NEW TITANIUMMOUTHPIECE FOR HORSE BITS

DESCRIPTION

The present patent relates to horse bits and in particular concerns a new mouthpiece for horse bits that is made of titanium. There are known types of harness, i.e. the accessories used for riding and/or handling horses, which include saddles, stirrups, reins, bits, and so on.

There are known headpieces and nose bands, i.e. belts that embrace the horse's head and that are used by the rider or the person leading a horse or driving a horse-drawn vehicle. In particular, the known headpieces comprise reins, which are strips of leather or lengths of cord attached to the ends of a metal element inserted in the horse's mouth, known as bit.

Said reins are held by the horse rider or the person leading the horse or driving a horse-drawn vehicle, who takes action thereon to change the direction in which the horse moves. In fact, said reins pull on said bit, which in turn comes to bear on the sides of the horse's mouth, and particularly in line with the corners of its mouth, which are extremely sensitive.

There are various known types of horse bit. Generally speaking, a bit is a metal element that is partially positioned inside the horse's mouth, in the diastemas between the front incisor and canine teeth and the rear cheek teeth.

In these areas, known by the name of bars, the jaw has no teeth and is very limited in width, i.e. much narrower than the tongue. The mouthpiece of the bit is inserted over the tongue and presses on the bars, where the jawbone is covered only by a thin layer of gum and is consequently extremely sensitive. The bits of the known state of the art comprise at least one central element, or mouthpiece, usually with rings on either side for attaching the reins.

Said mouthpiece may be a single element or may be jointed at one or more points, while various types of rein ring are known, such as the D-shaped rings, for instance.

Among the various types of bit, there are those known as curb bits, for instance.

In addition to said mouthpiece, a curb bit also comprises two side rods, called cheeks, on the outside of the animal's mouth, with a ring at each end, and said rods or checks are connected together by means of a chain passing underneath the horse's mouth. It is important for the type of bit to be suited to the horse, i.e. it must be of suitable size in order to function effectively and cause the horse the least possible discomfort.

In the known types of bit, the mouthpiece, i.e. the part inserted inside the horse's mouth, may be made of steel, iron, copper, aluminium or various other types of alloy.

For instance, there are known types of mouthpiece that are made of copper and tin alloys, usually in proportions of 80% copper and 20% tin.

Some metals, including iron and copper, deteriorate with time, especially due to the oxidising effect of the horse's saliva and water. It is also common knowledge that not all metal materials are biocompatible, i.e. they are not all suitable for coming into contact with an animal's teeth, gums and oral cavity in general.

To overcome all the above-described drawbacks, a new type of mouthpiece for horse bits has been designed and constructed, that is made of titanium. The main aim of the present invention is to be extremely lightweight and resistant at one and the same time.

Another object of the present invention is to be made of a non-toxic and

biocompatible material, that is suitable for being inserted in the oral cavity and for coming into contact with the animal's teeth, mandibular arches, palate and tongue.

Another object of the present invention is to be reusable. These and other, direct and complementary objects have been achieved through the construction of the new titanium mouthpiece for horse bits.

It is common knowledge that titanium is a metal characterised by exceptionally light weight and great resistance, even more than aluminium.

Titanium is also very corrosion-resistant and it is biocompatible because it has a surface porosity similar to that of animal tissues, so it is physiologically inert.

That is why a well-known use of titanium is also in the manufacture of prosthetic components.

The new mouthpiece for a horse bit, like the mouthpieces of known type, can be jointed at one or more points and has a shape and size designed to make it suitable for inserting in the horse's mouth in line with the bars.

The new mouthpiece also comprises a ring at each outer end, so that said rings are situated on the outside of the animal's mouth and are suitable for attaching the ends of the reins with which the horse rider or the person leading a horse or driving a horse-drawn vehicle can take action on the bit. The fundamental innovative aspect of the new invention consists in the fact that said mouthpiece is made of titanium and/or titanium fibre.

The titanium mouthpiece is much lighter than mouthpieces made of other known materials and is consequently better tolerated by horses.

The new mouthpiece is also stronger and does not suffer from any corrosion or oxidation as a result of contact with the animal's saliva.

Being made of titanium, the new mouthpiece is also well tolerated by the animal's body and can consequently be inserted in the horse's oral cavity with a

minimal risk of inflammation or problems to the animal's teeth and bone. The characteristics of the new invention will be highlighted in greater detail in the following description with reference to the attached drawing, which is provided as a non-restrictive example. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the new mouthpiece (P) jointed at one point and with rein rings (Al, A2) at either end.

In particular, said mouthpiece (P) comprises two elements (Pl, P2) hinged together, i.e. coupled to one another so as to enable some degree of relative displacement. Both said elements (Pl, P2) comprising the mouthpiece (P), and said rein rings

(Al, A2) are made of titanium and/or titanium fibre.

Therefore, with reference to the above description and to the attached drawing, the following claims are made.