Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02504599 2011-03-22
Net Horse-Cover Used As A Fixing Device For An Urine
Collective Device Placed on a Horse
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a net blanket for horses as an easy-to-handle
holding harness for the flexible and easily replaceable fastening of a urine
collecting
device to horses. In one aspect, the net blanket according to the invention as
a
holding harness is in this case intended in particular for flexibly suspending
urine
collecting devices for obtaining a natural mixture of conjugated oestrogens
from
pregnant mares' urine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Oestrogens are used in medicine for hormone replacement therapy. In
particular, oestrogen mixtures are used for the treatment and prophylaxis of
the
disorders of the climacteric period which occur in women after natural or
artificial
menopause. In this case, natural mixtures of conjugated oestrogens (CO) such
as
are found in the urine of pregnant mares (PMU = pregnant mares' urine) have
proved
particularly effective and readily compatible.
The collection of the urine is therefore a significant partial step in
obtaining
hormones, and requires suitable devices which permit the urine to be collected
in a
practicable manner which is compatible with the animal. Such devices are
usually
composed of a holding harness and a urine collecting device. In particular,
the entire
device should be easy to wear and be compatible with the normal behaviour and
requirements of mobility and rest of the horse. Furthermore, the device should
however also permit flexible (easy attachment and removal or replacement of
the
collecting device) collection of the urine which is effected as purely as
possible (no
faecal contamination) and in a manner protecting the hormones.
The holding harness to which the urine collecting device is fastened should be
able to be adapted easily to the individual dimensions of the horse and fix
the urine
collecting device adequately in the desired position on the horse. Once the
urine
collecting device has been attached, if at all possible no readjustment, or
only
infrequent to occasional readjustment, should be necessary, and - while also
allowing
the horse as great a freedom of movement as possible - urine collection which
is as
loss-free as possible should be ensured.
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A holding harness of this type with urine collecting device has already been
described in international patent application WO 00/72667. Furthermore,
international
patent application WO 02/45488 describes a holding harness with a urine
collecting
device wherein in particular the urine collecting device can be handled
comfortably
and be kept hygienically clean due to a detachable head part. The holding
harness
itself should furthermore hamper the horses as little as possible, be easy to
handle
and easy to care for and in particular permit flexible fastening of the urine
collecting
device which can be adapted quickly to the dimensions of the individual horse.
It was therefore an object to provide an optimised, inexpensive holding
harness
for flexible and easily replaceable fastening of a urine collecting device to
horses
which meets the high requirements with regard to comfort of wearing for the
horses
and with regard to practicable usability on an industrial scale, the holding
harness
being in particular very easy to handle, easy to care for, not prone to
needing repair
and inexpensive, and permitting flexible fastening of a urine collecting
device which
can be adapted quickly to the dimensions of the individual horse.
This object is generally achieved by the holding harness set forth in the
claims.
The invention therefore proposes a net blanket for horses as a holding harness
for the flexible and replaceable fastening of a urine collecting device to
horses, in
particular mares, which is characterised in that it is a net (1) covering the
predominant part of the horse's rump which at the sides reaches down to at
most
approximately the lower rump line and is closed or can be closed in front of
the breast
of the horse (2), and the net is suitable for the position-fixing, yet
detachable
suspension of a urine collecting device which can be worn beneath the horse's
belly.
Although international patent application WO 00/72667 already describes a
large-mesh net covering approximately the loin and croup region, together with
a
conventional basic harness consisting of straps for horses, which likewise is
suitable
for fastening a urine collecting device, in a departure therefrom, according
to the
present invention exclusively a net blanket is provided as a holding harness.
This
consists only of a net covering the predominant part of the rump, which net is
already
self-supporting and can be used for fastening a urine collecting device
without an
additional costly strap system.
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The individual details of the invention will be described further below and
will be
additionally explained with reference to Figures 1 to 3.
