Ulrike Schweder - Equine Thermography

07/10/2021

Excellent observation by my friend Ashley in Nebraska. Even though we don’t know the exact cause of the cold area and what impact (long or short term) it has on the horse’s welfare, it makes you wonder if a noseband cranked shut so that not even a finger can be put underneath it might lead to a similar thermal image of nerve and/or circulatory dysfunction.

So far I haven’t seen anything like this in the horses that I have assessed.

Edit: for those not familiar with the western riding/barrel racing terminology

Tie down- a noseband similar to a cavesson that is like a loose loop with a ring into which a strap running from the girth is clipped. It’s a bit like a standing martingale but clipped into the noseband instead of the bit rings. The material for the tie down can be leather, rope, rawhide or as in this case wire.

Futurity - a whole year of barrel racing events for horses 5 years or younger (usually 4 year olds) which have not raced before.

Do you ride your horse in a tie down?

The next time you choose your equipment, remember this picture.
The next time you have to choose a "harsher" noseband because your horse is "running through" your current choice, remember this picture.

Consider the fact that you may be causing nerve damage.
Consider the fact that maybe your horse can't even feel their face anymore.

These are the images of a quarter horse ridden in a tie down with a wire noseband in their futurity year of barrel racing.
This horse is now 15.

Correct infrared imaging of the horse tells us more than just a story of anatomy, more than just a story of physiology.

03/10/2021

Exciting opportunity to win a saddle fit thermographic scan with Ulrike Schweder - Equine Thermography facilitated by Niamh at Equine Therapies Ireland.

Have you ever worried your saddle may be causing your horse discomfort? Here's your chance to see the impact of your horse's saddle on their back in the Infra-red Spectrum.
The camera doesn't lie! Especially not the Infra-red camera.
The images included demonstrate a horse with some saddle fit issues and two hours post bodywork.

We are offering 4 lucky equestrians the opportunity to have a pre and post scan of their horses back and rib cage and report carried out by Ulrike. Niamh will then give you her assessment based on palpation of your horses back AND will eliminate any pain on the day.

If you've ever worried about saddle fit this is the opportunity for you.

To be eligible to win one of these prizes you must share this post and tag two horsey friends. Also comment why you think your horse needs this assessment with a picture of your horse.
Due to travel requirements applicants must be based in Dublin, Meath or Kildare. The horse must be stabled at a location with a sizable enclosed area where images may be taken without distortion from the wind\rain. If horse is clipped that is fine but the back and ribs must be fully clipped out because hair shows a difference in temperature.

We will draw winners names a week from today and will be in touch. Look forward to meeting our winners 😁🦄

www.equinetherapiesireland.ie
http://facebook.com/SchwederThermography

24/07/2021

🍳 Frying up some onions

23/07/2021

🎼 Polly put the kettle on

18/07/2021

☀️ Another warm day here in Dublin. Make sure your pets have access to water and shade. 🏖

12/07/2021

❓ Infrared thermography - magic mugs - have you ordered yours yet?

🐎 A much better use of equine thermography would be for detecting the location of inflammation from injury and changes in vascular activity, rehab/wellness monitoring and prevention through regular assessments.

📌 Safe, non-invasive, quick and affordable. €20 OFF full thermal baseline assessment in JULY - booking required by 15th July.

Get in touch for more information and to book your appointment.

10/07/2021

✈️ Airplanes through the infrared thermal camera.

🌡 Can you guess the temperature measured just behind the engines?

10/07/2021

🌈 The two chimneys and the incinerator yesterday evening.

10/07/2021

🌈 Howth smoldering yesterday evening.

10/07/2021

🐎 Heat distribution of a horse trotting on a circle.

❓ Interesting hot area behind the surcingle where the saddle flap would be in the ridden horse.

📌 Book a full thermal baseline assessment by 15th July and get a € 20 discount. DM for more information.

Please like, comment and share to see more of these posts in your news feed.

09/07/2021

A bit of evening fun in the indoor arena 🐎

https://youtu.be/y6sipV5EicQ

Infrared thermography of a cantering horse on the lunge.

09/07/2021

❓ What is Equine Thermography?

▪ Infrared thermography is a physiological imaging modality. Thermograms make the heat radiated off a horse's skin visible. Metabolic activity, injury and inflammation change these heat distribution patterns (see the carpal joint/knees in the image).

▪ Significantly asymmetrical areas between the nearside and offside are identified by the technician and may warrant further investigation for diagnosis and treatment by your vet.

▪ Radiography (x-rays) and sonography (ultrasound) are anatomical imaging modalities. They are used to show damage to bone and soft tissue but they do not provide any information about blood circulation, inflammation or metabolic activity.

