Artificial intelligence (AI) might sound like something from a tech lab, not a stable yard, but vets, researchers and even the military sayitsalready transforming how wemonitorhorses. At this years National Equine Forum (NEF) on 5 March, speakers revealed how AI is helping catch health problems earlier, understand horses needs more clearly, and give owners and carers informationtheyvenever had before.And crucially, the experts were unanimous:AIwontreplace thehorsemanseye it simply fills in the gaps when wecantbe there.The session included expert insight from Dr Liz Cresswell MRCVS, veterinary lead of Vet Vision AI, Pip Young, a PhD student at Bristol Veterinary School, Major Graham Harvey MRCVS of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and jHubMed scout and project lead and Professor Sarah Freeman FRCVS, a professor of veterinary surgery at the University of Nottingham.24/7 eyes on horses: what AI is actually doingDr Cresswell opened the session by explaining how AI is used in cattle to analyse behaviour and welfare around the clock, and why horses could benefit inexactly the sameway.We can teach AI algorithms what these different behaviours look like on a camera, she said. It gives us very objective 24/7, 365day data into how our animals are living. AIisntguessing itsrecognising patterns that humans can miss. And while artificial intelligencewontmuck out or spot a loose shoe, itcanmonitorfeeding, resting, and activity with a degree of accuracy impossible for a person on a busy yard.Spotting pain earlier beforeitsobvious to usOne of the most striking demonstrations came from Professor Freeman, who showed video of a horse quietlycolicking.To humans, the horse appeared fine when approached, with its head over the door and ears pricked. But as soon as the groom walked away, the footage showed repeated flankwatching and lyingdowngettingup behaviour.Horses can conceal signs of pain and distress, Professor Freeman said. AI helps us understand what a horses life is truly like.Her team analyses millions of images a day and has already identified: Horses withchronic sleep deprivation. Individuals withreduced eating timebefore an episode of colic.Welfare impacts of management changes, feed types and even vaccinations. In one case, AI revealed that horses showed a dramatic drop in sleeping while lying down after a strangles vaccination. As a result, the yard now givesbutealongside the jab.The vets would not have been aware of the impact on the horses lying times, Professor Freeman explained. All of the horses now receivebuteas a result of what we learned.Military working horses moveintothe futureMajor Graham Harvey of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps described how AI cameras have been installed in stables across Londons military horse units, known as Project Forboss.The benefits, he said, have been immediate.We want earlier veterinary intervention, he stated. When you engage early, you can treat much faster.Project Forboss is now using AI to: Track eating, drinking, urination and lying down behaviours.Identifyperiods when horsesfail tolie down at all. Flag early signs of health problems before staff would spot them. Analyse which bedding types result in more deep rest. One image showed a horse that hadnot slept in 24 hours something staff would have had no way of knowing in the past.Another graph revealed that younger horses spend more time lying down than older ones, and that straw or woodchip tended to allow deeper rest than other beddings. Weve been able to start addressing issues we simply wouldnt have known about before, Major Harvey said. The big questions: is AI going to replace horsemanship?The panel was clear in its answer to whether AI would ever replace horsemanship:absolutely not.AI should remain a tool to offer supportive evidence, said researcher Pip Young. Humans and their experience should remain involved when making a decision or a diagnosis. Experts warned that: Training AI tools requireshighquality, unbiased data. Owners must avoid overreliance. AI cannot replace intuition, fieldcraft, or good management.But they stressed that AIcanspot patterns we never could, such as a horse that eats slightly less in the 48 hours before colic, or one whose rest pattern shifts due to stress,painor environment.Im not looking for a perfect system. It just needs to be 1% better than the current system. And it already is, said Major Harvey. Whats next? Foaling prediction, pasture monitoring and moreThe future uses of AI are already on the horizon: Foaling predictionlooks promising: horses often show tiny behavioural shifts hours before they foal, which AI can detect reliably.Pasture monitoringwill take more time due to trees,lightingand power, but researchers are already exploring it.Lameness detectionremainsa challenge not because of the technology, but because vets and owners disagree on lameness grading, making training data inconsistent.But the direction of travel is clear: more insight, not less and more welfare benefits, not fewer.What horse owners should take awayAIwonttell you how to ride a halfpass, boot your horse for turnout, or spot that somethings not quite right look we all know so well.But itcould:Help fill in the hours when horsesarentsupervised. Catch the subtle signs before a problem escalates.Giveobjectivedata to support management decisions. Help owners tailor care to each individual horse. Professor Freemansummed it up by saying: AI is allowing us to make evidencebased decisions rather than guesses, and make positive differences to health and wellbeing.As every horse owner knows, the more we can understand whats happening when were not in the stable, the better we can care for the horses we love. Seeing the invisible: how AI reveals what horses hideProfessor Freeman showcasedsome of the most powerful evidence of AIs potential, especiallyregardingpain and sleep.Horses conceal signs of pain and distress, she said. But AI helps us understand what a horses life is truly like.Her team analyses up toseven million images every 24 hoursacross military sites alone, and more than230 million imagesover a standard 30day monitoring period.Theyrealready seeing breakthroughs, such as a chronically sleepdeprived horse experiencing minicollapse episodes is now receiving tailored management changes. While another example came during a strangles vaccination programme, when AI revealed that horses lying times dropped dramatically information humans would never have known.The vets were aware of the injection site reactions, Professor Freeman explained. But they would not have been aware of the impact on the horses lying times.All ofthe horses now receivebutewith this vaccination as a result.What AI will andwont replaceWhile enthusiasm was high, the panel reiterated that AI complementsexpertiserather than replacing it.AI should remain a tool to offer supportive evidence, Pip emphasised. Humans and their experience should remain involved when making a decision or a diagnosis.Professor Freeman echoed that sentiment:You need the sceptics, the cautious, and the adventurous.All ofthose voices make sure we go in the right direction.Major Harvey said: Imnot looking for a perfect system. It just needs to be 1% better than the current system. And it already is.All members of the panel agreed that if a human can recognise a pattern, an AI can be trained to do the same and often more consistently.Professor Freeman stated: Every day is a school day. AI is allowing us to make evidencebased decisions rather than guesses, and make positive differences to health and wellbeing.Related contentGreat ways to enrich your horses environment and make them happier Horse behaviour explained: why everything they do has meaning9 essential things to get right when youre taking care of a horseFuture of equestrianism to be explored at NEF 2026The post Is AI quietly revolutionising horse welfare? What it means for you appeared first on Your Horse.