Early detection, better referrals, and individualised horse care with gait monitoring

Sleip is excited to announce the release of a monitoring version of its gait analysis app. With access to precise measurements of the horse’s motion, professionals in the equine industry, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors and trainers can take a more proactive approach to horse care. 

While the diagnostics version of the Sleip app remains exclusive to equine veterinarians, gait monitoring is a powerful extension of Sleip’s technology and our quest to improve horse welfare, says Elin Hernlund, DVM, PhD and Chief Medical Officer at Sleip.

Catching issues early

Regular monitoring of a horse’s gait can help catch subtle irregularities before they become serious issues. That means horses can be referred to a veterinarian sooner, potentially preventing chronic conditions that are harder to treat.

As veterinarians working with lameness, we often see horses too late in the disease process. By making this tool available to a wider range of professionals, we can ensure horses are monitored more consistently and referred to vets earlier, says Elin Hernlund.

Enhancing referrals and collaboration

Using AI to detect even subtle asymmetries in the horse’s movement straight from iPhone camera recordings, Sleip provides actionable insights. Analysis results can easily be shared to support communication, between a physiotherapist and a vet for instance. When severe asymmetries are detected, gait monitoring users will receive an alert to consult a veterinarian.  

While the veterinary version of Sleip contains features specific to diagnostic clinical work, the gait monitoring version uses the same core asymmetry measurements. That means the team around the horse gain a shared language. 

– It’s incredibly difficult to describe exactly what you see in a horse’s the gait pattern. Sleip’s objective data and video documentation help bridge this gap, making referrals clearer and more actionable, explains Elin Hernlund.

Establishing individual baselines

Every horse is unique, and understanding individual movement patterns is crucial for distinguishing between natural asymmetries and those caused by pain or injury. Using Sleip for monitoring, a baseline can be established for each horse, making it easier to detect deviations that may indicate a problem.

By monitoring an individual horse over time, we can better understand its natural movement pattern. This allows us to differentiate between harmless asymmetries and those that signal a need for veterinary attention, explains Elin Hernlund.

Strong use cases for equine businesses

The monitoring version has been offered to select professionals within the global equine industry during the past year, including physiotherapists, farriers, trainers and several top-ranked riders and national teams.

The response has been very positive and we are pleased to now officially release gait monitoring to a broader market, says Per Hassbring, Head of Growth and Partnerships at Sleip.

With an add-on to the subscription, users can also invite others to record horses through the app, with the analysis results uploaded directly to the account holder. This is particularly useful for practitioners following up on horses remotely, as horse owners can be invited to record at home. Similarly, trainers and other equine professionals with operations in different locations can collaborate remotely. 

Working with horse owners 

Currently, Sleip is only available as a tool for professional use by businesses. Horse owners can access Sleip through their veterinarian, or through a physiotherapist, chiropractor or other health professional using Sleip for gait monitoring.

We’ll continue to develop both the veterinary diagnostics offering and the gait monitoring version. We want as many horses as possible to benefit from Sleip’s technology. Ultimately, we envision versions of Sleip not just in the toolbox of every professional but also in the pocket of every horse owner, says Per Hassbring.