WORK rider for Japanese trainer Noriyuki Hori, Shinjiro Kaneko has been seen wearing a camera-like device on his goggles when riding out Neorealism at Sha Tin.

The goggle technology is manufactured by Horsecall Japan and is sold as a training aid. The device attached to the goggles displays heart rate and speed giving Kaneko real-time information on Neorealism as he works.

HEART RATE

The girth strap on the horse contains a heart rate monitor which transmits data to the goggle device, while the camera attached to the rider’s goggles is fitted with a GPS – all of this data is displayed on a small monitor attached to the rider’s goggles.

Using mobile phone technology, the data which the rider has seen is recorded then sent automatically to a database, which is accessible from anywhere. Once the data has been stored it can be analysed, allowing the trainer to tailor work for each horse as an individual.

TRAINING BENEFITS

For a horse with a superior heart rate, the same gallop takes less out of him than it would another horse, so trainers can adjust or increase what that horse is doing accordingly to ensure he gets the full benefit of his training.

The technology is relatively new and Hori was one of the first trainers to use it but it seems to be catching on quickly with a number of trainers are now using this new technology.