▪ Infrared thermography can detect injury and inflammation up to 2 weeks before the appearance of clinical signs (pain, swelling, lameness, manual palpable heat).

❗ In summary, thermal imaging can help find the location of injury or inflammation while x-rays and ultrasound are used by the vet to diagnose and determine the next steps for treatment.

❗ Thermography is best used in conjunction with conventional imaging modalities. Since it is quick, non-invasive, safe and affordable it can help prevent serious, detrimental or fatal outcomes by early detection. A full body assessment includes ~ 30 images of the limbs, back and body.

❗ Vet bills can quickly exceed your budget. If you know where to look, a diagnosis may be made quicker with less cost involved. Thermography is also great to monitor healing and ongoing health.

📌Get in touch for more information and to book an appointment. Send me a message with your questions or post them in the comments below.

📌 Dont forget: € 20 OFF full thermal baseline assessment if booked by 15th July. Leinster/Ireland

08/07/2021

❓ Would you call the vet? What would you do? Comment below!

▪️ Yesterday the offside carpal joint felt warmer than the nearside - thermal imaging and analysis reveals a significant asymmetry of the thermal patterns in the caudal region of the carpal joints.

▪️ The horse did not show clinical signs of lameness, yet.

▪️ Human hands can only feel temperature differences above 3°C while a difference of more than 1°C is considered significant and warrants further investigation by a vet with manual examination, x-rays, ultrasound, MRI etc.

▪️ This horse had a vet confirmed injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon below and medial to the offside carpal joint in July 2020 which had healed 90% as of May 2021.

▪️ If in doubt, please always call out the vet for diagnosis and treatment. The observed thermal pattern could be an early indication of re-injury or strain of the carpal joint tissues.

❗️ Early detection of inflammatory responses or increased metabolic activity together with protective measures (box rest, reduced workload, cold hosing) and observation can prevent further serious, detrimental or fatal outcomes.

❗️ Infrared EQUINE THERMOGRAPHY is a QUICK, NON-INVASIVE and AFFORDABLE physiological imaging modality which can help locate and monitor areas of inflammation for further follow-up and diagnosis by a vet.

❓ In a case like this, where there is an old injury and not lameness yet, what would you do and when would you call out the vet? Let me know in the comments below.

🌈 Send me a PM if you have any questions, would like to learn more or to book an appointment.

07/07/2021

❓Have you considered infrared thermal imaging when your horse doesn’t feel right?

❓Are you in a livery, competition or racing yard?

❓Would you like to see how thermography works and how it could help in locating areas of inflammation or injury?

❗️Get in touch to discuss DEMO options and special yard discounts

06/07/2021

Just a wet cat eating and snoozing 🌈

04/07/2021

‼️ € 20 OFF - full baseline thermal assessment ‼️

Discover your horse’s sore points - limited availability!

Offer valid until 15th July 2021 for assessments in the month of July 2021.

Get in touch for more information and to book an appointment.

24/06/2021

Every horse has its own unique thermal pattern. This is why it is so important to have a set of baseline images to compare against when we suspect that there is something wrong.

The absolute temperatures vary depending on environmental conditions. What is important is the pattern and the symmetry between the left and right parts of the body.

24/06/2021

An office kind of day ☀️

20/06/2021

The other day I dropped one of those stove top espresso makers on my foot. Hurt a bit when it hit my toes but that was it. Forgot all about it but noticed the bruise today and wondered what it looked like in infrared thermal images.

Can you spot where it landed?

16/06/2021

16/06/2021

10/06/2021

Food for thought

https://www.facebook.com/694014661/posts/10159452647194662/?d=n

“The horse just has a little arthritis in his left hock, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much.”

Horses are great compensators, and they will create alternative locomotive patterns to continue movement.

So, say this little bit of osteoarthritis causes a reduced range of motion of the tarsal joint. In an attempt to maintain stride length and hide this dysfunction to potential predators (because you never know when a lion could be waiting around the corner... or a flapping plastic bag!) the tarsal joint is rotated medially (inwards) during the swing phase of the stride. This results in asymmetrical & medial weight bearing through the digit. This places additional stress through medial hamstring muscles, resulting in muscle tension and trigger points. And this is all something that is potentially going on in just the affected hindlimb.

A hip hike/drop can occur at corresponding phases of the stride, placing the sacroiliac joint under stress, resulting in paraspinal and asymmetrical gluteal tone/pain.

Decreased impulsion from the left hindlimb leads to increased weight bearing through the right forelimb diagonal. This can create tension and hypertrophy to the right pectoral muscles and related fascial planes.

The spiral of compensation could continue on further, affecting cervical muscles that become hypertonic as a result of weight shifting, digit shape and size, TMJ pain, head tiling, hyoid dysfunction, asymmetric tail holding...