The use of a net blanket for horses as a holding harness within the scope of
the
present invention has for example the advantage that this net offers a large
number
of ways of fastening for any type of urine collecting device and thus these
collecting
devices can be fastened to the horse and adjusted in an ideal manner with
great
flexibility. This net is therefore very advantageous for optimum suspension
and fixing
of urine collecting devices in particular for mares, since in this case, as
loss-free
collection of the mare's urine as possible can only be ensured if the urine
collecting
device is permanently and perfectly fixed and adjusted. Using a net covering
the
predominant part of the horse's rump for suspending urine collecting devices
and the
possibilities of fixing and adjusting these urine collecting devices which
this yields
means that a significant improvement in urine collection is achieved.
Furthermore, the
net - in contrast, for example, to a horse blanket - largely prevents any
sweating by
the horse. There is then no fear of adversely affecting the obtention of
oestrogen due
to secretion of sweat when using the net blanket according to the invention as
the
exclusive holding harness.
The net blanket according to the invention for horses as a holding harness for
fastening a urine collecting device, compared with the holding harnesses known
from
the prior art, which always comprise at least a basic harness consisting of
straps or
consist exclusively of straps, is self-supporting and does not require any
additional
straps to fasten and fix it to the horse. The stability of the net and the
fixing thereof to
the horse is obtained by the suspension and the weight of the urine collecting
device.
The net blanket according to the invention as a holding harness is very easy
to put on
the horse compared with a holding harness consisting of straps and owing to
its low
weight and its large contact surface is considerably more pleasant for the
horse to
wear.
Furthermore, the net blanket according to the invention as a holding harness
is
very easy to care for, since the care - in contrast to a holding harness
consisting of
straps - does not require costly oiling and cleaning of the straps and
buckles, but the
net can simply be washed. This also ensures greater hygiene. In addition, the
holding
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harness according to the invention is considerably less prone to needing
repair and
also, since it consists only of a coherent net, is easier to handle and to
store. The
optimised holding harness according to the invention in the form of the net
blanket is
furthermore very inexpensive to produce, use and care for compared with the
holding
harnesses of the prior art.
The net blanket according to the invention for horses as a holding harness for
the fastening of a urine collecting device consists of a net covering the
predominant
part of the horse's rump which at the sides reaches down to at most
approximately
the lower rump line and is closed or can be closed in front of the breast of
the horse
(2), the net being designed such that it is in the form of a cape with neck
opening and
thus adopts the form of a horse blanket usually used in horse-keeping.
Preferably the
net - as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1 - has a generally U-shaped form
with a
very broad base, the arms of the U, which are referred to below as side parts
(5),
being meant to extend around the neck and the shoulders of the horse and to be
joined together reversibly detachably or permanently at its breast. In one
particular
embodiment, the section of the net covering the horse's rump - the base of the
U-
shape - has a quadrilateral, in particular a rectangular, form of a width a)
and a
length b) of this neck section. The ratio of the width a) to the length b) may
be
between 2:1 and 2:3. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of the width a) to
the
length b) lies in a range between 3:2 and 1:1, so that the section of the net
covering
the horse's rump has a rectangular to square form. Starting from the position
of the
withers (3) of the horse, the side parts (5) already mentioned above, which
become
narrower toward the front of a length c) and a width d) adjoin the section of
the net
covering the horse's rump. The length c) of these side parts is preferably in
the range
between one third to one half of the length b) of the net section covering the
horse's
rump. The width d) of each side part, measured at the front, narrowest end d)
of the
side part, is preferably approximately in the range between one third up to
one fifth of
the entire width a) of the net section covering the horse's rump. The ends of
the two
side parts (5) of width d) are joined together reversibly detachably or
permanently in
front of the breast of the horse (2). The tapering of the side parts (5) in
the neck
region of the horse may be continuous and rectilinear; in a preferred
embodiment the
inner edge of each side part is arcuate in shape.
