Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
113C~7Z8
The invention relates to a powered polo pony for
playiny an imitation form of normal polo with a power
drive so that it is not necessary for polo ponies to be
used.
As is part of yeneral knowled~e,since the start of
polo all players make use of specially trained ponies
which are generally high in price.
As time went by it l~as turned out that in this res-
pect there are shortcomin-Js, that is to say:-
(a) polo players are not in the position of traininy
for a complete year at tl~e time and normally trainin~
is onlv possible for ~ months in eacl- ycar and for
playing the yame itsel~;
(b) every polo player is de~enclent on the conclition of
the min~ and body of the pony and the degree to which
the pony is ready to take part in polo;
(c) a true polo player has a need for at least three
ponies and for this reason the amount of money needed
by a player for starting up the sport is in no sense
small, more speciall~7 because running payments
have to be made for food and the like for the
ponies.
1~30728
One purpose of the invention is that of making it
possible for a player to take part in polo throughout
the year and without being dependent on the effects of
weather and the fact tlat ponies are living beings.
For this reason a "powered polo pony" has been de-
signed, which may be used with normal riding saddles. ~n
important point of the invention is that the polo player
does not have to give up his normal saddle and has the
feeling that normal conditions are being kept to and there
is no need for him to any yreat degree to get used to an-
other saddle and it is more readily possible for him to
get used to his pony a~ain.
In the development of the present invention the star-
ting point was that of designin~ a moviny highly articulated
lower E)art, with the necessary to~ part for givinc3 the polo
player the feeling that he is able to clo on usin~ his nor-
mal sad~le.
For this reason the idea behind th~ present invention
is that of so clesiyning the frame and runnincJ cJear that
the polo player, when seated on the pony, is at the same
distance from the c~round, on which the polo ball is resting
or is being moved. Furthermore tl~ere is the measure in the
present invention of the polo player's bein~J almost as free
to make the necessary motions for the c3ame of polo, that is
to say playing the ball to the left hand or ric~ht hand side,
as is normally the case, so that all so far normal sorts
of blows or stro~ of t~e c3~1e may be effected~.
The present invention is with respect to a powerecd
polo pony with a driving unit and at least two steered
pairs of wheels, whose shafts are joinecl with the body
so as to make adjustloent possible, and the saddle rest
i5 pl~c~ at a heigilt, as may he clesired, at the level
113~:)'7Zl~
of a short or tall polo pony, that is to say of a true pony
or of a horse, and there is a master controller for the
speed and for braking by moving the controlling part back-
wards or forwards and for steering to the side by motion
of the controlling part to the left or the right, and there
is a gear unit, whose step-down effect may be steplessly
controlled, and which is joined with the driving unit.
According to a broad aspect of the invention,
there is thus provided a powered polo pony for imitation
playing of normal polo with a driving unit and at least two
steered pairs of wheels, whose shafts are joined with the
body so as to make adjustment possible, and a saddle may be
placed on the saddle support which is adjustable to the
height of the back of a horse or a pony alternatively, and
there is a master controller for the speed and braking,
this being produced by motion of a controlling part forwards
for the speed and backwards for braking, and for sideways
control by motion of the controlling part to the left or to
the right, and there is a gear unit whose step-down effect
may be steplessly controlled and which is joined with the
motor driving unit.
In the case of one working example of the
invention the apparatus has two front and two back support
wheels, of which the front wheels are placed at a slope
outwards for meeting the effects of centrigugal force.
Furthermore the back wheels may be placed at a slope inwards.
In special cases, for increasing the stability, further
support wheels may be present on the running gear of the
apparatus. In the invention it is furthermore to have
balancing weights within the body of the apparatus, which
, _ _
- 113~72~
are joined with the body by arms, which may be joined by
way of joints at the top and/or lower end for making
possible movement to the side of the weights. Inside
the body of the apparatus spring-worked switches may be
present for controlling the speed and acted upon by the
user's pushing against them with his thighs. Lastly the
apparatus may have a hard-rubber supported or covered
bumper right the way round it.
So with the apparatus of the invention it is
possible for the game of polo to be played throughout the
year. Furthermore the player is not dependent on the
pony's being in a healthy condition. Lastly there is
the good effect that there is no loss on the part of the
player of his feeling for the normal pony so that he does
not have to get used to it again after using the imitation
pony of the invention for some time.