Often it can be the case where I see a horse that is a chronic stage of compensation and it can be difficult to find the true cause especially when the horse may appear just overall “stiff”.

I liken the rehabilitation of chronic cases to peeling the layers off an onion; one layer at a time and piece by piece to unravel and rewind the compensation spiral. 🐴

** Note after recieving a lot of messages, if you feel you require help with anything I have mentioned in this post, please drop me a message and I will try to get back to you but it may take me a while as I receive multiple a day! I am based in Surrey and cover most of the South East, so if you’d like a treatment & plan for your horse I would be more than happy. ♥️

10/06/2021

🔬Come and join me for a demonstration of equine thermography.

Over the coming days I’ll be taking back, ribcage and hindquarters images to assess if my saddle is causing muscle tension and to document the lasting effects of physio treatment.

💬 Places are limited. Comment or PM to book your slot

PM to book now

10/06/2021

❓Could my saddle be the cause of the muscle tension in the thoracic spine and ribcage?

Only one way to find out. If the tension and spasms are back after two weeks being ridden, then it is quite likely the saddle. Our physio demonstrated some simple checks which I can do myself.

❓Could we not simply check the saddle fit?

With a conventional flocked saddle this should be no problem. However, my saddle has an air filled cushion on both sides. The theory here is that the weight of the rider distributes the air evenly providing an improved cushioning effect for the horse. Checking saddle fit by running a hand between the panels and the horse with the rider onboard is simply not possible.

Using my professional infrared thermal camera I will be taking images of the back, ribcage and hindquarters over the next two weeks. Comparing the images of the different regions should show whether the patterns return to those in the pictures I took on Tuesday or whether they will more closely match those taken on Wednesday, 2 hours after the physio session.

💬 PM if you would like to join me for these short imaging sessions in the next few days or to book a thermography assessment if your own horse.

09/06/2021

Before and After

So I knew my horse desperately needed some equine bodywork to release the tension in his body. Being curious I took a full set of infrared thermal images yesterday following standard preparation procedures. Today the physio came out - a full assessment was done and a lot of issues were identified and worked on.

There was almost no movement in the spine, tightness in the ribs and a tilted forward pelvis as well as a stiff neck and trapped first ribs.

After his treatment he was walked in hand for 15 minutes, and overall left untouched for 2 hours. Then I took another set of infrared images. The ambient temperature was almost the same between both sessions. The absolute temperatures as detected by the camera are represented with the same colour scale but the really important thing to look at are the patterns - what a difference!

The changes are clearly visible in the before and after images of the ribs, the hindquarters and the back. Simply amazing!

PM to book an appointment and more information. Please like, comment and share to keep seeing these kind of posts.

08/06/2021

Booked the physio for tomorrow morning and thought I might take a set of infrared thermal images before and after to see what the effect is on his body.

Obviously that means thoroughly grooming (no washing), plaiting mane and tail. And now he is patiently waiting for an hour to allow the body surface heat to get back to normal. Remember, touching and especially grooming with a brush increases the blood circulation.

Please like and comment if you’d like to hear what difference I’ll find.

07/06/2021

Don't want to interrupt your training schedule?

⏰ Book a morning appointment
✅ no exercise or turnout in the 12 hours prior (overnight)
✅ min. 2 hours after feeding concentrates or grains
✅ no rest period required after the 1 hour thermography session

🛁 Wash off any topical sprays and liniments at least 24 hours prior to the assessment (if applicable)
✅ Artefacts like mud, dirt, creams or spray affect the thermal patterns and can lead to incorrect readings

🧽 Remove rugs and thoroughly groom your horse at least 1 hour before our meeting
✅ Clean, even, flat lying hair, mud and without sweatmarks
✅ Plaited/bandaged up mane and tail for clear view of the neck and hindquarters

🔑 For a 9 am appointment, no exercise after 9 pm the previous day, feed at 7 am, remove rugs and have your horse groomed by 8 am. From 10 am onwards your horse can be trained, turned out or competed as usual.

📧 If your horse is not quite right, had a fall or you simply want to get a baseline assessment done - don't delay and send me a PM today for further information and to book.

28/05/2021

🧐 Equine thermography and Lean Sigma

Before venturing off into the equine thermography world I had the opportunity to become a certified Lean Sigma Green Belt practitioner.

Lean Sigma is all about reducing waste (cost, material, time) and to improve quality. At the backend I have already implemented some of the principles to streamline the workflow of image post-processing and analysis. During an infrared thermal assessment the same principles ensure that the images are taken in the correct order to ensure repeatability and quality but also to reduce the requirement to reposition myself or the horse.

