EquumTemp : A palpation aid that document and detect temperature changes on the surface of horse’s forelimbs

Abstract: At the moment, in the daily health care for horses there is a lack of technical aids for private use. As a horse owner you need to physically palpate the horse’s limbs to detect signs of injury and lameness. It is difficult and the signs are usually vague and hard to distinguish. Technology and interaction design could be the solution to this problem. The related research this paper builds on are: clinical complementary diagnostic methods for lameness diagnosis, wearable health monitor systems for humans and smart textiles on horses. The question this paper tries to answer is: How to develop and design a prototype of a product that is an aid for horse owners to document and better understand changes in surface temperature of the horse’s fetlock? To answer this question a user-centered design process was used. A survey, expert domain interview, design and development of a prototype, two different user testings’ and a design workshop. The result is a prototype of a palpating aid called EquumTemp. It is used by the horse owner as a second opinion on the status of their horse fetlock temperature. EquumTemp measures, stores and documents surface temperature of the fetlock. The prototype was tested by the author for 2 weeks and by three different potential users. The knowledge gained from the project resulted in defined product requirements.