Technology has truly become a necessity in a lot of people’s lives. Many industries, sport included, have benefitted as well. This is especially the case when you look at the way that athletes train and even the way that referees officiate. All in all, this has changed dramatically because of tech, but when you look at it, you will soon see that horse racing is one of the sports that has been slowest to adapt to tech. It has incorporated it more while adhering to the many traditions still in place. A few ways that tech has advanced and changed is because it has aided in safety and it has also benefitted in terms of mobile sports betting. You also have photo finishes and a host of improved data. Tech now has a huge part to play in horse racing, and even though it was slow to adapt at first, it is safe to say that things have changed dramatically. As more and more innovative ideas burst onto the scene, it is safe to say that horse racing is becoming a safer sport for both the jockey and the horse. When you look at the best racing odds, you will see that these no longer take into account the horse. They are also able to take into account numerous other factors and this is very interesting, to say the least.
Health and Safety
If a horse happens to overheat after a hard-run race then this can be a big risk to both their health and their safety. Now though, thermal imaging cameras are being used and this means that vets can check the temperature of a horse after a race and they can also cool them down before it happens to become a serious issue. Medical equipment that is similar to that which is used on humans also includes MRI scanners, endoscopes and more. This helps to diagnose injuries and it also does a lot when it comes to diagnosing diseases earlier. Combining efforts such as this helps to ensure that equine fatalities are reduced. This can be up to 30% in most cases.
Photo Finishes
Horse racing is a very intensive sport and it is known for throwing up a lot of close finishes. The issue with this is that it makes it very hard to distinguish who the winner is to the naked eye. Racecourses over the years have used a lot of photo finishes since the 1930s and this is done to try and decide whether or not a race has a victor. It is also used to try and find out if dead heat has occurred which is also super important when it comes to horse racing. This is all very interesting to say the least and it just goes to show how much of an emphasis is put on making sure that there is a fair result and that there is also a lot of work being done to try and make the most out of a given race.