Lean Sigma also has a concept of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Zero Breakdowns which aims to remove or reduce the losses through downtime, under performance and poor quality.

Applied to equine wellness this includes routine dental care, vaccinations, worming and shoeing/trimming. We humans might go for annual health checks but I don't see this done often for our horses.

For most of us this is where the preventive care stops and the reactive care starts. The physio, osteopath, chiropractor get called out when we suspect muscle tension or we think the back man can work his magic and fix the poll, pelvis, you name it. We do call them out on a regular basis but it's usually because the performance is deteriorating and not to prevent this from occurring in the first place.

And then there's the endless list of lameness issues or other signs of illness and poor performance when we call out the vet at which point it can get very costly if the diagnosis is not straight forward. Different imaging tools (x-rays, ultrasound, MRI, CT, scintigraphy), sedation, nerve blocks, followed by medication may be needed to determine the root cause and to get our equine partners back to health.

🔑 Equine thermography sessions at regular intervals can help catch inflammation and changes in metabolic muscle activity early and corrective action can be taken to prevent further serious damage.

📧 PM for more information or to book a full body infrared thermal assessment.

27/05/2021

I would imagine that an injury to the superficial muscles such as in this case is clearly visible in infrared thermal images throughout the various stages of inflammation and healing.

Let’s catch injuries like these as early as possible.

Get in touch for more information and to book an infrared thermal assessment of your horse.

25/05/2021

A painful strained neck can happen to all of us.

20/05/2021

Very interesting article.

You know the type, stamping, skin problems, feather mites ....

This just might be the resource for you?

https://chronicprogressivelymphoedema.com/

19/05/2021

Show me your horses' hooves

I am looking to take infrared thermal images of known or unknown hoof pathologies such as
▪️ laminitis
▪️ navicular syndrome/disease
▪️ caudal hoof pain
▪️ long toe/low heel
▪️ club foot
▪️ mediolateral imbalances (side to side)
▪️ dorsopalmar/dorsoplantar imbalances (toe to heel)

❓ Dublin and surrounding counties

📧 PM for more details and to arrange a visit

18/05/2021

Inferior check ligament strain healing

Is your horse prone to soft tissue injuries?

1) sudden onset of inflammation (heat, no pain or swelling)

2) inflammation is spreading over larger area

3) size of inflamed area is decreasing

4) further decrease in inflamed area

Lameness and more serious damage could be avoided through early diagnosis and restriction of movement.

The inferior check ligament connects the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) to the carpal joint in the forelimb. Vet diagnosed via ultrasound imaging and manual examination.

PM to book an appointment.

Like, share and comment below.

17/05/2021

Rehabilitation monitoring using infrared thermal imaging

1) Corrective trimming or shoeing can lead to soft tissue strains - in this case to the inferior check ligament of the nearside forelimb (confirmed by vet via ultrasound imaging within a couple of hours after trim)

2) Detection of this injury was pure coincidence* and more serious damage prevented through early diagnosis and intervention

3) Healing takes time, even if it is only a strain - these images taken on day 10 show remaining heat from the inflammatory response

*while waiting for the vet to check the progress of healing of a lesion to the SDFT on the right forelimb we took thermal images and saw the acute inflammation appear within an hour after trimming

Provided the horse and scan location are prepared as per guidelines, a follow up thermal assessment to monitor healing of soft tissue injuries only takes a few minutes.

PM for more information or to book an appointment for your peace of mind.

16/05/2021

🐎 With the winter coat finally gone, the COVID-19 restrictions easing and the 🥇 competition season slowly starting up again there’s no better time to get a full baseline set of infrared thermal images of your horse.

🎞 Baseline images are extremely useful as they can be used as comparison in follow up scans in case of poor performance, injury, lameness or in maintenance or rehabilitation monitoring.

🎥 PM for more information and to book. Limited number of slots available. Dublin and surrounding counties.

👍 Spread the word - like and share with your friends

10/05/2021

I’m curious if the analysis of the thermal images I took this evening can help shed some insights on the location of inflammation/injury of a horse that’s “a bit off” the last few days.

10/05/2021

Time to get up to speed with Gimp to design a new page cover and templates for future post images.

What are you up to today?

08/05/2021

Early signs of laminitis can easily be missed.

Equine thermography can be used to visualise the heat patterns emitted from the coronet band and hoof walls. The images are analysed for symmetry between the same areas in the bilateral limbs. The difference in temperature measurements taken at the coronet band and multiple points down the hoof wall can provide additional insights. A change in heat patterns can often be observed in the heels as a result of the change in stance.

If you suspect laminitis contact your vet. To book a thermography session PM me.

https://www.bhs.org.uk/advice-and-information/horse-health-and-sickness/laminitis