Artificial Intelligence: How It Can Improve Equine Welfare

AI (artificial intelligence) is clearly the most impactful technology in the world right now, or, at the very least, it is predicted to be the most impactful. To hear it told, it will impact every sector – the arts, law, medicine, programming, and everything in between. Of course, we might also cite equine sports and horse management as possibly being disrupted, too. In some sense, that is already happening.

While there is an argument that artificial intelligence is overhyped, much of which comes from a misunderstanding of how the large language models (LLMs) that underpin the likes of ChatGPT ‘think,’ it is undeniable that the technology can be useful, and we think we can make an argument that it could transform equine welfare. We won’t get carried away by suggesting your stables will suddenly be full of sentient robots looking after your fillies and colts, but there are simple logical changes that could help the industry.

AI for Predictive Analysis

We will start with the simplest concept based on what LLMs do – they predict based on given data sets. As we said, it is erroneous to suggest that an AI thinks like a human (they do not understand what they are saying, nor can it reason beyond its boundaries). However, it can analyse vast amounts of data to predict outcomes. That’s one of the reasons AI is increasingly used in horse racing. Indeed, you can be sure that AI will be used for Royal Ascot and Belmont Stakes betting, as both punters and bookmakers will use the tech to predict outcomes using AI algorithms. Although, again, we would caution that there is a limit to what AI can do in this field.

Nonetheless, we can see some practical use cases for equine management through AI predictive analysis. For instance, injury analysis is a growing field for AI applications (for humans and animals). AI can monitor training sessions, weather conditions, health records, genetics, and other factors to provide advice for training programmes, constantly adjusting them to mitigate risk. An underreported factor is that AI can also assist in disease monitoring, potentially preventing outbreaks of diseases like equine influenza and colic.

The Constant Monitor

Wearable trackers are not uncommon in equine industries, yet AI can bring the capabilities of these devices to whole new levels. Devices like the popular SeeHorse tracker can feed information – heart rate and other vital signs – back to an AI stored on a smartphone, which will monitor and advise. Some have also pointed to biomechanical analysis, looking, for example, at the horse’s gait in the exercise yard. The ability for AI to ‘see’ is relatively new, but even now, the technology can watch a video of a horse walking or running and flag any issues, even those not seen by an experienced trainer.

Nutrition Management

Every horse is different, and it is logical that they will have different dietary needs, with even small adjustments making a big difference in health and performance. AI can significantly enhance nutritional management for horses by analysing various factors such as training, age, weight, activity level and overall health to create personalised nutrition. It’s all about the optimal combination of food, supplements and feeding times to ensure each horse receives balanced nutrition tailored to its specific needs.

Genetics and Breeding

This is arguably going to be the area where AI has the most impact. Data, of course, already plays an important role in breeding, but AI can bring us a step forward in minimising the risks of hereditary diseases and propagating positive traits. You can be sure this will become big business in the global stud sector, particularly when breeding racehorses.