Meet Equisense Care: The Lifesaving Sweater Vest for Your Horse

It doesn’t take an expert to know that horses are fragile creatures. No matter how much time you spend with them or how many preventative measures you take, horses can still become stressed. They can colic unexpectedly. They often injure themselves in the silliest of ways.

As horse owners, many of us have lost untold hours of sleep fretting over our animals’ well-being, especially overnight, when we can’t be there, and during changes in their daily routine—trailer transport, for instance, or while stabling at a show grounds or a new location.

Most of us don’t have the luxury of being with our horses 24/7 during these periods, but now, at least, we’ll have the luxury of our piece of mind. Enter Equisense: a French startup company that’s created a connected bodysuit for your horse. The suit links to a mobile application and can evaluate your horse’s well-being and state of health in real-time thanks to 3G connectivity.

©Equisense

As horse owners, many of us have lost untold hours of sleep fretting over our animals’ well-being, especially overnight, when we can’t be there.

Got all that? Don’t worry, the concept is pretty simple. Designed for comfort, Equisense’s sweater vest-like bodysuit (available in two weights for summer and winter) allows owners to monitor their horse’s temperature, his movements, sleep patterns, respiratory rate, heart rate, perspiration, and agitation levels. And, if significant changes are detected in the data, Equisense has the ability to alert owners that there may be a problem. In this way, this technology can be an invaluable tool in the effort to detect and monitor signs of colic, especially in horses that are prone to do so.

Owners have the option of monitoring their horse two ways: they can retrieve their data by connecting their smartphone to their horse’s vest-sensor via Bluetooth. Or, they can utilize the monthly subscription option (less than $11/month) and connect in real-time using 3G to Equisense’s system of data and alerts.

©Equisense

Sadly, colic is the number-one cause of death in horses and many fatalities occur as a result of delayed treatment. Colic that goes undetected or begins overnight can often move from a mild, treatable condition to one that is potentially life-threatening and/or requires costly, sometimes ineffective surgery. By being able to evaluate the indicators of colic from afar, or to monitor colic-prone horses during stressful periods, Equisense offers a game-changing weapon in the fight against this potentially tragic condition.

We know, we know, you’re probably chomping at the bit to get your hands on one!

Here’s the deal: on November 21, 2016, Equisense Care will be launching a campaign on Kickstarter and pre-orders will be available on the site. Those who subscribe early will receive a special reduced price (about $165 compared to the regular price of $497) and three free months of access to the subscription service.