biometric sensors

StrideSAFE, a biometric sensor used as a tool to help identify horses at risk of injury, was recognized at the recent Calgary International Equine Symposium when Dr. Denise McSweeney was honored with the Best Podium Presentation Award. The global conference, held Sept. 5-6 and hosted by the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), brought together experts the world over for a named focus in "Innovation in Equine Health and Welfare." McSweeney's presentation, "Using accelerometer-based inertial measurement unit sensors to identify racing Thoroughbreds at high risk of catastrophic musculoskeletal...

The equine fatality rate in North America has shrunk significantly over the last 15 years, from 1.98 per 1,000 starts in 2009 to 1.32 last year. Still according to officials, that number remains higher than other racing jurisdictions around the globe such as Australia, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, and New Zealand. If there was a unifying theme running through Tuesday's Jockey Club Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, however, it was that the industry has all the tools necessary to uniformly reduce fatality rates to meet and beat...

Edited Press Release The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) requests participation from Thoroughbred trainers and owners in the research phase of the AAEP's initiative to assist with the implementation of wearable biometric sensors to improve early detection of musculoskeletal injuries. In November 2023, the AAEP Racing Committee released a Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting proposals from applicants for a joint project involving the development and application of wearable biometric sensor technologies that would be employed on all Thoroughbreds for all races and recorded workouts in the U.S. From 12...

Edited Press Release The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting proposals from applicants for a joint project that will involve the development and application of wearable biometric sensor technologies to improve early detection of musculoskeletal injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States. Wearable biometric sensors have shown promise in the identification of sub-clinically affected racehorses or those at risk of musculoskeletal injury. Any proposed system that monitors musculoskeletal parameters related to gait needs to have data transmission capabilities that interface with...

Last week, the research team associated with StrideSAFE--a biometric sensor mechanism capable of detecting minute changes in a horse's gait at high speed--announced that seven of eight horses that suffered catastrophic musculoskeletal cases at Churchill Downs during its most recent meet showed via post-race readouts abnormalities as soon as they left the starting gate. In a nearly two-hour town hall Monday morning, StrideSAFE founder David Lambert and Churchill Downs equine medical director Will Farmer dug into the details, discussing the findings from an ongoing study in Kentucky and fielding questions...

A research team associated with StrideSAFE, the biometric sensor mechanism capable of detecting minute changes in a horse's gait at high speed, concluded that the majority of the recent musculoskeletal fatalities at Churchill Downs were due to pre-existing conditions. A total of 12 horses suffered fatal injuries over a recent five-week period at Churchill, leading track officials to unveil new safety initiatives and then move the remainder of the current meet to Ellis Park. A grant was awarded to StrideSAFE by the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council (KEDRC), prompting a...

'StrideSAFE' Horse Safety will be instituted as part of the track's Equine Wellness Program during the 2023 racing season, and prominent Thoroughbred owner James McIngvale has pledged to cover two-thirds of the costs for the testing of Thoroughbreds. StrideSAFE is 'a biometric sensor mechanism that slips into the saddle cloth to detect minute changes in a horses's gait at high speed.' The changes are said to be undetectable to the naked eye and are recorded in a stoplight fashion--green for all clear, varying shades of amber as warnings for possible...