Project

HOOF-BASED MULTIPURPOSE ACTIVITY TRACKER FOR EQUINES

Code
180O2319
Duration
01 June 2019 → 31 May 2021
Funding
Regional and community funding: various
Research disciplines
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Veterinary internal medicine and pathophysiology
    • Veterinary physiology, pathophysiology and biochemistry
    • Veterinary medicine not elsewhere classified
    • Other veterinary sciences not elsewhere classified
Keywords
activity tracker sensor horses monitorin health
 
Project description
A horse does not only have a financial value, but equally important also an emotional value. Nevertheless is the maintenance and training of a horse still based on general knowledge, instincts, and own experiences. The Hoof-MATE project will develop a multipurpose activity tracker for equines focusing on three pillars: training, nutrition and health. The tracker will allow to properly define the training load and allow to make a fair comparison of it even if the horse is mounted by different riders. We will use the obtained data for training and nutrition plans which are currently only based on manual reports of the owner. Furthermore, there is no straightforward way to evaluate how much energy a horse consumes in the box or meadow. The hoof-MATE device will monitor this 24/7. Last but not least, it will automatically detect anomalies in the horse’s behavior and significantly reduce the time interval by warning the caretaker in an early stage.

We will go beyond the SOTA by choosing for an in-hoof solution, including an optimal antenna design, energy harvesting, advanced machine learning techniques, and real time long range wireless communication. The data obtained by the tracker will allow to achieve performance targets, improve financials, and overall better health of the horse.