GB2614107A - Training Device for Lasso/Lariat/Roping Practice - Google Patents

Abstract

A training device for practicing lassoing and throwing a lariat rope around the head or neck and, if applicable horns, of an animal such as a calf, cow or horse comprises flat plywood profile shapes (fig 7) that are slotted together to form the cow/calf shape. A plywood support prop (1, fig 1) allows for the hind legs of the dummy to be raised to allow for heel rope practice (fig 6). Horns of different sizes (fig 7) are included. The training device can be assembled and disassembled by hand without the need or use of tools, nuts and bolts, and can be carried by one person in a compact ‘flat-packed’ fashion (fig 10) or stored or transported.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Training Device for Lasso/Lariat/Roping Practice Many people are familiar with the term 'lasso', a rope with an adjustable sliding loop at one end which can be thrown around the horns or head of a cow/calf or sometimes thrown around the neck of a horse to catch these animals. It is often associated with a cowboy on a horse 'throwing' a lasso to catch a cow or horse. Strictly speaking this rope is referred to as a lariat, the action is commonly called 'throwing a rope' or 'throwing a lariat'.

Emanating from the history of the Cowboy of the USA, western riding has developed into a riding discipline pursued worldwide. Western riding and western trained horses are used in cattle ranching whereby a lariat or rope might be used to catch the cows or calves. When cows are caught with a lariat rope, the rope is thrown around the horns or sometimes head/neck of the cow, this is called 'head' roping or 'heading' and another rider sometimes throws a lariat rope around the hind ankles of the cow, this is called 'heel' roping or 'heeling'. There are also western riding competitive disciplines based on the techniques used in ranching, for example, a competitive riding discipline called 'versatility ranch'. As part of this, a rider might be required to show competence in the use of the rope or lariat while on horseback. Additionally, there are rodeo calf roping events which involve 'head' and 'heel' roping with two riders, each on a horse catching a calf.

Training to use a lariat or rope in order to be able to lasso a cow/calf usually starts with practice on foot. The practice also commonly does not involve a real cow/calf and instead a 'dummy cow/calf' is used to train in the accurate throwing of the rope around the cows/calves horns or sometimes neck, 'heading' and as described above, to also practice throwing the lariat rope around the hind ankles of the cow or calf, called 'heeling'.

There are a number of training dummy cow/calves available on the market. Some of these cater for 'head' roping and some cater for both 'head' and 'heel' roping practice. These though are quite cumbersome, large, heavy, and not particularly portable. Where there is a degree of portability in a small number of these, the dummy devices enabling both 'head' and 'heel' roping practice commonly require tools or the use of nuts and bolts to assemble and take them apart, if taking them apart is at all possible and they then still remain relatively bulky and not particularly portable, even in their constituent parts.

Whilst there are some western riding and lariat roping practitioners who live on a ranch and therefore have plenty of room to keep and store a large roping practice dummy cow, there are many more western riding enthusiasts worldwide who ride part-time as a hobby and if they own a horse, keep it at a livery stables or who may not own a horse at all. These people may live in all sorts of accommodation whereby storage is at a premium, they may or may not have a garden to practice their roping in and they may need to travel by car or public transport to their livery stables to ride their horse or to an outdoor place to practice their lariat roping. In this instance, the currently available practice roping dummy cow/calf devices are either not portable at all or not portable enough to facilitate doing this or doing this with any ease.

This invention therefore relates to the design of a device that allows for lariat roping practice for 'head' roping (Figure 5) and 'heel' roping (Figure 6), whereby the device is of a nature that it is easily portable by one person, can be carried by one person, could be carried onto public transport by one person or easily put in the boot or back of a car. The example device, as outlined in the accompanying drawings, is 770mm high to the top of the head of the cow/calf, 700mm high to the top of the back and 1050mm in length. The device can however be scaled in size, larger or smaller, to suit different heights of the user, children or adults (Figure 12) and to suit different weight carrying capacities of the user with regard to lifting the device, moving the device and/or carrying the device when flat-packed. In addition to the cow/calf, the device could also be produced in the form of any number of animals. The device as described in the accompanying drawings can be carried in a shoulder bag (Figure 11) or sold, transported, carried or stored in a box with reference to the example box shown of dimensions 620mm x 520mm x 120mm (Figure 10). Other box sixes can be produced to suit the different options of scaled sizes of the device, as described above. The training device for lasso/lariat/roping practice shows innovation in that it can also be assembled and disassemble by one person, by hand, without the need for any tools, nuts and bolts and when disassembled is easily stored and transported due to its flat-packed nature.