CA 02504599 2005-04-29
The following particulars of the dimensions of the net are intended to explain
the configuration of this aspect of the invention only by way of example. It
goes
without saying that the person skilled in the art can vary these dimensions at
will and
adapt them to individual circumstances, requirements or other boundary
conditions
5 when carrying out the invention at a given location, such as for example
adaptation to
the individually differing size of individual horses and to the individually
differing build
of individual horses. The sides of the net section covering the horse's rump
of the
holding harness according to the invention may generally be of the order of
approximately 100 to 170 cm for the width a) and of the order of approximately
80 to
150 cm for the length b). A width a) in the range of approximately 120 to 150
cm,
preferably in the range of 130 to 140 cm, has proved expedient. Expediently,
the
length b) has a size in the range of approximately 90 to 140 cm, for small-
framed
horses preferably a size in the range of approximately 100 to 110 cm and for
large-
framed horses preferably in the range of approximately 120 to 130 cm. The
length c)
of the side parts (5) which become narrower towards the front may generally be
of
the order of between about 30 and 90 cm; a length c) in the range of
approximately
45 to 65 cm has proved particularly expedient. The width d) of each side part
may
generally be of the order of about 10 to 50 cm; a width d) in the range of 20
to 40 cm
has proved particularly expedient.
The lateral ends of the net may hang down at most as far as the lower rump
line; in another exemplary embodiment, it is sufficient if the lateral ends of
the net
extend down so far that a minimum of approximately half the rump is covered.
The
lateral ends of the net may however also extend as far as any position between
the
aforementioned two extremes. The ends of the net hanging down may optionally
be
additionally held by one or more loosely attached belts which pass from one
side to
the other beneath the horse.
The net blanket according to the invention for horses as a holding harness for
fastening a urine collecting device is in the form of a cape with neck
opening, the
cape being designed such that it is or can be closed in front of the breast of
the horse
(2). In a preferred embodiment, the net blanket according to the invention is
continuous and hence permanently closed in front of the breast of the horse
(2) - the
breast part of the net - so that the net is pulled over the horse's head like
a pullover.
In this embodiment, the front edges of the net side parts (5) of width d) are
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permanently joined together in front of the breast of the horse, for example
by sewing
the ends securely together. In another preferred embodiment of the net blanket
according to the invention, the net can be closed in front of the breast of
the horse
(2), i.e. it can be reversibly opened and closed again. The side parts (5) of
the net
covering the shoulder region of the horse are closed in front of the breast of
the horse
(2) preferably via one or more connecting elements of adjustable length, such
as
strips, hook-and-pile fasteners, buckles, quick-action belts or expanders, or
by
another conventional type of closure for horse blankets. The ends of the net
side
parts (5) of width d) are joined together reversibly by these connecting
elements. By
adjusting the length of the connecting elements, the net can thus be adapted
individually also to horses of differing build and breast width.
The net may be made of any materials compatible with the horse, such as
synthetic fibres of widely varying nature, in particular e.g. of polyamide
fibre materials
such as for example nylon, of polyacrylonitrile fibre materials or of
polyester fibre
materials, but optionally also of leather, hemp, jute, flax or cotton or of
mixtures of the
aforementioned materials. The strength of the net material should be
sufficient to
withstand even relatively long-term stress in practice. The net edges in
advantageous, preferred embodiments of the net will be made reinforced. To
this
end, the net edges may for example be oversewn, stitched or bonded with
further
materials, e.g. woven fabrics, knitted fabrics or non-woven fabrics.
Furthermore, it is
recommend to treat the net at the edges such that fraying of the net cords is
prevented; for example, nets made of nylon fibres can be heat-treated, in
order to
prevent the risk of fraying by slightly melting the fibres.
