Sulky

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a sulky for horse-drawn harness racing including a frame, a seat, and a pair of wheels. The frame comprises an arch, a fork assembly secured to each end of the arch, a pair of spaced-apart rails extending forwardly from the arch in a direction of travel, and a stirrup secured to each rail. Each fork assembly comprises a pair of spaced-apart legs and an axle. Each wheel is positioned between a respective pair of legs and rotatably secured to the axle. The frame may also include a support strut extending between a respective fork assembly and rail to provide additional strength to the frame.

1 . A sulky comprising:
 (a) a frame including an arch, a fork assembly secured to each end of the arch, a wheel rotatably secured to each fork assembly, a pair of spaced-apart rails extending forwardly from the arch in a direction of travel, a seat secured to the arch, and a stirrup secured to each rail;   (b) wherein the arch comprises a hollow elongated beam having a noncircular cross-section defined by a major inner axis x and a minor inner axis y, the arch including a tubular reinforcement member disposed within the hollow elongated beam, the member having an outer diameter which is the same or less than the minor inner axis y of the beam and dimensioned to fit securely within the beam.   
     
     
         2 . The sulky of  claim 1  including a position α along the arch which is equidistant from each rail, and a midpoint β defined along the length of the arch, wherein both the seat and α are offset more than 15.25 centimeters in a same direction from the midpoint β of the arch. 
     
     
         3 . The sulky of  claim 1  wherein the position of each of the stirrups is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         4 . The sulky of  claim 1  wherein the seat is positioned rearward from the arch and the position of the seat is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         5 . The sulky of  claim 1  wherein each fork assembly comprises an axle, and a pair of spaced-apart legs which extend downwardly from the arch, each leg having a distal end which includes at least a first hole and a second hole, the first hole on each respective leg being coaxially aligned with each other, and the second hole on each respective leg being coaxially aligned with each other such that the pair of aligned first holes and pair of aligned second holes are each configured to receive the axle upon which a respective one of the wheels is secured. 
     
     
         6 . The sulky of  claim 1  in which each fork assembly comprises an inner leg and an outer leg which are spaced-apart, the sulky including a strut member which extends between and is secured to each inner leg and a respective rail from the pair of rails, and a strut support member which extends between each strut member and the outer leg from the respective fork assembly to which the strut member is secured. 
     
     
         7 . The sulky of  claim 2  wherein the position of each of the stirrups is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         8 . The sulky of  claim 2  wherein the seat is positioned rearward from the arch and the position of the seat is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         9 . The sulky of  claim 2  wherein each fork assembly comprises an axle, and a pair of spaced-apart legs which extend downwardly from the arch, each leg having a distal end which includes at least a first hole and a second hole, the first hole on each respective leg being coaxially aligned with each other, and the second hole on each respective leg being coaxially aligned with each other such that the pair of aligned first holes and pair of aligned second holes are each configured to receive the axle upon which a respective one of the wheels is secured. 
     
     
         10 . The sulky of  claim 2  in which each fork assembly comprises an inner leg and an outer leg which are spaced-apart, the sulky including a strut member which extends between and is secured to each inner leg and a respective rail from the pair of rails, and a strut support member which extends between each strut member and the outer leg from the respective fork assembly to which the strut member is secured. 
     
     
         11 . A sulky comprising:
 (a) a frame including an arch, a fork assembly secured to each end of the arch, a wheel rotatably secured to each fork assembly, a pair of spaced-apart rails extending forwardly from the arch in a direction of travel, a position along the arch which is equidistant from each rail being defined as α, a seat secured to the arch, and a stirrup secured to each rail;   (b) wherein a midpoint β is defined along the length of the arch, and both the seat and α are offset more than 15.25 centimeters in a same direction from the midpoint β.   
     
     
         12 . The sulky of  claim 11  wherein the arch comprises a hollow elongated beam having a noncircular cross-section defined by a major inner axis x and a minor inner y axis, the arch including a tubular reinforcement member disposed within the hollow elongated beam, the member having an outer diameter which is the same or less than the minor inner axis y of the beam and dimensioned to fit securely within the beam. 
     
     
         13 . The sulky of  claim 11  wherein the position of each of the stirrups is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         14 . The sulky of  claim 11  wherein the seat is positioned rearward from the arch and the position of the seat is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         15 . The sulky of  claim 11  wherein each fork assembly comprises an axle, and a pair of spaced-apart legs which extend downwardly from the arch, each leg having a distal end which includes at least a first hole and a second hole, the first hole on each respective leg being coaxially aligned with each other, and the second hole on each respective leg being coaxially aligned with each other such that the pair of aligned first holes and pair of aligned second holes are each configured to receive the axle upon which a respective one of the wheels is secured. 
     
     
         16 . The sulky of  claim 11  in which each fork assembly comprises an inner leg and an outer leg which are spaced-apart, the sulky including a strut member which extends between and is secured to each inner leg and a respective rail from the pair of rails, and a strut support member which extends between each strut member and the outer leg from the respective fork assembly to which the strut member is secured. 
     
     
         17 . The sulky of  claim 12  wherein the position of each of the stirrups is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         18 . The sulky of  claim 13  wherein the seat is positioned rearward from the arch and the position of the seat is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         19 . The sulky of  claim 17  wherein the seat is positioned rearward from the arch and the position of the seat is adjustable with respect to the distance to the arch. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A sulky comprising:
 (a) an arch including a hollow elongated beam;   (b) a fork assembly secured to each end of the arch and including a pair of opposed legs, the legs in each pair of opposed legs being distanced about four inches or less from each other;   (c) a wheel positioned between each respective pair of legs and rotatably secured to each fork assembly;   (d) a pair of spaced-apart rails extending forwardly from the arch in a direction of travel;   (e) a seat secured to the arch; and   (f) a stirrup secured to each rail.