In this episode of the Disease Du Jour podcast, Sara Langsam, VMD, discussed the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) wearable biometric sensor research project for Thoroughbred racehorses. As chair of the AAEP’s Racing Committee, Langsam has spearheaded this effort, which the AAEP hopes will help address catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries in these horses.
What Is the Wearable Biometric Sensor Research Project?
In 2023, following a public cluster of racehorse injuries, the AAEP and its Racing Committee invited 25 veterinarians involved in different aspects of the racing industry to participate in a forum. The forum determined racehorse injuries are not a U.S. problem; they are an international issue. Despite halving the injury rate over the past 15 years, the goal is still to push toward zero injuries. So, the forum started identifying trends, ultimately coming up with nine recommendations for the industry to improve equine safety.
“All the regulations on medication and safety protocols that have gone into place both before HISA (Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority) and after HISA are wonderful, but they’re probably at their max for what their impact is going to be,” Langsam said. “And we firmly believe that as we keep lowering this injury rate, the next level will come from technology.”
They decided the best path forward was to find a suitable screening tool for these horses in the form of a wearable biometric sensor that could detect musculoskeletal changes. Looking at the two that were commercially available, they believed there was room for improvement. They decided to issue a request for proposal to a broad group of technology companies in hopes of finding a more suitable option.
Then, the Racing Committee formed a new subcommittee, which consists of eight veterinarian members from different backgrounds and specialties, none of whom are affiliated with any of the technology companies. The members individually graded and scored 12 proposals, selected the six that scored the highest, and asked those companies for full proposals.
Each sensor company was responsible for recruiting at least 100 U.S.-based 2-year-old Thoroughbreds to include in the study (the final number of horses included in the study is around 700). As of Jan. 1, the horses have been wearing the sensors during breezes. The sensors will be evaluated for accuracy and ease of use throughout the year (the study duration is 12 months).
Data Collection Process
Each week the horses in the study breeze, the sensor companies are required to send the subcommittee a data point for each horse outlining the characteristics of the breeze, such as the distance, time, type of track, and surface material. Based on the data from the breeze, the sensor company will issue a green, yellow, or red rating for the horse. Green means the horse is moving as normal, yellow means the horse is starting to change, and red means there could be a problem. If a horse misses two breezes, it is required to undergo a veterinary exam by the farm or trainer’s attending veterinarian.
“We just need to know, why did that horse miss two breezes?” Langsam explained. “Was there a musculoskeletal injury, or was it colic or a respiratory problem or some sort of immaturity?”
From there, they need to determine if the horse developed a problem after consistent green ratings, indicating the sensor might have missed something. Similarly, if a horse has consistent red ratings but the veterinary examination doesn’t reveal anything, it could mean the sensor is giving false positives.
“In the end, we’ll look to see who has the most false negatives, who has the most false positives, and how that data trend collated,” Langsam said. “We chose 2-year-olds specifically because we know that 40% of them are going to come up with some minor injury, whether it’s bucked shins or tendinitis, and we really need the sensors to be that sensitive to be able to pick them up.”
Potential Long-Term Impacts of This Research
Langsam said she hopes these sensors become the true screening tool for horses to detect early injuries so veterinarians can intervene before catastrophic breakdown occurs. “They’re not going to tell you if the horse is lame specifically in one leg or another, certainly will not replace a veterinary exam, but it will just alert the team around that horse that, hey, you should probably take a close look at this horse,” she said.
The sensors could also have an economic benefit, as early detection could prevent surgery, decrease rehabilitation time, and keep horses in racing longer.
Langsam hopes multiple sensors in this study will be reliable enough to formally recommend to the industry. In an ideal world, the use of biometric sensors would be mandated by HISA, but with multiple options available for owners and trainers to choose from.
“There’s going to be a couple of hard conversations that the industry is going to have to have about data ownership and who’s going to pay for these sensors, and there’s no way to avoid those conversations,” Langsam said. “Since we don’t have any financial interest in this directly, the AAEP is kind of the perfect nonbiased group to get this started and see if any of these are ready for any kind of implementation.”
About Dr. Sara Langsam
Sara Langsam, VMD, is a partner at South Florida-headquartered Teigland, Franklin and Brokken DVMs, Inc. (TFB Equine) and manager of its Belmont Park division.
Upon receiving her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, Langsam completed an in-hospital internship at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, before joining TFB Equine in 2003. She became a partner in 2009 and, in 2012, expanded the practice to provide year-round services for its clients at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. In addition, Langsam serves on the Horsemen’s Advisory Group of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.
Related Reading
- Disease Du Jour: Post-Racing Health Concerns and Opportunities for Thoroughbreds
- Disease Du Jour: Regulatory Veterinary Medicine for Horses
- Monitoring Racehorse Injuries With PET: Peak Training Best Time
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