Not Horsing Around

Stable owner protects assets with up-to-date technologies

  • By Shane Seery
  • Nov 01, 2010

Nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania’s horse country in southern Chester County, you will find a town called Oxford. In this rural and highly Amish-populated area is Anecia Delduco’s Second Nature Farm. This 25-acre property has been in business for 15 years and is home to many four-legged friends.

On any given day you’ll find around 25 horses on the grounds, some belonging to Second Nature Farm and some being boarded there by other riders. There are five buildings on the property, not including horse housing. There are 19 stalls in all the barns and five run-ins.

If you had asked Anecia Delduco if she could have imagined her horse farm would grow to become such a successful operation when she started off, she most likely would have answered simply: No. Today, she has established herself and her business in the horse world and has realized how difficult it is to keep an eye on everything at once.

A Watchful Eye
There is an obvious need to constantly watch over every bit of the property for both animal and human safety. Not only do accidents happen in regard to rider-horse mishaps, but there also are many health concerns involved in the horse world. The main one is colic. Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, which is commonly gastrointestinal in nature, and 10 percent of the occurrences prove to be fatal without swift surgical intervention.

For this reason, it is imperative that there are always eyes on each horse. Second Nature Farm also has birthed 10 foals over its 15-year span, Delduco doesn’t exactly get to schedule when it happens.

Delduco came up with the idea to use a surveillance system to help her keep track of particular stalls without always having to physically visit the barn. Second Nature Farm is now outfitted with an IP-based surveillance system using Basler Vision Technologies IP cameras.

One of the main reasons for installing the system was low-light monitoring. Even in low-light environments, down to 0.35 lux, such as a barn stall at night, images are clear. This is due primarily to the use of CCD sensors in all cameras.

Quality And Ease of Use
It also was key that SNF provide image quality. The IP cameras are available in resolutions from VGA to 2 megapixels. Perhaps what made the system most appealing was the ease of installation. All cameras came with the software needed to use the cameras with any computer connected to the Internet.

Knowing that these were ranchers with barns full of horses, ease of use was critical. The software provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface to adjust all camera settings and access to the Internet was equally valuable. The cameras can be used from anywhere in the world via the Internet.

“We simply mounted the cameras, connected them to the Internet, located them online using the Basler camera finder -- which finds the camera’s IP address -- and we had incredible high-quality video running on our computers,” Delduco said. “ I also like the ability to view my property from anywhere just by connecting to the Internet with my laptop.”

Safe And Secure
By using Basler IP cameras, it has become easier for Delduco to monitor the well-being of her horses in general and, more importantly, any horse recovering from illness or those that are pregnant. Quite often the mares give birth at night. The low-light sensitivity of the Basler cameras allow Delduco to view dimly lit stalls multiple times a night from her home office computer. This is much more convenient than multiple trips to the barn, particularly in bad weather.

Second Nature Farm belongs to many organizations and affiliations, including the United States Dressage Federation, United States Equestrian Federation, Delaware Valley Combined Training Association and American Junior Paint Horse Association.

All of these organizations are as serious about safety as Delduco. Second Nature Farm’s staff of experienced riders also gives an average of 35 lessons per week and aids in buying and selling dozens of horses annually. All things taken into account, it is clear why Second Nature Farm chose this technology to help maintain a safe and secure operation.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Shane Seery recently completed an internship in communications media at Basler Vision Technologies.

Featured

  • Ransomware Attacks Rise for the First Time in Six Months

    Ransomware attacks have risen for the first time in six months, increasing by 28% month-on-month to 421 attacks. While overall attack volume remained below 500, the uptick may signal a renewed escalation heading into the year’s most active period for cyber criminals. Read Now

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”