MARE Center Internship — Csenge V. ’21

Dr. Johnson’s goal is to develop a special smartwatch that could identify and alert the rider of the horses’ exhaustion level so that he can stop the horse and prevent a serious injury or death. She works with her students mainly at the Virginia Tech campus but spends about a week every month in Middleburg, where they put off-the-track thoroughbreds on a special treadmill and measure their heart rate and muscle activity on each leg. They are also planning to place a camera next to the treadmill that would record the horse’s movement in slow motion. They expect that all the data they will be able to collect will give them an average picture of an exhausted horse’s health measurements. The most significant signs of exhaustion that they are looking at are increased heart rate and significantly longer strides as the horse tries its best not to slow down. The project’s main goal is to use this information to design the first smartwatch models soon, and they could be personalized for different types of horses too, like jumpers, hunters, etc., but right now they are mainly focusing on racehorses.

My job the first day was to help clean out the laboratory and reorganize the equipment they already had there. It was interesting to find and read records and research documents from the 90s and old tapes and pictures from the first times the treadmill was used. By the end of the week we had organized everything in boxes and cleaned out the lab, and I think this was really helpful for them to make their short time spent here more efficient. During the first day, we also had a chance to see a horse dentist working on the horses. He even let us feel the horses’ teeth before and after the treatment, and it was obvious that the surface of the teeth got much smoother, and the horses felt better immediately.  

The second day we were mainly spending our time at the treadmill. First, we had to prepare the four horses we used as our subjects: we shaved the hair on their neck, right first limb, and right hind limb in order to glue the sensors on them. The students also placed in a catheter to take blood samples before and after the exercise, to see how the horses’ lactate level changed. Once the horses were prepped, they each spent about 15 minutes on the treadmill doing a walk-trot-canter exercise. Our task was to keep track of time and make notes every time they changed the speed or incline or anything significant happened.

It was amazing to see how the horses were all surprised and a bit scared on the first day, but by the end of the week all of them understood what was going on — they were really smart. They got more and more confident each time they were on the treadmill, and the last day they were half as sweaty as the first, which showed that their condition got much better too. 

When I asked about the next steps for the project, Dr. Johnson said after each week they spend here, they go back to the main campus and spend time evaluating all the data they got, and they are planning a bigger event in May. Their plan is to invite other vets and professors to cooperate on the project and to show them what they have accomplished so far. Dr. Johnson also told us that we are welcome to go back at that time and participate, which I am more than excited about!

Altogether, I think I learned a lot during the week and I am happy I got to be a part of such an interesting and innovative project. Especially as a horse rider and owner, it was truly engaging for me to see and learn about how people are working hard to improve our technology and make our beloved animals’ lives better and safer!