-3a-
.
~L~3~7~3
One working- example o the invention will now be
presented in full details using the figures.
Figure 1 is a side view of a powered polo pony.
Fiyure 2 is a view from the front.
Figure 3 is a view looking down on the pony, the user
or rider not being given in the figure, to make
it sirnpler.
The apparatus of the invention is an imitation polo
pony, which at the ends of the legs has wheels of a spe-
cial design and which are s~ecially place~. Part numher 1
is used for the front part of the powered polo pony while
2 is used for the driving unit with a gear unit whose
step-down effect may be steplessly controlled. Stabilizing
weights 3 are placed under the belly of the polo rony on
arms 7. These stabilizing weights firstly have the ~urpose
of lowering the center of gravity of the apparatus. The
arms 7 may have joints at their top and/or lower ends so that
the center of gravity may be~ move~l sideways for acljustment.
The body 4 of the powere~i polo IpOnv iS SO ll}:e tlle form
of a livinc3 pony, at least in tlle important t~arts, that a
normal polo 9acldle ~3 may he place(l on it. r~ecausc 1or polo
saddles special forms have been ~esic~necl it will be seen
that the chanc3eover from a polo pony to the ap~aratus of
the invention is made mol-e readily possible for the plaver.
The group of controls is numbered 5 (see furthermore fi-
gure 3). This group of controls has all necessary instruments,
such as an instrument giving the num~er of kilometers
run, an ignition lock with the starter, a check lamp,
and all necessary instruments for seeing that the func-
tion of the apparatus is ta}ing place in the desired ~lay.
For controlling the powered polo pony a single
master controller or switch with a ball han~le 6 is placed
~ ~3~7~l3
on the group o~ instr~ents, which is designed like the
nec3c of a horse, and the head of a horse.
With the master controller it is possible for the
apparatus to be run at a slower or a ~Jreater speed depen-
dent on the de~ree of motion of the con~rol stic~, the
design being SUCil that on moviny the stick forwarcls the
apparatus is run more quickly and on pullincJ it Dackwards
it is bra]~ed, if necessary till it is stopped. Furthermore
it is possible for the upper parts of the apparatus on the
runninc~ gear, that is to say in the form of a ~ony body,
to be so desic3necl that the speed is increasecl ~y pusllinc3
the thighs ayainst the body ant~ acting on switches worked
by s~rings. In this case these switches will be placed
in the imitation pony body~
Furthermore the master controller is able to ~e movec~
to the left and to the riyht so that on the control stick's
beiny moved to the left the apparatus is steerecl to the
left, and is steerecl to the right on moviny the stick to
the right. The steerirlC,J motion is to a dearee dependent
on the de~ree of movtng the control sticl;, that i5 to say
on its ~ngle.
The general design oE such nlaster controllers is part
of knowledge in the art an~ in fact, they have been used in
cranesand the like for a loncJ time.
For driving the powerec~ polo pony it is possible to
make use of an electric motor or an internal combustion
engine using gasoline or gas; for this reason any sort
o~ driving system is possible. The motor or engine is
joined with a gear system whose step-down effect may be
controlled steplessly so that no clutch is needed and,
dependent on the design of the control stick, the apparatus
may be speecled up or slowed down till it is stopped.
1~3072~3
A rf,ore specially important point is the design and
placing of the wheels. The front wheels 9 have, in the case
of the embodiments of the invention figured, a smaller c~is-
tance between them than the bac]c wheels 10 and r as ~ill he
seen rror~ figure 2, are placed sloping outwarc.s, while the
back wheels 10 are placed slo~ing inwards so that, with this
system, corners ~ay be taken very safel~7, because a part
of the centrifugal forces produced are taken u, by the earth
by way of the wheels. As will be seen in figure 1 the system
has two shock absorbers~. As will he seen from the gelleral
view of figures 1-3 tlrle snock absorbers are pl~ce~ slopinq
outwards.
For makinc3 figure 3 simpler the slopirlg positioninCJ
of the wheels 9 and 10 is not taken into account.
The user or ricier is numberec~ 12 whilc the polo sticlc
is numbered 13.
The apparatus is more s~-~ecially so desi~ned that
the heic~ht of the saclclle ~ is generallv the saMe as th~
height of the sadcilc on a living ~olo pony.