The net blanket according to the invention comprises a net with mesh holes
which preferably are of square basic form, but also may have a slightly
rectangular
form. The following particulars of the dimensions of the net mesh holes are
intended
to explain the configuration of this aspect of the invention only by way of
example. It
goes without saying that the person skilled in the art can vary these
dimensions at will
and adapt them to the individual circumstances, requirements or other boundary
conditions when carrying out the invention at a given location. The size of
the net
mesh holes is given below by means of the internal width of the individual
mesh
holes, the shortest distance between two opposing net cords within a mesh
unit,
measured from the inside to the inside of the net cords, being determined. In
a
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preferred embodiment of the net blanket according to the invention as a
holding
harness, the net is a large-mesh net, the mesh holes of which have a minimum
internal width of 15 mm. The internal width of the mesh holes of the large-
mesh net
may generally be in the range of approximately 15 to 100 mm; an internal width
in the
range of approximately 20 to 70 mm, in particular in the range of
approximately 30 to
50 mm, has proved particularly expedient, an internal width of 40 to 45 mm
being
regarded as particularly preferable. The cross-sectional diameter (thickness)
of the
net cords depends greatly on the selected materials. Furthermore, the cross-
sectional
diameter of the net cords is correlated with the mesh size: the greater the
internal
width of the mesh holes, the stronger must the net cords be, and the smaller
the
internal width of the mesh holes, the thinner the net cords can also be. The
cross-
sectional diameter (thickness) of the cords of the net may generally be in the
range of
approximately 2 to 12 mm, in particular in the range of approximately 3 to 8
mm; the
use of net cords with a cross-sectional diameter in the range of approximately
4 to 6
mm, in particular of approximately 5 mm, has proved particularly expedient.
In order to protect individual parts of the horse's body, the net blanket
according
to the invention as a holding harness may furthermore have padding of
different
thicknesses, depending on the part of the body. Padding of the net may be
desirable
in particular for the front breast region (2), in the region of the withers
(3) and
optionally of the back, and also in the region on the side breast wall of the
horse.
Conventional materials may be used for the padding; for example, conventional
felt
material, leather, synthetic or natural skins, but also modern fleece
materials are
suitable, which can each be used in different thicknesses and are fastened to
the net
for example by stitching or detachable fastening elements, such as for example
strips, belts or hook-and-pile fasteners. However, also for example pads
filled with
wafted fibres, which are fastened to the corresponding positions on the net,
may be
used. In a preferred configuration of the invention, the net has padding in
front of the
breast of the horse (2). If the net is continuously closed in front of the
breast of the
horse, such padding may for example be in the form of a flat piece of leather
or a
thin, stuffed pad, which may be connected detachably or securely to the net,
and
span the entire front breast region. If the net can be reversibly opened and
closed
again in front of the breast of the horse (2), the padding may take place
either
independently of the closure mechanism or be integrated into the connecting
elements serving for closure. In a further preferred embodiment, the net has
padding
CA 02504599 2005-04-29
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in the region of the withers (3) which can optionally be adjusted with respect
to its
position and thus is individually adaptable to each horse. In an exemplary
embodiment, the net may have in the region of the withers a plush blanket of
soft
synthetic or natural materials which can be reversibly fastened for example by
hook-
and-pile fasteners to the net at various positions.
In a preferred embodiment, the padding is effected by means of continuous
leather strips which are securely connected to the net for example by
stitching and
which optionally may also additionally be padded underneath with felt or
comparable
fabrics. In one embodiment, the leather padding extends around the front
breast (2)
(shoulder) approximately horizontally on both sides of the horse (in the
region of the
side parts (5) of the net) in each case to at most approximately the centre of
the
horse's belly. In a further embodiment, leather padding, starting from the
back in the
region of the saddle position, extends on both sides of the horse up to the
lateral
ends of the net; optionally the pieces of leather padding may also extend
beyond the
net edges and be joined together reversibly beneath the breast, for example by
means of a connecting element of adjustable length. In a preferred embodiment,
the
net has both the leather padding extending around the front breast and the
leather
padding extending in the region of the saddle position, the paddings
optionally being
able to be securely connected together, for example by seams or rivets.
Furthermore, the opening in the net blanket according to the invention may be
adjustable in size in the region of the withers (3) by means of additional
connecting
elements of adjustable length, which can be fastened to the two side parts
(5), and
thus are adaptable to the individual horse's dimensions in the region of the
withers
and around the neck.
In a further embodiment, the net blanket according to the invention as a
holding
harness is distinguished in that the edges of the net in the neck region (4)
are shaped
by annular padding. For this, for example, the edges of the net may be
surrounded by
soft padding materials such as polyester wadding, which for fixing are wrapped
around with covering materials and stitched. Preferably the net margins in the
neck
region (4) are surrounded with wide leather strips which cover the net edge.
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Furthermore, for additional fixing of the net blanket as a holding harness,
the
net may be equipped with a crupper attached in the region of the croup and
extending as far as the tail head with a tail loop surrounding the tail head.
