In equestrian sports, particularly at the high-level, horses are premier athletes whose performance and well-being depend on constant attention and care. Among those who ensure the well-being of these champions, grooms play an essential but often overlooked role. They provide daily care for the horses and develop a close relationship with those they care for. Their dedication, expertise, and attention to detail contribute to maintaining the horses in good health and mental condition, allowing them to fully express their potential.
Grooms are therefore key players in the well-being of high-level horses, ensuring their physical and mental health and thus contributing to their sporting success. This includes observing the horse's behavior, mood, and physical condition. This vigilance allows for the identification of potential health issues or anxiety and enables the necessary measures to be taken to treat them promptly.
As part of our partnership with NOVOSTABLE, we provided their intelligent monitoring solution to two of our ambassadors: Gregory Wathelet, a Belgian show jumping rider, and Sébastien Cavaillon, a French eventing rider, to gather valuable feedback from their grooms on its effectiveness.
Julie, partner of Sébastien Cavaillon and manager of their stables, along with Pauline, partner and groom of Gregory Wathelet, share their experience with the NOVOSTABLE solution and explain how its use has helped promote the well-being and performance of their horses, particularly at the elite level.
The improvement of horse welfare
The two women agree on the importance of daily monitoring of the horses.
Julie explains, 'It's important that our horses are in good physical and psychological shape. Every day, they should be happy to go to work, with high spirits. For that, we are quite vigilant; we know our horses inside out.'
Pauline adds, 'We have many horses that are high-strung, especially since they are predominantly stallions. NOVOSTABLE has really helped me because I never saw them resting during the day, and now I realize that they sleep a lot at night when they are really calm and there is no noise.'
The NOVOSTABLE solution provides valuable assistance in this mission by continuously monitoring the behavior and movements of the horses, providing grooms with precise information.
Julie recounts how NOVOSTABLE helped with their mare, Quatchina, who was sidelined due to an injury that forced her to stay in the stall: 'We clearly saw a change in behavior, and we often receive alerts telling us that Quatchina has abnormal activity, higher than usual. So, it allows us to give her some more hay, maybe put her stall neighbor back next to her to try to calm her down, to make her a little more serene. That's pretty good!'
'Our stallions, like Nevados, for example, when the weather starts to get nice, they get a bit more excited. I received a notification last time because he was restless, and I saw that there were horses walking around the stable, and he was getting excited just because of that. The app is super responsive; it can tell if a horse is more agitated than usual or not. That's what I find really great. It's super responsive, based on the horses and their daily activity,' Pauline explains in turn.
These real-time alerts allow grooms to intervene quickly in case of problems, thus avoiding complications and improving the overall well-being of the horses.
Pauline and Julie both shared the importance they place on the time their horses spend outdoors for their mental and physical well-being.
Julie explains, 'We track the time they spend outside of the stall. I find it important to quantify the time they spend in their stall, the time they spend working, and the time they spend in the paddock.'
NOVOSTABLE thus allows them to optimize this time by providing information on when the horses are most active and calm.
A monitoring allowing for the adaptation of training
The solution allows for closely monitoring the horses' fitness, particularly by analyzing sleep and activity data. Grooms can easily identify horses that need more rest or more intense training, enabling them to adjust the horse's exercise accordingly.
Pauline shares, 'These indications are very useful to see if they are resting, especially if they are lying down; that's super important. I realize that they do sleep a lot.'
Julie, on the other hand, particularly appreciates the time-lapse feature to track her horses' rest: 'We can review the horse's night; it's quite funny to see when we come back from a competition if they lay down more during the night or, on the contrary, before leaving for a competition. They are smart; they know very well when they are going to a competition; if they sleep well or not, if they lay down just as much, etc. So, it allows us to have information, refine our knowledge, and spot the horse's behaviors to know if they are comfortable and in the right mindset.'
An invaluable tool for equine professionals
Both recommend the use of NOVOSTABLE to other professionals in the equestrian field and to riders, highlighting the quality of the image, the richness of the information provided, and the ease of use of the solution.
Julie recommends NOVOSTABLE because, in her opinion, 'the image quality is excellent, and we have a lot of information; it's comprehensive, and the information provided is relevant.' She particularly thinks that this tool can be useful for anyone involved in foaling, clinics, or horses undergoing rehabilitation.
Pauline also shares her thoughts on this, 'It's easy to use for everyone. Our horses are a big part of our lives; it's important to know if they are doing well and to keep an eye on them, even when we're not there. So, I would recommend NOVOSTABLE.'
Both are convinced that NOVOSTABLE is a valuable asset for the well-being and performance of their horses. They believe that the solution allows for early detection of health issues, better understanding of the horses' needs, and optimization of their training.
'NOVOSTABLE helps to avoid missing signs of colic, for example, or overlooking a horse's stress level that may escalate due to a certain situation. The solution allows for immediate intervention, preventing the prolongation of uncomfortable situations for the horse,' shares Julie.
As for Pauline, she finds the solution 'practical, reassuring, and effective.'
Finally, the constant monitoring of their horses brings peace of mind to both riders and grooms, as Julie emphasizes:
'We had an injured mare; we could monitor her remotely. In the evening, we take our phone, we can check if everything is okay. Since she spent 24 hours a day in her stall for several days, being able to check in the evening after dinner, once we're home, that she's not colicking and that everything is fine, is quite comforting. We're at home, we can check on that, we don't need to go back to the stable.'
It's not always easy to keep an eye on all the horses in the stables at all times. NOVOSTABLE has therefore devised an innovative intelligent monitoring solution dedicated to horses, designed to provide riders, owners, and grooms with peace of mind regarding the well-being of their equines. The solution consists of a camera specially designed for horses, combined with powerful artificial intelligence and an intuitive mobile application. This cutting-edge technology analyzes the horse's habits and detects unusual behaviors that may indicate a health problem or stress. The rider and their groom can then be alerted in real-time to any abnormal changes in the horse's behavior, enabling swift intervention. The NOVOSTABLE solution also allows for the evaluation of the horse's sleep quality, an essential factor for its recovery and well-being. With this information, the horse's work can be adjusted accordingly.
NOVOSTABLE thus provides assistance in improving the well-being of horses through early detection of health issues. Continuous monitoring of the horse and alerts in case of problems also bring peace of mind to the groom and rider, enabling them to enhance their understanding of their horses' needs and behaviors.
