A three‐year research project assessing whether artificial intelligence (AI) can detect early signs of musculoskeletal injury in racehorses has launched at the University of Nottingham, backed by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Racing Foundation.
The £416,000 project will use AI and advanced computer vision technology developed by Vet Vision AI – a Nottingham spin out – to monitor the behaviour of 50 stabled racehorses at Johnston Racing through a full training and competition season.
By tracking behavioural patterns around the clock, the team hopes to identify subtle changes that precede limb injuries and develop an early‐warning tool for use during the training season.
The project – ‘Toward Racehorse Injury Prevention: A Computer Vision‐Based Approach for Monitoring Behaviour in Stabled Racehorses and Early Identification of Musculoskeletal Injuries’ – is a collaboration between the university's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (SVMS), Vet Vision AI and Johnston Racing, with a multidisciplinary team including Sarah Freeman, leading the university's equine research group, Katie Burrell and Brad Hill, specialists in clinical equine research, and Robert Hyde, co‐founder of Vet Vision AI.
Project lead at SVMS Laura Randall said: ‘If we can detect the earliest behavioural signs of injury risk, we can intervene sooner to improve health outcomes, and transform approaches to equine health.‘
The project is currently seeking a postdoctoral research associate. To find out more, email laura.randall@nottingham.ac.uk