Additionally, innovation lies in the fact that the invention allows for 'head' roping practice onto a 'dummy' cow/calf with no horns, short horns or longer horns (No. 2, Figure 7), or any other type of protrusions from the head, interchangeable to allow practice and skill to develop over time through the size of the horns/protrusions being gradually increased.

The invention as it stands is constructed from flat plywood profile shapes (Figure 7) that are slotted together (Figure 8 and with the relative slots indicated by the capital letters, A to J, in Figure 7) to form the cow/calf shape (Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4). There is also a plywood 'support prop' (No. 1, Figures 1, 2 and 3) element that allows for the hind legs of the dummy calf/cow to be raised off the ground to allow for "heel' roping practice (Figure 6). Additionally, there is an option of using small plywood wedge shapes to press into place by hand to create a higher friction fit between the parts that are slotted together (Figure 9). In addition to plywood, any other rigid flat planar material could be used to produce the profile shapes. The device can be assembled and dismantled by hand without the need of tools, screws, bolts, nuts or other such additions.

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3 -Show the fully assembled cow/calf. These figures show the removeable support prop (1) in position under the stomach of the cow/calf (Also see part No. 1 and slots K -K, Figure 7) that is used to raise the back legs off the ground in order to be able to practice throwing the lariat rope around the hind ankles of the cow/calf (called 'heeling') (Figure 6).

Figure 4 -Shows the fully assembled cow/calf with the support prop (1) outlined in Figures 1, 2 and 3, removed.

Figure 5 -Shows the fully assembled cow/calf with the addition of a lariat (lasso) rope shown for context around the horns of the cow/calf (known as 'heading').

Figure 6 -Shows the fully assembled cow/calf with the addition of a lariat (lasso) rope shown for context around the hind leg ankles of the cow/calf (known as 'heeling').

Figure 7 -Shows the flat un-assembled slot-together parts (1, 2, 3), including two sizes of interchangeable horns (2) along with the support prop (1) and the head, body and leg parts (3). The positioning of the slots is shown by the letters A to K, where A locates with A, B with B, C with C etc. Figure 8 -Shows two of the parts being slotted together. In this example the fit is a light friction fit.

Figure 9 -Shows an alternative to the light friction fit as was outlined above in figure 8. This is another option for 'locking' the slot-together elements together using a small wedge which is pressed into place by hand, increasing the friction and pressure on the parts, therefore holding them more firmly together. The wedge is made from the same plywood as the profile shapes and can be pushed into place and removed by hand.

Figure 10 -Shows the flat un-assembled parts stacked together in a compact arrangement and positioned in a box. In this example the box being 620mm x 520mm x 120mm.

Figure 11 -Shows the compact nature of the device being carried in a carry case shoulder bag.

Figure 12 -Shows how the design can be easily scaled to suit a range of users, either adults or children. The scaling is not limited to the three example sizes shown.

Claims (8)

1. CLAIMSTraining Device for Lasso/Lariat/Roping Practice 1. A portable training device for lasso/lariat/roping practice being such that it can be assembled or dismantled by hand by one person (adult or child) without the need for using any tools and, when dismantled, it is compact and light enough in weight that it can be carried and transported by one person (adult or child), the assembled device comprising features that allow for practicing throwing a lariat rope (lassoing) around the head/neck and/or horns/protrusions from the head, of a three dimensional object representing the head and/or horns/protrusions from the head, of an animal such as a cow/calf (heading), the device also allowing for practicing throwing a lariat rope around three dimensional elements representing the hind legs of a four legged animal such as a cow/calf (heeling), this through the option of being able to adjust the device to raise the three dimensional elements of the object representing the hind legs, off the floor/ground.
2. 2. A device as in claim 1, and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, wherein, the said portable training device for lasso/lariat/roping practice being such that it can be assembled or dismantled by hand by one person (adult or child) without the need for using any tools, nuts and bolts.
3. 3. A device as in claim 1, and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, wherein, when and if horns or any other protrusions are added to the head of the said device, they can be interchangeable and of varying lengths and sizes.
4. 4. A device as in claim 1, and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8, wherein the said device is flat-packed for example, for storage, transportation or any other reason.
5. 5. A device as in claim 1, and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, wherein the said device is flat-packed for storage and transportation in a box.
6. 6. A device as in claim 1, and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, wherein the said device is flat-packed for storage and transportation in a bag.
7. 7. A device as in claim 1, and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8, wherein the said device is flat-packed for storage and transportation in a shoulder bag.
8. 8. A device as in claim 1 and with the addition of none, any or all of the other dependent claims, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, wherein the said device can be scaled in size, larger or smaller, to suit a range or shorter or taller users and suit different weight carrying capacities of the user with regard to using the device, lifting the device and/or carrying the device when flat-packed.