Frequently Asked Questions

EquiTrace is compatible with both Apple and Android phones. For iPhone and iPad EquiTrace requires iOS 12.0 or later. For Android phones EquiTrace requires Android 7.0 or later.

A microchip reader is required. The location of horse microchips in muscle means they are too deep to be scanned by a phone and a microchip reader is required.

One person pays the subscription for the whole farm/ training yard. That person can authorise other people in the farm to see and add to the data without the other person having to pay a subscription.

If GPS has been enabled for the App, all previous locations where the horse’s microchip was scanned while connected to the App will be visible.

Yes. All functions are available with no internet connection. All information is stored on the phone and is synced as soon as there is an internet connection and the App is opened. A cell signal is only required for looking up a new horse on a database (once they have been scanned once, they will be on everyone’s phone) and syncing notes, temperatures, treatments and scans with other people in the same farm.

Yes. A farm can have a mix of iPhones and Android phones, and the App experience will be virtually identical on both.

If, in the App, you go to Other Features and then Import Horses from .csv file”, the App lists the column headings that should appear in the import file. Create a .csv file and save it to DropBox or (on iOS devices) iCloud. Then import through this page. An alternative is to send your list of horses in any format to the EquiTrace office (equitrace@equitrace.app). Providing the list includes 15-digit microchip numbers and names of horses as a minimum, it will be uploaded and ready for use within 24 hours. The first time you scan each horse on your list, it will be added to your farm.

If you go to See All Temperatures and Notes on the Home page, you can choose a date range and then either view or export all the scans and notes for that date range.

Go to Find Horse, then type in the name (or dam’s name) of the horse. Go to the horse’s own page and press Horse Leaving Property. This will remove the horse from the farm total.

Data security is a priority for EquiTrace. All data is encrypted on the phone prior to being sent to the cloud. Whoever pays for the subscription has complete control of their data. No third party, including EquiTrace, can see or access this data. The data is stored on the phone not on the microchip. If the animal is scanned by a third party without the App they will only see the microchip.  If someone has a subscription to the App they can only see the animals they have registered on their own account. If they scan an animal from another farm, the owner of that farms account will be alerted.

No. The only thing that they can see is the identity of the horse. Everything else is private to the farm that created the data. However, if the original owner wants to share that data, it can be exported as a .csv file and shared with the new owner.

Yes. It is encrypted on a secure database. It is encrypted when it is sent to the database. Each farm’s data is encrypted separately, meaning that it is private to each farm.

No. It is securely stored in the cloud. If you sign back into the App with your Farm Name, Username and Password, the data will sync back to your phone.

Data security is a priority for EquiTrace. All data is encrypted on the phone prior to being sent to the cloud. Whoever pays for the subscription has complete control of their data. No third party, including EquiTrace, can see or access this data. The data is stored on the phone not on the microchip. If the animal is scanned by a third party without the App they will only see the microchip.  If someone has a subscription to the App they can only see the animals they have registered on their own account. If they scan an animal from another farm, the owner of that farms account will be alerted and they will only see the name of the horse, and not any medical records.

There are five levels of access. How much of a horse's data can be seen by an individual is controlled by whoever pays for the subscription.

Level 1: Level one users can only see the data they enter for five minutes after they enter it. They can scan a horse, see what treatment is due to be given but cannot see future treatments or set any treatments. They can mark a treatment as given and add notes. They cannot share or export data of any kind.

Level 2: Level two users can only see the last 24 hours of notes scans and temperatures. They can see the treatment diary (see future treatments required) but not add treatments. They cannot share or export data of any kind.

Limited Horse: At this level users can see all data for specific horses. For example if a subscription payer has three farms, two training facilities and a stud farm, the manager of the stud farm can be given full access to his farm but not see data from the training facilities. At this level a user can set treatments to be given and share or export data for the horses they have access to.

Full Access: Full access to all functions of the app, all data live or historical, ability to set treatments for all horses, share and export data.

Subscription Holder: Full access to all functions of the app, all data live or historical, ability to set treatments for all horses, share and export data. Only the subscription holder can set levels of access to the App. Only the subscription holder can change users access. If staff leave the farm the subscription holder can completely remove their access immediately.

Only people you give access to can see your data. You can either add someone to the system at one of the five levels of access or you can export specific data for example:

• All treatments given on a specific day or week,

• Movement records,

• All notes on horses,

• All horses checked and temperatures.

