LAST week the inaugural Horse Tech Conference took place at the Royal Veterinary College in London. This event was the brainchild of horse technologist Phoebe Bright, who has contributed a number of features to Horse Sense, and David Doherty co-founder and Director of 3G Doctor.
The aim of this event was to get people talking and sharing ideas surrounding the use and benefits of technology in the management of horses. Speaking after the event, Doherty said: “I think it’s important that we get people in the horse world to be proud to share more about how they use tech to improve the welfare of horses. Sharing openly is the way forward with horse education.”
There was a great turnout for the event with people travelling from the US, Australia and Ireland. You had everyone from veterinarians and researchers to entrepreneurs and technologists in attendance and there was a great energy and enthusiasm amongst the crowd.
“I think people in this industry just didn’t realise that they needed a place to learn about and discuss the tech that underpins and is radically transforming how things are done.” Doherty commented.
Over 16 speakers presented throughout the course of the day and it was encouraging to see that five of the presenters were Irish. The Irish speakers boasted the likes of Tom MacGuinness, CEO of Horseware Ireland, Sam Murphy, founder of Equilux Lighting, Kieran Walshe, founder and CEO of Accuplex Diagnostics,Tristan Brittain-Dissont, founder of Capaltec and Professor Emmeline Hill of UCD and PlusVital.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
The morning session kicked off with presentations on equine cardiovascular analysis, gait analysis and biomechanics from Jeff Seder, founder of EQB.com, Jay Kilgore and Bob Fierro of DataTrack International Inc respectively.
All three of these speakers and their work in revolutionising how we analyse equine performance have featured in Horse Sense over the last number of months.
One point which Seder highlighted at the conference was: “The key to technological advancement in the equine industry is to combine the knowledge of horsemen and women with that of scientists and technicians.” Interestingly, Emmeline Hill echoed this sentiment: “The level of co-operation from the industry impacts advancement – we have the tools and technology.”
One collaboration which has benefited greatly from exchanging knowledge and expertise is that of veterinary professionals from around the world and a company called Eickemeyer. Since Eickemeyer was founded in 1961, they have worked closely with veterinarians to develop new products that offer solutions to individual demands.
One such product is the Equinosis Q with Lameness Locator software. Veterinarian, Christina Frigast explained: “This hand-held, field-based system enables a veterinarian to objectively identify lameness in horses with non-invasive inertial sensors. Most importantly, it is fast and safe to use.”
ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR
Fierro and Kilgore discussed the use of data to assess the racing and breeding potential of horses, focusing mainly on equine gait analysis and biomechanics.
Kilgore stated: “We look at stride length in relation to body size and the efficiency of motion. When we analyse a horse we get 40-42 numbers on that horse, per stride. These figures are expertly analysed and horses are graded from 1-4, with one being excellent.”
Fierro continued by explaining: “A DataTrack report includes gait analysis, biomechanical analysis and cardiovascular analysis. At the Breeze-up sales we analyse every horse, we use the data ourselves as bloodstock agents but we also sell the data.” DataTrack has been at Doncaster sales and hopes to be at Goresbridge in the near future.
PRE-EMPTING LAMENESS
Thilo Pfau from the Royal Veterinary College discussed the benefits of measuring a horse’s upper body movement with sensors. Pfau found that wearable sensors were useful in detecting asymmetry and lameness in the horse.
Under clinical conditions, Pfau found that the following threshholds were indicative of lameness in the horse:
Pfau believes that the use of sensors on the horse could potentially help horse owners pre-empt lameness, hopefully this is something that will be developed further and will become widely available in the future.
AMBITION AND DRIVE
CEO of Horseware Ireland, Tom MacGuinness took to the stage and lit up the room with his confident can-do attitude and innovative ideas.
“We always like to be first,” MacGuinness said with a smile. “We’ve won more innovation awards than anyone else in the industry.”
Horseware has been developing software technology in recent years that produced a rug advisor initially and then Horse Pal – a sensor placed in a little pocket in the blanket that gathers heat and humidity data and is accessible from your phone. With weather forecast data for the next three days, you can make an informed decision on what rug to use.
MacGuinness explained that this piece of technology could be very useful as a learning and teaching tool, helping horse owners to know what works best for each of their horses individually and ultimately this will also be beneficial to the horse’s welfare.
Other information can also be added to Horse Pal relating to the horse’s breeding, condition, and age. In time, people will be able to make transactions with their farrier or vet at the click of a button and have a historical database for each horse they own. It is pioneering work, as Daragh O’Conchuir acknowledged in last week’s Big Interview.
MacGuinness finished his presentation by adding: “To take accurate temperature, pulse and respiration of the animal, in a non-invasive way – that’s what we need next.”
PLENTY OF POTENTIAL
David Marlin, scientific and equine consultant, highlighted one particular area of horse health that offers plenty of potential for technological and scientific advancement – analysing the horse’s respiratory system.
The horse’s respiratory system can have a limiting effect on a horse’s performance and Marlin believes there are three key areas that warrant attention. These were as follows:
1. Horse owners want a non-invasive way of diagnosing problems with a horse’s airway.
2. There are currently no methods or treatments to permanently prevent the occurrence of bleeders (EIPH). This is an area which could benefit greatly from further research.
3. There is currently no commercial, practical, accurate system which allows us to measure oxygen consumption by the horse in a field setting.
In conclusion, the aim of this event was to get people talking and sharing ideas surrounding the use and benefits of technology in the management of horses and it is safe to say that this aim was achieved.
Share your experiences of using equine technology, Maybe it was through the use of an equestrian-themed app, maybe you wore a head-cam out hunting or your horse took a trip to Troytown for a go in the Equine MRI machine. Let us know your thoughts on these technologies and what you would like to see in the future.