Vigie — Equestrian thermal camera | Automatic hot spot detection

What you really use it to look at

Symmetry, above all

This is the basic principle of equine thermography, and the simplest: you don't read a temperature, you compare two sides. Left forelimb against right forelimb. Left back muscle against the right one. A healthy horse is generally symmetrical. A marked difference between two equivalent areas is a signal that there is something to look at more closely—not a diagnosis, but an indication.

Saddle fit

This is the use riders keep for the longest time. After work, you remove the saddle and look at the back: areas of friction and compression appear clearly. A saddle that presses on one side is immediately visible—and above all, you can compare before and after a saddle fitter's adjustment instead of relying on a feeling.

Tracking over time

A single image doesn't say much. Two images of the same back three weeks apart, taken under the same conditions, say a lot.

The images are saved as JPGs on the provided 8 GB memory card and transferred to a computer via the USB-C cable. You build a dated history that your veterinarian or osteopath can actually put to use.

After the farrier

A change in conformation, a shift in weight-bearing: this translates into temperature differences between the four hooves. A check two days after shoeing, and you know if something has shifted.

Distance is half the work

This is the point no one will tell you on other product sheets, yet it is what separates a usable image from one that means nothing.

A thermal camera has finite resolution. The further away you move, the larger the surface area each point of the image covers on the horse, and the more the discrepancies get lost in the average.

Therefore, we work by areas, never on the whole horse. Five shots at one meter are infinitely better than a single overall view at three meters. Furthermore, the device includes distance compensation at 0.5 / 1 / 2 / 3 m: set it to the actual distance, and keep the same one from one session to the next.

This protocol is detailed in the provided guide.

How to use it

1. Always under the same conditions. Horse dry, at rest for at least twenty minutes, sheltered from wind and direct sunlight. Not right after a shower or right out of the trailer.

2. At the right distance. 0.5 m for a limb, 1 m for the back. Perpendicular to the area, same angle from one time to the next.

3. Always both sides. Left then right, in quick succession. It is the difference that speaks, never the absolute value.

4. Date and keep. A series over time is worth a hundred isolated images.

What Vigie is not

It is not a diagnostic device. Vigie measures surface temperatures, nothing more. It does not detect inflammation, predict lameness, or say what a horse has. A thermal image only makes sense when interpreted in context: the previous day's exercise, the weather, or a blanket removed ten minutes earlier are enough to change what you see.

What Vigie does well is give you an objective reason to call your vet sooner—or not to call them. That is already a lot.

The accompanying guide

A thermal camera without a protocol is a camera without knowing how to frame a shot.

Each Vigie comes with our equine thermography guide: the complete shooting protocol, the five areas to photograph in order with their diagrams, three commented examples of symmetry reading, classic pitfalls (sun, wind, blankets, mud, winter hair), a tracking sheet to print, and benchmarks for knowing when to call your vet.

This guide is what makes the difference between a device that stays in its case and one you use every two weeks.

Specifications

In the box

• Vigie thermal camera
• Battery, pre-installed
• 8 GB memory card
• USB-C cable
• Hippalya equine thermography guide

Our commitments

• Free shipping in mainland France
• 30 days to change your mind — full refund, no justification needed
• 2-year manufacturer warranty
• Quality customer service, reachable by email. Response within 48h