Last December I told you I had some big news to share with you, and the time has finally arrived. But first, a little background information…

As you may have read elsewhere on this site, I have a particular interest in helping horse owners understand, and hopefully prevent, equine laminitis. The most common form of this potentially devastating disease is called “endocrinopathic laminitis,” and is shockingly common this time of year with the sudden appearance of the spring grass. Compounding the problem is that most veterinarians and farriers don’t seem to have a good grasp of how to successfully mange the laminitic horse, and end up unintentionally prolonging the horse’s suffering and recovery.

The better approach, of course, is to try to prevent the problem in the first place by properly managing your horse’s diet. To that end, I created a couple of tools for the horse owner, including an MS Excel spreadsheet and a couple of charts – all based on a paper authored by Dr. Don Walsh of the Animal Health Foundation called “Field Treatment and Management of Endocrinopathic Laminitis in Horses and Ponies.”

But to make these calculations even easier and put the power to make a difference directly in the hands of those working “in the field,” I’ve created an app for the iPhone that’s now available in Apple’s App Store! The following video will walk you through the features and use of the app –

What I don’t really emphasize in the video is that the app is great for figuring out any horse’s dietary requirements and current caloric intake. In fact, I used it for my own horse last week so I could figure out how many days per week he needs to be wearing a grazing muzzle. So your horse doesn’t need to have laminitis for this to be a useful addition to your “horsey” repertoire; it’s intended, as I’ve already mentioned, to help prevent laminitis.

To find it in the App Store, just search on “laminitis.” I have several more apps in the works, and I’ll be adding a Support Page on the website for this app in the near future. I also hope to have an Android version available soon as well.

Meanwhile, please share this video with your fellow horse owners. If it helps save even one horse from the most painful condition a horse can endure, it’s well worth the effort.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy riding season with your horse!