Apparatus For Use By A Rodeo Performer For Practicing Tying The Legs Of A Calf

Abstract

An apparatus for use by a rodeo performer for practicing tying the legs of a roped calf, including a body of the general size and shape of a bovine calf, at least three leg members, the inner ends of each of the leg members being pivotally affixed to the body and the leg members being pivotal such that the outer ends may be simultaneously juxtaposed whereby a tie string may be placed therearound.

Description

BACKGROUND, SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

A popular sport in the United States, and in many foreign countries, both with participants and spectators, is the rodeo. One of the most popular features of the rodeo is the calf roping contest. Typically the contest is practiced by the calf to be roped being released from a chute. The cowboy or rodeo performer pursues the calf on a horse and lassoes the calf. The horse is trained to stop immediately when the calf is lassoed so that the rope around the calf's neck stops the calf. The cowboy jumps off the horse, runs to the end of the rope, and throws the calf to the ground. He immediately gathers up three legs of the calf, places them together, and ties the three legs by means of a tie string. The tie string is in the form of a short length of string, usually consisting of a short length of small diameter rope or rawhide approximately two to three feet long. The tie string usually has a loop permanently formed in one end. The cowboy normally carries this tie string tucked under his belt or between his teeth so as to leave his hands free yet be in a position where he can grab the tie string to wrap around the calf's legs at the appropriate time.

Only three legs of the calf are tied since this is all that is required to prevent the calf from standing or moving about. The legs must be tied securely enough so that the calf cannot wiggle free within a given number of seconds after the tie is completed. Otherwise the score for the event is lost.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for use by rodeo performers for practicing tying the legs of a calf.

More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an apparatus having a configuration representative of a calf including pivotal legs extending therefrom which a rodeo performer may utilize for practicing tying the legs.

Still more particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for use by a rodeo performer for practicing tying the legs of a calf including a body shaped to resemble that of a calf and including three legs extending therefrom, the legs being resiliently restrained so normally as to extend away from each other and being pivotal so as to be juxtaposed adjacent the outer ends whereby a tie may be placed around them .

These as well as other objects of the invention will become obvious from the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an apparatus embodying the principles of the invention, the apparatus being useful by a rodeo performer for practicing tying the legs of a calf.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the pivotal mounting of the legs.

FIG. 4 is a partial view showing the arrangement wherein the legs are resiliently interconnected to each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, the apparatus of the invention is generally indicated by the numeral 10. The apparatus includes a body 12 which has a general size and shape of a bovine calf although in its rudest arrangement the body may be more or less in the form of a rectangular box. Affixed to the body is a head 14 which is intended only to give the apparatus a more realistic configuration and does not play a part in its function. The use of head 14 is not mandatory or, if one is utilized, it may be only in the form of a small block.

Three legs 16, 18 and 20, are provided, the legs being pivotally supported to the body 12 adjacent their inner ends 16A, 18A and 20A. The body 12 is hollow, at least in part, and receives a forward shaft 22 and a rearward shaft 24. Forward leg 20 has an opening 20C therein which receives forward shaft 22. In like manner, rearward leg 16 has an opening 16C receiving shaft 24 and rearward leg 18 has an opening 18C receiving shaft 24. The openings 16C, 18C, and 20C, of the legs are of a diameter larger than the shafts which they receive so that the legs are both rotational and pivotal relative to the shafts. This is best illustrated in FIG. 3.

To retain the legs in their prescribed positions enlarged diameter retainers 28 are secured to the shaft to either side of each leg.

In the illustrated arrangement the body 12 is completely hollow and has an intermediate partition 30. A spring 32 is affixed at one end to the inner end 16A of leg 16 with the other end being affixed to partition 30. In like manner spring 34 is affixed to the inner end 18A of leg 18 and a spring 36 is affixed to the inner end 20A of leg 20. The springs 32, 34 and 36 resiliently urge the legs 16, 18 and 20 into the position wherein the outer ends 16B, 18B and 20B are disposed away from each other. This is shown in solid outline in FIGS. 1 and 2. The outer ends of the legs may be juxtaposed, as shown in dotted outline in FIG. 2, by moving them towards each other, overcoming the resilience of springs 32, 34 and 36.

FIG. 4 shows a slightly alternate arrangement, when the partition is not utilized and the inner ends of springs 32, 34 and 36 are all connected together. This means that as any one of the rearward legs is moved toward a center position increased resilience is applied to the forward leg to thereby cause more interrelated movement of the leg with respect to each other as the user of the apparatus attempts to juxtapose simultaneously the outer ends of all three of the legs for placing a tie thereabout.

APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

In order to be a successful calf-roping competitor a performer must become adept at collecting three legs of a calf, moving them together against the efforts of the calf, holding the legs together while putting a tie therearound, and knotting the tie so as to restrain the legs of the calf together. The apparatus of this invention is used by placing it on the ground in an area representative of a rodeo arena. The performer can ride up, jump off his horse, and run over to the apparatus and assemble the legs and place a tie therearound. By repeating this procedure over a period of time the performer improves his proficiency in tying the legs of a live calf.

It is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element or step thereof is entitled.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. An apparatus for use by a rodeo performer for practicing tying the legs of a calf, comprising:

a body having the general size and shape of a bovine calf, at least a portion of the body being hollow;

at least three leg members, the inner ends of each leg member extending within said body hollow portion, each leg member being pivotally supported adjacent the inner end thereof to said body, the leg members being thereby pivotal such that the outer ends may be simultaneously juxtaposed whereby a tie string may be placed therearound; and

an extendable resilient means for each of said leg members, one end of each of said resilient means being affixed to the inner end of a corresponding leg member and the other end of each of said resilient means being affixed to each other.

2. An apparatus for use by a rodeo performer for practicing tying the legs of a calf according to claim 1 including:

a forward and a rearward shaft in said hollow portion of said body and spaced in parallel relationship, and wherein the inner ends of each of said leg members has an opening wherein, two of said leg members being pivotally received on one of said shaft, and one of said leg members being pivotally received on the other of said shafts.