Ten Thoroughbred industry and charitable organizations have pledged funding for the American Association of Equine Practitioners' wearable biometric sensor research project. Six sensor manufacturers have been selected to participate in the year-long study.
Wearable biometric sensors, which have shown promise as an early warning system for identifying racehorses at increased risk of musculoskeletal injury, are designed to capture data on a horse's movement patterns during high-speed events.
The following organizations have contributed a total of $785,000 to fund the research project, which will run Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025: Breeders' Cup Limited; Fasig-Tipton; The Foundation for the Horse (the charitable arm of the AAEP); Keeneland Association; Kentucky Thoroughbred Association; New York Racing Association; New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association; Oak Tree Racing Association; Ocala Breeders' Sales Company; and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
“The AAEP is excited to be on the forefront of sensor technology. We see this as a transformational opportunity to further protect the health of our equine athletes,” said Katie Garrett, DVM, DACVS, AAEP president and The Foundation for the Horse board chair. “We are incredibly grateful to the Thoroughbred industry groups who share our goal and are making this project a reality.”
Each sensor manufacturer has been asked to recruit 100 2-year-old Thoroughbreds to wear its sensor during the year-long study. Data will be collected on each horse during this period and analyzed to determine accuracy of the sensor.
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