Equine Exercise Boot With Pulsing Bladder For Hoof Circulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Horses, especially those post-surgically or during extended transport, face challenges in achieving adequate hoof and leg exercise due to the lack of natural walking, which is essential for blood circulation and recovery, often requiring excessive medication and prolonged recovery times.
Innovation Solution
A portable equine boot assembly with a pressure pulsing mechanism that simulates the natural mechanical action of walking by using a flexible boot with an elastomeric pad and a fluid-filled bladder that expands and contracts to mimic the compression and release of the hoof, providing cyclical pressure to the hoof's frog and sole.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If horses are walked frequently for exercise and recovery, then blood circulation and healing are improved, but time consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a portable boot assembly that copies the natural mechanical action of walking on the hoof. The pulsing means replicates the compression and release cycle that occurs during natural walking, providing the same physiological benefits (blood circulation, frog compression) without requiring actual movement or transport of the horse.
2Productivity
If horses are transported long distances, then performance horses can reach competitions, but natural circulation of blood to extremities is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The boot assembly is designed to be self-contained and portable, carrying its own power source and control systems. It provides the circulatory benefits autonomously during transport without requiring external equipment, facilities, or intervention, making it suitable for use in various transport and stall environments.
3Loss of time
If excessive medication is used to accelerate recovery, then recovery time is reduced, but harmful effects and side effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical intervention (medication) with a mechanical system. The boot assembly uses mechanical pulsing action to stimulate blood circulation and promote recovery, substituting the chemical approach with a physical mechanism that achieves the same therapeutic goal without the harmful side effects of excessive medication.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for effective simulation of walking or other natural gaits, promoting blood circulation and reducing the need for excessive medication, while being portable and convenient for use in various settings, including stalls and transport.
Implementation Method 1
Walking causes natural compression and release of the sole of the equine hoof. As the hoof strikes the ground, the walls of the hoof expand slightly to allow the frog of the hoof to be compressed.
Implementation Method 2
an elastomeric bottom section into which the upper section is disposed
Data Source
AI summary
A boot assembly and method that simulates, in a static equine animal (stalled or hauled), the natural mechanical action of walking or other gaited exercise. The assembly has a boot, containing a shock absorbing pad that is fitted with a separate pulsing bladder disposed on, under or inside the shock absorbing pad. Pressuring and relaxing the pulsing bladder in the bottom of the boot rhythmically pushes against the sole and frog of the equine hoof in much the same way that the hoof is exercised when the animal is moving. The pulsing action helps stimulate blood flow through the hoof and is beneficial to shod, injured, and transported horses. The assembly may be fitted on one or more hooves, and may be automated to provide timing and sequencing to simulate different gaits of the animal.