Equine Applications of Thermal Imaging

Thermal imaging can play a crucial role in safeguarding horses from injury and illness. Damaged soft tissue such as muscles, ligaments, vertebral, cartilage and hoof’s are not always easily identified and can be very expensive, time consuming and stressful. Most soft tissue damage results in inflammation; inflammation in turn causes heat.

Thermal imaging camera’s can be used to locate and measure heat patterns on a horse’s body. As thermal imaging cameras are hand held, the stress of travel is not an issue, furthermore thermal imaging is non contact involving.

Horses cannot tell us the symptoms of any illness or injury. Injuries and illness result in changes in body temperature and change in blood flow patterns, thermal imaging can be used to help people to recognise injury or illness at a very early stage. Early detection results in early treatment. Thermal imaging can detect stressed areas up to two weeks before they become visible to the human eye. For example, horses can receive treatment for lameness before it occurs, lameness is a symptom of other underlying problems that maybe detected by thermal imaging.

Thermal imaging cameras scan the horse for hot and cold spots, both sides of the horse's body should have the same thermal image, this allows the user identify variations, and thus any problems that may exist.

For horses in training, thermal imaging can assist trainers in scheduling the horses workload. Thermal imaging can further assist trainers in identifying how prepared a horse is for forthcoming competitive events.

There are many applications of thermal imaging in horse care:

• Early detection of injuries and stress

• Identify the source of unease in unhappy horses

• Identify hoof stress

• Monitor horse in training

• Pre race inspection of horses

• Reproduction aid

• Monitor saddle fit/rider symmetry

• Evaluated the health of horses pre purchase

• Lameness detection

• Dental scanning

Course duration: TBA
Course Fee: TBA
Average class size: 9 students
Note: This course: will be available from September 2009

Course objectives:

The aim of this course is to introduce students to thermal imaging. The course gives particular focus to the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as how best to use and operate thermal imaging camera’s for the inspection of horses.

The course combines thermography with equine theory allowing students:

• Identify areas of heat

• The reasons for raised temperatures

• Analysis saddle fit

• Design thermal imaging plans for horses

• Hoof analysis

• The heat and reproduction cycles

• Reporting procedure

The examination will be a combination of practical demonstration and a written exam.