Equestrian CCTV. Using HD1080P CCTV systems to Protect Horses

To some extent, much of the information contained in the Farm CCTV knowledge bank article will also be applicable to equestrian CCTV systems so give that a quick read as well. We thought it worth producing a bespoke article covering equestrian CCTV because there are some subtle differences.

One of the key differences between farms and stables is the distances involved. On a farm, the cameras are often a long way from what they are filming with horses whilst you may want longer-range cameras to cover access areas you will also need cameras able to record at closer range. A stable is much smaller than a farmyard. New HD 1080P CCTV technology allows much more detail to be captured but it is still possible to lose this advantage if the wrong cameras are used.

Fitting CCTV cameras in Horse stables

Individual CCTV cameras in each stall help deter and detect malicious attacks. They allow you to monitor general well-being, ensure routine tasks are carried out when you are not there and cover medical recovery, foaling and so on.

Each situation will be unique but in general, terms try to fit the cameras in the corner of a stable, this will mean the CCTV camera films the entire space. Probably less important to capture absolute detail so a wider-angle camera could be the answer. Something like our large open dome 2.8-12mm camera allows you to balance the area covered with detail captured, the more you zoom in the more detail you capture, the wider the angle of view the more area you cover at the expense of detail capture. Consider where people are likely to walk within the stables, are there pinch points where you could concentrate a camera to clearly identify someone?

Finally don't forget your tack. People often have thousands of pounds invested in the contents of their tack room. Saddles alone will amount to a considerable amount of money.

Which areas need CCTV cameras

Aside from the actual stables think about where else you have items of value. The one high-ticket item to consider is your horsebox or trailer. Trailers in particular are commonly stolen. They command good money on the second-hand market and are always in demand. With these items you need to think about cameras that capture higher levels of detail, so more zoomed in on a particular area.

The general areas of the yard might need CCTV especially if it is a shared livery yard. Remember that wide-angle, general overview cameras don't film in detail as you move away from the camera. If you know who each person is then that might not be a problem, if you need to identify people then remember cameras a good at capturing detail over a long tunnel of vision rather than a wider triangle. You might consider incorporating something like our HD ANPR 5-50mm camera into your system, This would allow you to capture vehicle number plates at night as well as during the day.

Storing your CCTV footage in the stables

We generally suggest around 3 weeks of rolling footage stored on a DVR but if you need longer this can be achieved without compromising image quality by fitting larger hard drives in the DVR. Storing the footage on-site means you are not relying on the internet or a data network that can fail. It also gives you total control. Cloud-based systems sound like a good idea but the image quality is usually reduced significantly in order to store off-site.

Motion-triggered bookmarking of potentially important footage might be worth thinking about, particularly for cameras covering the general areas around your stables. All our DVRs feature this function.

Viewing your CCTV system remotely over the internet

If you are fortunate enough to have internet access in your stables (or a telephone line onto which you could put internet access), then it is possible to view your CCTV system over the internet from anywhere in the world. It is even possible to view the cameras using a smartphone such as an iPhone. This has many obvious benefits.

No monthly fees or ongoing costs

Other than costs to your internet provider for internet access (if you are using remote access), there are no ongoing costs with our CCTV systems. You buy them and you own them outright. You aren't tied into costly maintenance contracts, you manage the whole system yourself and don't need to use a third party to access the footage. We provide full technical support and backup free of charge.

Installation

Installation is straightforward, we do all the tricky jobs such as installing hard drives and configuring the DVR before shipping. All you have to do is mount the cameras and run a cable from the camera to the DVR. Many people use our CAT5 cable with associated fittings as these require no specialist tools.

If you have any questions at all on equestrian CCTV or using CCTV to protect horses please feel free to call us without obligation. Everything on the website is available for the next working day courier delivery.