Injuries are part and parcel of elite level sport, and that is no different when it comes to horse racing. Sometimes setbacks can’t be avoided, especially around the time of the Triple Crown, when the high-quality races come thick and fast.
However, with a length break between the summer highlights and the two-day season-ending Breeders’ Cup, all top stars are typically at their peak physical condition, evident by the list of high-quality Breeders’ Cup winners.
But, how is tech playing a pivotal role in preventing injuries in horse racing to ensure superstar thoroughbreds are able to enjoy lengthier careers on track?
Wearable Sensors
One of the most transformative pieces of kit in horse racing comes in the form of wearable sensors. These can be worn during pieces of work on the gallops, to help pinpoint the stride patters, heart rates, and blood pressures of equines.
This can give an accurate reading of what is going on inside a thoroughbred horse, ensuring any lingering issues that may not be obvious from the human eye can be addressed.
Measurements for all metrics can be recorded in real time by a trainer, ensuring that they can take immediate action if something seems amiss. The sensors can also help pinpoint the exact reason for poor performances on track, ensuring that a horse can get immediate attention for an issue that could be impacting their movement. Being able to monitor stride patterns has also found to have a positive impact on reducing the number of serious fractures.
Heart Rate Sensors
As well as wearable tech, heart rate sensors are also incredibly popular in leading yards across the world. Systems such as Polar Equine and Arioneo Equimetre are recommended tools by governing bodies, with both capable of taking heart rate readings before, during, and after working out.
All factors will be crucial in determining the heart of a racehorse, giving a trainer the information that is required to develop tailored plans to get the best out of their runners.
Horses that have irregular heartbeats may have underlying conditions that will need to be addressed, and it could be a potential factor that hadn’t been considered following a poor performance on track. Ensuring that horses are at their peak condition is important, as this would reduce the risk of any potential injury when they are competing in a race.
AI Data Analytics
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also playing a profound role in safeguarding racehorses on track. AI has the power to consume vast amounts of data quicker than a human, taking into account the metrics recorded via heart rate sensors and wearable to give an accurate overview of a horse.
AI can use the HISA Database to machine learn and evaluate historical data, both surrounding the horse themselves and their pedigree. This can help pinpoint potential areas that should be considered in sires and dams that could once again be an issue for a younger horse.
The data collected can also be used to compare recent metrics to previous stats, with inferior metrics typically indicating that something could be amiss. Having all this information available will help AI to make accurate recommendations for a horse, which could include determining whether a horse is fatigued. Spotting this early would be crucial for a trainer, as running a fatigued horse would increase a runner’s chances of getting injured.
Track Surface Tech
A safe surface is vitally important in regards to safeguarding horses on track. Smart technology is regularly used to monitor the surface used in horse racing, with automated sensors being in operation to measure the hardness, moisture, and temperature to give the most accurate reading.
This helps officials to adjust the maintenance of the track, which could include watering if the ground is too hard. It can also help officials to flag off certain parts of the track that are unsafe for racing, and even call off a meeting if the ground in unsuitable.
Post-Racing Tools
After racing, FIR-Tech Ceramic Therapy is also commonplace at racecourses, with the gear able to get a horse’s body temperature back to a safe measurement. In part, this will increase the blood circulation and relieve muscle tension, just as a warm down would work in sports for humans.
This is a key part of the recovery for a horse following a race, ensuring that they are safe to travel back to their stables with a reduced risk of injury. There are also post-race tools in place for jockeys, with Concussion and Oculomotor Tracking safeguarding riders.
These can help detect brain health conditions and concussions after a fall. Jockeys will be required to attend these tests after a serious fall in a jumps race, and they must be cleared before they are safe to resume riding in races.