The fastening of a possible urine collecting device (6) to the net blanket
according to the invention as a holding harness, in the form of a net covering
the
predominant part of the horse's rump is illustrated by way of example in Fig.
3. The
fastening itself may be effected in many different ways, for example by means
of
cords, expanders, belts or the like. In particular fastening by expanders or
by flat-lying
nylon straps with plug connectors of plastics material has proved expedient
for
practical use. Commercially available expanders with hooks may be used;
however,
expanders or rubber cables with carbine hooks which lie flat, e.g. made of
plastics
material or of high-grade steel, are more advantageous owing to the lesser
risk of
injury to the horse.
In addition to the advantages already described above in conjunction with the
explanation of the net blanket according to the invention as a holding harness
for the
flexible suspension of a urine collecting device, the invention furthermore
offers still
further advantages:
The net blanket according to the invention, consisting of a net (1), for
horses as
a holding harness for fastening a urine collecting device is universally
usable and
owing to its design, in particular its one-part nature, easy to handle. Any
design of
urine collecting device can be suspended therefrom flexibly and with good
fixing in
position. The attachment or removal of the net blanket as a holding harness
corresponds to the placing on or removal of a conventional horse blanket and
can be
carried out quickly in a fluent movement, so that there is scarcely any risk
of
unsettling the horse by unintentional hectic handling and the resulting
dangers. The
net can be placed on or removed in a very short space of time; in the case of
a net
which is closed in front of the breast, the net is pulled over the horse's
head, whereas
in the case of nets which are to be opened in front of the breast merely the
corresponding connecting elements have to be closed after placing on or opened
before removing. This possibility of closure furthermore ensures individual
adaptation
of the net to the differing builds of individual horses. The net blanket as a
holding
harness can be worn long-term with a urine collecting device fastened to it.
Thus, for
CA 02504599 2005-04-29
example, 24-hour urine collection is possible, provided that the urine
collecting device
is appropriately looked after and kept clean, the urine collecting device
being readily
removable from the horse or exchangeable for emptying and cleaning, which
takes
place at least three times a day. Owing to the net blanket as a holding
harness, the
5 horse can move freely even with the urine collecting device. Owing to the
high
flexibility and freedom of movement which is ensured for the horse, when using
the
net blanket according to the invention as a holding harness with urine
collecting
device it is not necessary to tether the horse in a narrow stall or box, but
the horses
can graze at any time. Likewise, foals can suckle independently at any time
without
10 problems even on mares with an attached urine collecting device. On the
other hand,
if necessary the entire structure comprising the net blanket according to the
invention
as a holding harness together with the urine collecting device can be removed
very
easily and quickly and reattached again later, e.g. during the day for
grazing, if
provision is made for only night-time collection of urine. Furthermore, the
net blanket
for horses, consisting of a net, as a holding harness is extremely
inexpensive,
extremely easy to care for and easy to manufacture industrially. These nets
may, like
corresponding horse blankets, be manufactured and provided for example in
several
different sizes. Thus, in contrast to a conventional holding harness
consisting of
straps, no costly individual adjustment of a large number of belt buckles is
necessary
to adapt the net blanket as a holding harness to the individual dimensions of
each
horse.
The following drawings serve to explain by way of example the above invention,
but without limiting its scope:
Ell
Diagrammatic representation of the net blanket according to the invention for
horses
as a holding harness for fastening a urine collecting device viewed from
above, the
net blanket being shown opened in the breast region (along the width d) of the
side
parts (5)):
Position of the withers (3), net edge in the neck region (4), side part (5);
width a) and
length b) of the net section covering the horse's rump; length c) and width d)
of a side
part (5).
Fiq= 2
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Lateral view of a horse with a net blanket placed thereon as a holding harness
for
fastening a urine collecting device:
Net (1), breast (2) of the horse, position of the withers (3), net edge in the
neck region
(4), side part (5).
Fig. 3
Side view of a horse with a net blanket placed thereon as a holding harness
and with
a urine collecting device (6) fastened thereto.
