It’s been my intention from the beginning of Enlightened Equine to occasionally showcase products and services I believe to be of exceptional value to horse owners and horse care professionals, but thus far I really haven’t done so. However, that’s all about to change as I devote this article to describing what I consider to be an extremely useful product AND service for owners and care providers just introduced by my friend and client Dr. Daniel Michaels. Like us, Danny is a “horse person,” and this product reflects his solid understanding of the horse owner’s wants and needs.
I can’t say for certain, but I suspect we all feel pretty much the same way about our horses. Translation: we spend a lot of time, energy, and money on them, and are therefore always interested in anything that may save any one or more of those. Well, EQUITAG HORSE is just such a product!
Simply put, EQUITAG is a system for managing practically every aspect of your horses’ lives from any smart device. Nearly any horse-relevant information can be stored in EQUITAG‘s online database, and then accessed from your smartphone or tablet. Vaccination records, feed information, favorite photos, training notes, vet appointments, YouTube videos – all of it, and much more, can now be quickly and easily stored in one convenient location. No more digging through files or piles to figure out when your horse’s teeth were last floated!
But the real power in Dr. Michaels’ product lies in the way this information can be accessed and shared. When you purchase a subscription (the introductory rate is $44.95/year, or – better still – a lifetime subscription is only $59.95), you’ll also receive a set of EQUITAGs photo-etched with your horse’s unique QR code. These tags, which can be scanned with a free app on any smart device, lead directly to your horse’s own profile page with all of his information, as shown above. The current EQUITAG subscription includes one aluminum stall tag, two aluminum keyring tags (think halter!), and one vinyl trailer (or tack box) tag. So you don’t have to carry those radiographs or Coggins test results with you any more; just scan one of your tags to retrieve them! And, of course, you can always access your profile page through the EQUITAG website via any Internet-connected computer or mobile device.
It gets even better. Once your barn manager or other care provider sets up his or her own free EQUITAG caregiver account, he/she then has access to (but cannot modify) all of your information! That means your care provider can verify your current feed or supplement schedule any time, or check when to bring your horse in for your upcoming hoof care appointment. But more importantly, in an emergency situation when minutes may count, he or she has immediate access to all of your horse’s medical information, which may mean the difference between life and death.
And since you can see and share profiles, it’s also a lot of fun! Meet other horse owners with similar interests. Set up people as Friends so you can exchange event information, coordinate training and show schedules, and schedule same-visit vet and massage therapist appointments. Imagine your entire barn equipped with EQUITAGs and simply scanning your stablemates’ tags to know when the dentist will visit!
I sincerely hope you’ll consider simplifying and enriching your “horse life” by adding EQUITAG to your horse’s life; you’ll both be glad you did!