Irish firms show form to innovate

Irish companies working in the bloodstock and animal health industry are developing markets by being innovative and flexible

IRELAND IS known around the world for the quality of its competitive horses. But what about the quality of our innovation to support them? Recent years have been marked by the emergence here of technologies to help manage animal health, match horses with courses and even improve the training of jockeys.

One innovation is a portable and easy-to-use nebuliser to combat respiratory infections.

“Competition or high performance horses like racehorses and eventers are prone to getting small infections in the lung when they are travelling or in different environments,” says Tom Lalor, sales executive in Ireland with Claregalway-based Nortev.

Nebulisers for horses can be cumbersome and time-consuming machines, according to Lalor, but he says that Nortev has come up with a more convenient device called Flexineb.

“It’s a soft rubber mask which fits comfortably and tightly around the nose and the jaw so it makes an airtight seal,” he says. “When you start administering treatment, the only way they can get oxygen is through a little valve on the front chamber which is attached to the front of the mask. So every breath they take are getting a breath of whatever you are treating them with.”

In practice, that means being able to treat several horses quickly, he adds.

“You can use this on a whole yard of horses. You can treat a horse for 12 minutes, then clean [the nebuliser] and it’s on the next horse four minutes later.”

Nortev sells its nebuliser in 15 countries, and Lalor describes how the reputation of the Irish horse is a plus when bringing the technology to international markets.

“We are known for having good horses in every industry, especially showjumping, eventing and horseracing,” he says. “And when they see an Irish product it helps, it’s another selling point.”

Dr Heinrich Anhold echoes the benefit of starting up an equine technology company in Ireland. In 2008, he founded Epona Biotech, which is based at the Business Innovation Centre at the Institute of Technology in Sligo. The company is developing a portable analyser for blood samples that can be used quite literally at the stable door, making information available at the horse’s side to optimise health and fitness, rather than having to send samples off for analysis.

“Ireland is an ideal location for us to start up,” says Anhold. “Getting out and in front of customers is very important to us. Ireland has many of our industry leaders at home, and the others aren’t too far away.”

Epona now does the product development in-house, and has been concentrating its research in key market geographies such as Newmarket, Lambourn, Chantilly, Normandy and Lexington, explains Anhold.

“Closer to home we have been constantly demonstrating our models and prototypes to customers in Ireland to get their continuous feedback – this is very important to us,” he says. “I’m very glad to say that we have made major strides in the past year and we now have a working prototype that we are scaling up for a test market launch within the coming months. We’re very excited.”

As well as looking after an animal’s health and fitness, another key to success is matching the right horse with the right course. And that is where another Irish company can help: Equinome has developed a genetic test centred on a gene called myostatin, which has been found to predict sprinting ability and stamina potential.

Based on research at University College Dublin, Equinome’s Speed Gene test can determine the genetic predisposition of a horse to a particular race distance.

Breeding techniques in thoroughbred horse racing have remained relatively unchanged for more than 200 years, according to co-founder Dr Emmeline Hill.

“Breeders have relied on matching proven successful bloodlines together, hoping that the offspring will contain a winning combination of the genes that have contributed to the success of the lines,” she explains. “Until recently, the identity and nature of these genes was unknown.”

Equinome now has clients in all of the major bloodstock regions of the world, and their Speed Gene test can give owners, breeders and trainers information to inform critical breeding, selection, training and purchasing decisions and significantly reduce the risk associated with considerable bloodstock investments, according to Hill.

And it’s not just the horse that wins the race. Having a highly trained and skilled jockey on board is key too. A project based at Dublin City University, in conjunction with the Turf Club, is researching the health and wellbeing of jockeys in Ireland.

“Jockeys need to be as light as possible yet physically fit enough to complete several races in a day,” says Sarah Jane Cullen from DCU’s School of Health and Human Performance. “In order to maximise riding opportunities, jockeys must align their body mass with the strict competition limits, placing great demands on them.”

The use of potentially dangerous routes for weight management – like severe dieting and dehydration – may negatively affect their health and performance, she adds. “In such a high risk sport, competing in an energy deficient, dehydrated state coupled with poor bone health may have serious detrimental effects.”

Already, the ongoing research has informed increases in the minimum weight standards for flat jockeys in Ireland and has informed structured education and workshops for jockeys.

The research is now linking with the Clarity Centre for Sensor Web Technologies to use sensors for looking at typical energy intakes and outgoings for jockeys, says Cullen, who notes that the findings should help jockeys to prepare for competition while enhancing their health and overall performance during their sporting career and beyond.