“I use it (thermography) weekly in our racehorses, especially in our two-year-olds who are just getting started,” said Dr. Natanya Nieman, DVM, resident veterinarian for Winstar Farm, LLC in Versailles, Kentucky. “I use thermography as a diagnostic tool and to aid me in lameness evaluations. I scan the horses weekly, usually a couple days after a hard work, just to keep track of things like shins and inflammation in ankles, so I can catch something before it becomes a major issue.”
The Horsemen’s Journal ~ Winter 2008 ~ Thermography: An underutilized diagnostic tool,
In The News
Eight-year-old mare Gap Princess was on a losing streak and trainers were baffled as to what could have caused it. Gap Princess had a good record on the track and showed no signs of lameness or illness. To discover what was ailing the formerly high-spirited horse, Geoff Harker Racing , turned to thermal imaging technology. James Brooks said: “I was called to be told that Princess had stopped winning and looked sad. It wasn’t the usual kind of call we receive.” But the camera detected that the front near fetlock was very warm, although there was no sign of swelling or lameness. Princess was given treatment to alleviate the dryness causing heat in her fetlock and on her first race she was placed in a photo finish of four horses and she romped home to win her second race by a clear margin. Mr. Harker added: “We were amazed. It has helped us to get the horse back into training and winning ways.”
Yorkshire Post ~ October 11, 2012 ~ An Injured Racehorse has Been Healed Thanks to Pioneering Thermal Imaging Technology,
“At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where there was millions of dollars worth of equipment available to the equestrian teams, the most-requested diagnostic tool was thermography. It was fast. It was portable. It was non-invasive. It could detect injury sites before they became lameness problems, and could guide practitioners to specific anatomic areas for study using other diagnostic techniques. And it was extremely accurate when used by an experienced practitioner.”
The Horse ~ October 4, 2001 ~ Thermography: Diagnosis Tool for Horses,
