Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a device that can record horses’ respiratory sounds as they exercise in a normal environment, instead of limiting these recordings to treadmill workouts.

In recent years, researchers have tried to characterize sounds associated with upper respiratory problems in horses, such as low frequency expiration sounds that are associated with dorsal displacement of the soft palate. However, one factor has limited their studies significantly–in order to record respiratory sounds, horses had to be confined to treadmills. This limited the number of horses that could be used in the study because of cost and logistics. It also limited the study data to a clinical setting, which some researchers say can alter the data. The study was published in the July issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal.

After testing several prototypes of the device, researchers at the University of Bristol came up with one that could affectively record respiratory sounds with little hindrance to the horse.

The device incorporates a miniature microphone and an airflow direction sensor (to differentiate between inspiration and expiration sounds) mounted on a lightweight, plastic face mask. The device stores high-quality recordings and air-flow signals on a portable MiniDisc player carried by the rider, according to Jeremy F. Burn, PhD, a professor in the department of Anatomy at Bristol