Identifying when an animal is ill can be challenging, especially since animals like horses and cats can hide their illnesses effectively.
Adam Siedlaczek, a former Polish national show jumping rider, understood this challenge personally when he lost a mare to colic as a junior rider.
“This is sadly very common — almost everyone from my national junior team went through something similar. Colic is extremely deadly for horses.”
Although Siedlaczek moved on to industrial R&D, this experience stayed with him.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, while jogging with a health-tracking wearable, Siedlaczek thought about applying similar technology to horse health.
“During that jog, I thought: there’s technology for humans, like smartwatches and monitors—why not for animals too?”
He collaborated with Szymon Serej, who has expertise in advertising and branding, along with two developers to create a prototype.
“We decided to try building something for horses that could prevent such situations. Losing a horse isn’t only emotionally devastating; it’s also a massive financial loss, especially for professionals—breeders, trainers, riders.”
Colic, a leading cause of equine death, can be managed with early detection, potentially averting costly and fatal outcomes.
Horsano: Rethinking Equine Health with Technology
Enter Horsano, a startup focused on protecting horse health through technology. They’re developing wearables that provide real-time health insights similar to those available for humans.
Serej noted that while experienced breeders might notice signs of illness, horses often spend much time alone, leading to undetected issues.
Horsano functions as a health assistant for horses, measuring heart and respiration rates, heart rate variability, moisture, and activity levels. AI processes this data to give insights into the horse’s health, comparing it to normal ranges and studying specific conditions like colic and respiratory problems.
Siedlaczek explained:
“We collect data during those events, and with AI, we look for what’s typical and what’s not. But we’re also studying horses during specific conditions: colic, respiratory problems, or situations like foaling.”
While there have been previous attempts at creating wearables for animals, Siedlaczek found existing technology unsuitable for their needs.
“We couldn’t find any company willing to adapt their devices to our needs—whether communication protocols, device size, or sensors,” Siedlaczek shared.
Years of R&D Result in Innovative Hardware
The team endured four years of R&D, crafting textiles, software, and hardware.
Serej commented, “We knew it would be a long, difficult road, but it was necessary. Human devices don’t translate easily to horses.”
Horsano’s hardware features a specially designed vest or belt equipped with proprietary dry sensors that detect vital signs through a horse’s fur.
“You don’t need gels, moisture, or to shave the horse. With it, we can measure heart rate and respiration rate. That’s a global innovation — no one else has done it this way,” explained Serej.
The device tracks heart rate, respiration, heart rate variability, movement, posture, and environmental factors. It contains a compact electronics module with a rechargeable battery designed to last 24 hours with full monitoring and up to a week with lighter use, syncing data wirelessly to the cloud.
The lightweight unit is suited for daily wear during stabling, grooming, or transport, with charging similar to a smartphone when not in use.
Speed is crucial in equine wearables. “The system should be faster than a human observer or someone checking on the horse once a day. If you catch colic in the first hour, it might be solved with movement or medication. By the tenth hour, surgery could be required—and that’s €5,000 or more,” Siedlaczek explained.
Expanding from Clinics to Fields
Horsano 1.0 is in use in various veterinary clinics, monitoring horses post-surgery. The forthcoming Horsano 2.0, with dry sensors, aims to provide 24 hours of continuous monitoring on one charge