Upper airway disorders, such as dorsal displacement of the soft palate or dynamic collapse of the upper respiratory tract, can be challenging to diagnose in performance horses. Nonetheless, these are important causes of poor performance and can, in some cases, be career-limiting.

Resting endoscopy remains an inferior diagnostic tool and even endoscopic examination during high speed treadmill exercise is often unable to accurately diagnose upper respiratory tract disorders.

According to a brief communication published by a group of researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, a telemetric endoscope has been designed to enable veterinarians to scope a horse while exercising in its normal environment. The scope is placed in the upper respiratory tract and is attached to a head mounted box. The battery pack and digital video recorder are saddle-mounted. The unit can record the structure and function of the airway during exercise and also permits real-time viewing by transmitting the images to a handheld control box