“He’s a proper diva(戏精，难伺候的人),” a winning rider told Horse & Hound, an equine magazine, of his horse, Dowdstown Purple, at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) in Hickstead, on England’s south coast. Horses have always been pampered(被娇惯的), but they are increasingly treated on par with(与……同等) the most elite human athletes. On digital marketplaces owners advertise horses with elaborate(精心制作的) video profiles and CVs of “notable achievements”. “Very genuine mare who loves to please,” reads one for a grey piebald. “No vices(坏毛病，恶习) whatsoever.”
“他真是个十足的戏精，”一位获胜骑手在英国南海岸希克斯特德举行的皇家国际马展（RIHS）上，对《马与猎犬》这本马术杂志谈起他的马“道兹敦紫”时说道。马一直备受宠爱，但现在它们越来越被当作最顶尖的人类运动员来对待。在数字市场上，马主们用精心制作的视频简介和列出“显著成就”的简历来推销马匹。“非常真诚的母马，喜欢取悦人，”一匹灰色花斑马的介绍这样写道。“没有任何坏毛病。”
Monitoring is the latest advancement. At the RIHS, Britain’s oldest horse show, which took place between July 21st and 26th, show jumpers swap tips on tracking their steeds(骏马，坐骑)’ heart rates and sleep. Many favour Sleip, a Swedish app which uses AI to analyse a horse’s gait(步态，步伐). The United Arab Emirates and Sweden may lead on developing such equine(马的，马科的) technology (the UAE has large stables and lots of money; Sweden has more horses than dairy cows), but Britons are its keenest(最热衷的) consumers. Its equine health-care market is Europe’s largest by revenue, with software and related services, including wearable monitoring, the fastest-growing sub-sector(子领域，子行业).
监测是最新的进步。在7月21日至26日举行的英国最古老马展RIHS上，障碍赛骑手们交流着追踪马匹心率和睡眠的技巧。许多人青睐Sleip，一款利用人工智能分析马匹步态的瑞典应用。阿联酋和瑞典可能在开发此类马匹技术方面领先（阿联酋拥有大型马厩和雄厚资金；瑞典的马比奶牛还多），但英国人是最热衷的消费者。其马匹保健市场按收入计是欧洲最大的，其中软件及相关服务（包括可穿戴监测）是增长最快的子领域。
One reason for this British enthusiasm is welfare(福利，福祉). A recent survey by YouGov, a pollster, for World Horse Welfare, a charity, found that 70% of Britons think a horse’s welfare should always take priority(优先考虑) in sport, regardless of the impact on performance. In response to such concerns, the British Horseracing Authority, a regulator, has said it will trial Sleip’s technology at race meetings to ensure thoroughbreds(纯种马) stride(大步走，跨步) safely.
英国人如此热衷的一个原因是动物福利。民调机构YouGov最近为慈善机构世界马匹福利进行的一项调查发现，70%的英国人认为，马匹的福利在任何时候都应优先于运动表现。针对这些担忧，监管机构英国赛马管理局表示，将在赛马会上试用Sleip的技术，以确保纯种马安全奔跑。