface.

[0077] According to another embodiment, the display surface 10 may be in the form of a digital screen comprising a memory chip in which all the information concerning the horse corresponding to the tracking device 2 will be stored.

[0078] Thus, it is possible to report various and varied information, such as the identification of the horse, its ration monitoring 1, or any other message.

[0079] According to one embodiment, on the rear face 31, at least one pocket 11 for receiving at least one sheet or card. Such a pocket 11 may be provided to be airtight, in particular made of plasticized material. Said pocket 11 makes it possible to receive important information relating to the horse, such as an identity card or the contact details of the owner or to be contacted in the event of an emergency.

[0080] Thus, the tracking device 2 makes it possible to receive and order the ration 1 to be distributed to a horse, in a simple and efficient manner. It offers peace of mind through the visual control of the distribution of each ration 1, daily or several times a day. In addition, the rations 1 can be prepared in advance, by a person in charge, limiting the risks of error or incorrect dosage, but also optimizing the time dedicated to preparation then carried out upstream and not on site, as well as the time of the people responsible for distribution to each horse.

Claims

Claims

1. Device (2) for monitoring the distribution of rations (1) for a horse, characterized in that it comprises - a support plate (3) extending vertically and provided on the rear face (31) with removable fixing means (5); - at least seven pots (7) made of transparent material and intended to be resealable, each of said at least seven pots (7) being intended to internally contain one of said rations (1); - at least one shelf (8) mounted projecting on the front face (30) of said support plate (3), said at least one shelf (8) being provided with at least seven housings (9) for removably receiving each of said at least seven pots (7) in a determined order.

2. Tracking device (2) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises - at least two shelves (8) mounted projecting in front (30) of said support plate (3), said at least seven housings (9) being distributed between said at least two shelves (8); - said at least two shelves (8) being superimposed at a distance allowing the insertion and extraction of the pots (7) towards and from the housings (9) of the shelf (8) located lower than the shelf (8) located above.

3. Tracking device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - each of said housings (9) is in the form of an orifice provided passing through said at least one shelf (8); - each of said pots (7) comprising an external diameter greater than an internal diameter of said orifice, preferably in the form of a peripheral wall forming a stop (71) in the upper part of said corresponding pot (7).

4. Tracking device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - said at least one shelf (8) is mounted orthogonally relative to said front face (30) of the support plate (3).

5. Tracking device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the front face (30) of said support plate (3) comprises at least one display surface (10) located above said at least one shelf (8).

6. Tracking device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises - on the rear face (31), at least one pocket (11) for receiving at least one sheet or card.

7. Tracking device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises - means (4) for hanging at least one object, said hanging means (4) being attached in fixing to the front face (30) of said support plate (3).

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