News Note

Movement Sensors Show Promise in Identifying Racehorses at Risk for Injury

By Devin Rokyta

A small 3-ounce sensor capable of recording 2,400 movement data points in 1 second could reduce the number of injuries to racehorses, according to a recent study.

The research team, lead by Warwick Bayly, PhD, MS, BVSc(Hons), DACVIM, a professor in equine medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, used the biometric sensors, developed by StrideSAFE, to track Thoroughbreds as they trained and raced at some of the top racetracks in the United States. The researchers identified miniscule stride changes associated with increased risk for injury, allowing them to intervene before a catastrophic breakdown.

“These racehorses get extensive examinations before races, but catastrophic injuries still happen, and not because they stepped in a hole or took a bad step. A large percentage have a pre-existing pathology not readily apparent on clinical examination,” said Denise Mc Sweeney, DVM, MS, an equine surgery resident at WSU who was the first author on the study. “From our sensor data, we know most catastrophic injuries have a distinct stride pattern. Now we can see when there’s something wrong with their strides and step before a major injury occurs.”

The sensors measure changes in the rate and direction in which a horse moves its legs and body, and generates graphs of its stride pattern. The data are processed by an algorithm and compared against an “ideal stride” derived from high-performing, sound racehorses. Using data from more than 6,500 starts, the algorithm also identifies similarities with strides produced by horses that suffered catastrophic injuries.

Based on how far a stride deviates from ideal and how similar it is to a stride associated with an injury, the horse is assigned an injury risk factor ranging from 1 to 5. Horses with a 5 are 950 times more likely to suffer a catastrophic injury than those with a 1, which is close to the ideal stride.

Of the horses tracked, 70% have fallen into category 1, with 3.5% in category 5.
To test and refine the algorithm, a sensor was placed on horses starting at Churchill Downs and
Ellis Park in Kentucky from April 29 to July 2, 2023. Dr. Mc Sweeney was responsible for collecting clinical data on the high-risk horses.

In their case study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, the team focused on a pair of 3-year-old colts and a 4-year-old stallion flagged as category 5. The sensors alerted veterinarians and trainers to potential injury risks, prompting diagnostic imaging that confirmed an increased risk for catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries. Each horse avoided catastrophic injury after being given time to recover before returning to the track.

“These are prime examples of how this technology can prevent horses from breaking,” Dr. Mc Sweeney said, adding she is hopeful the sensors will become standard for all Thoroughbred racing and training.
“I believe this is going to make a huge impact,” she said. “The sensors can save the lives of horses and jockeys—they already have.”

WSU has been working with StrideSAFE since 2020 when the sensors were tested at the campus’ Hitchcock Research Racetrack. WSU is the only U.S. university with a dedicated research racetrack. MeV

For more information:
Mc Sweeny D, Holmström M, Donohue KD, et al. Using accelerometers to identify a high risk of catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in three racing Thoroughbreds. JAVMA. 2024 Jun 21. doi: 10.2460/javma.24.02.0114
https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.24.02.0114/javma.24.02.0114.xml

The project was supported by a grant from the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council. Researchers included employees and shareholders of StrideSafe. The WSU researchers have no vested interest in the StrideSafe company.