History of Thermography

Infrared has been around since the 1800s and was first discovered by

Sir William Herschel.  The first equine thermograms were taken in the 1960s by

Dr Smith and has since developed into a valuable tool in the equine industry.

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Equine Thermography

The infrared heat that an animial emits from it's body can be view with an infrared camera.  Thermography is considered physiologic imaging and is a qualitative assessment of temperatures.  A "hot spot" indicates inflammation or increased circulation and a "cold spot" is a reduction in blood supply.  Thermographic images can identify areas on a horse that show abnormal hot or cold thermal patterns, helping to determine where a horse might be sore, where there might be lack of circulation or identifying an injury.  It's always best to know a horses "normal" thermal pattern which can be achieved with full body baseline scan.  This is a complete body scan whilst the horse is in normal healthy condition with no injuries.  Having a horses "normal" thermal mattern then makes it easier to determine any changes and abnormal thermal patterns that may indicate injury, inflammation or other conditions.

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How does a thermal camera work?

Infrared thermography is the technique of converting infrared energy into an image that a person can see and understand.  The infrared camera creates an image by converting radiant heat into a signal that can be displayed on the camera screen.  The infrared energy emitted from an object is directly proportional to its temperature.  Therefore, temperatures are accurately measured by the infrared camera.