Kurtsystems "Equine Training System" Means Faster Steeds, Fewer Injuries
A horse trots along a dirt road in Turkey, encased by the Kurtsystems Car equine training system. What may look like a complex horse-drawn carriage is actually a high-tech way to automate the delicate process of training racehorses. The horse isn’t pulling the four-and-a-half-ton, $427,000 vehicle. Rather, the vehicle keeps pace with the animal, and trainers fit the horse with equipment such as an electrocardiogram machine, oxygen masks and movement sensors to monitor its performance. They can then subtly regulate the horse’s speed for optimal training. Mehmet Kurt, the company’s founder, developed the device after his own horse died as a result of overtraining and human error. Kurt wanted a machine that would train horses to their full potential and eliminate such afflictions as lactic acidosis, by alerting trainers to muscular, circulatory and respiratory problems early.