Computerized Lift Offers New Option For Injured Horses

Computerized Lift Offers New Option For Injured Horses LIVESTOCK Health There’s a new high-tech option for healing from fractures and other musculoskeletal problems with horses thanks to a new computerized horse lift that reduces and redistributes a horse’s weight while it is healing The harness attaches to an overhead rail As the horse gets better the system allows the horse to carry more weight and build up strength “It allows the horse to move around so we don’t have issues with muscle wasting ” says Dr Julia Montgomery a large-animal internal medicine specialist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine WCVM in Saskatoon Sask and research team leader RMD Engineering Inc developed the system and consults on the trials Montgomery’s job is to test it which she did literally – putting herself in the harness “It helped me understand horse behavior ” she says During the first phase healthy horses were used to test the system which allows the animal to move in a figure 8 in a two-stall area With overhead rails becoming more common the horse lift could be adapted to veterinarian hospitals arenas and other facilities “It really could be custom-made for the space ” Montgomery says “The new and exciting part is the lift itself It’s a computer program to dial in weight compensation The thing I like about it is that it senses changes in movement So if the horse stumbles it catches the horse ” For the second phase Montgomery is working with a farmer/seamstress to sew a new blanket-style harness that has pickup points at the front and rear legs instead of the abdomen and that uses a sheepskin insert to prevent pressure sores After fine-tuning the harness on healthy horses the final phase will be testing it on horses with acute injuries and musculoskeletal problems Potential customers include owners of racing horses high-level competition horses and breeding stock all over North America There’s a video at www farmshow com of the harness in use Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Julia Montgomery University of Saskatchewan Dept of Large Animal Clinical Sciences 52 Campus Dr Saskatoon Sask Canada S7N 5B4 ph 306 966-7025; www usask ca/wcvm; julia montgomery@usask ca

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