HOOF-BASED MULTIPURPOSE ACTIVITY TRACKER FOR EQUINES

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.