Innovative sensors for the assessment of exercise stress in athlete horse

Abstract

Exercise tests are indicated for the evaluation of a horse’s physical condition and for the analysis of poor athletic performance, often associated with discomfort during training or competition that creates excessive stress in the animal. In order to understand the different biological mechanisms of adaptation to exercise-induced stress, a large amount of data need to be collected in real time, to obtain what is called “deep phenotyping” (DEPH) that opens the way to the full exploitation of omic techniques. The aim of the study is the configuration of innovative low-cost sensors for real time detection of crucial stress parameters that will allow early identification of metabolic dysfunctions preserving the horse’s welfare.