The App will compile this data across all of the horses for the farm or you can choose just to send the data for one horse. The data can then be easily emailed from the phone (only if the user has the correct level of access to do this).

No. Once a microchip number is associated with a name on EquiTrace the system will recognise the horse if it is scanned after it is sold. The name is the only piece of data that is visible to the new owner. They have no access to any previous data entered. Identity data and medical records are kept on two entirely separate databases so there is no possibility that transferring the animals name transfers any other data.

EquiTrace is extremely easy to use. If you can operate a smart phone and a microchip scanner no further training is required. Tutorials on how to get the most out of the system are available on YouTube channel at EquiTrace.

The person who pays the subscription and controls the data has complete control of who sees the information on their horses. If a person has left the farm, go to Other Features, Remove a User to remove someone. They will lose access to all notes, scans, treatments and temperatures recorded on the farm.

Yes. If you are invited to see data from another farm, you can either follow the SMS link, or go to Other Features, Join More Than One Farm and enter the new farm name. The person who controls the data will get a notification asking asking them if they want to authorise you to see the data. Once you have joined a second (or third) farm, you can switch between them with the Change Farm button on the Home Screen. This button only appears if you are a member of more than one farm.

There are two ways you can authorise someone to see your data:

The first is to go to Other Features, Invite New Users and select someone from your contacts to invite. They will receive an SMS message. They should click on it once to download the App, and then click on the same SMS message again to gain access to your farm. No further action is required by you. You can remove them at any time if you need to by pressing Manage Users.

The second is to tell the person to download the App, and the exact name of the farm. If they enter the name of the farm, you will receive an alert telling you that they are applying for access to your data. If you open the App, you will get to a screen that allows you to Accept or Reject them. If you accept them, you can remove them at any time if you need to by pressing Manage Users. Different levels of access can be assigned to different users.

Yes. Your farm manager should go to Other Features and Transfer App Management. They can select another user on the farm to be the controller of the App farm’s data and subscription.

EquiTrace works with any 15 digit standard microchip. If a horse has a Bio-Thermo® microchip the App will also automatically graph an animals body temperature when it is scanned. This is the only feature which requires a specific microchip.

EquiTrace is compatible with GPR+ scanner, AFX-110, LPR, RS420 stick reader and Bluetooth enabled Suresense universal scanner.

Microchip temperature measures the body temperature at the implantation site, on the left side of the neck halfway between the poll and withers and approximately 1-2 inches below the mane in the nuchal ligament, a value that differs from rectal temperature.

 A Bio-Thermo® microchip is primarily a permanent identification device with a patented built in temperature biosensor, which measures the temperature in the implantation site. It is an easy, safe, and quick alternative method of monitoring multiple temperature measurements. Multiple Bio-Thermo® temperature measurements taken consecutively can establish a trend of individual profile or average temperatures and variability. Atypical variations from this trend can be indicative of changes in an animal’s well-being.

The Bio-Thermo® microchip is able to measure temperature at the site of implantation with a degree of accuracy of 0.07 ± 0.12C

As microchips are primarily a permanent identification device, pre-programmed with a unique identification number, generally we do not recommend implanting a second microchip.

Bio-Thermo® microchips are passive devices (no internal power source) and do not have any moving parts to wear out; therefore, its lifespan can be of many decades. Similarly, the temperature sensing component, being part of its integrated circuit, also has a lifespan of many decades. Furthermore, there is no difference between the longevity of the temperature-sensing microchip and the longevity of the standard microchip. The temperature-sensing microchip is calibrated at production and there is no need for further calibrations. 

Yes, the Bio-Thermo® microchip is compliant with the ISO Standards 11784 and 1178 and meets FEI and USEF requirements.

No, the microchip does not work as a GPS for location. It is a passive Radio-Frequency device for identification. However when used in conjunction with the EquiTrace App a GPS location will be taken and graphed every time the horse is scanned.

The App works with all standard microchips used in horses. The only functionality that will not work without the temperature microchip is the temperature sensing functionality. You will still be able to immediately ID an animal by name, see treatment orders, scan in medication that has been given and have access to specialist treatment sheets

EquiTrace is accepted by the Irish Horse Regulatory Board (IHRB) as a way to record medication. EquiTrace can be used instead of the blue book. All medication can be recorded at the horses side as it is administered. Over 1000 medications are recognised by barcode minimising staff time to enter data as well as eliminating any potential errors. The files can be submitted to the IHRB by email directly from the phone if requested.

EquiTrace recognises over 1000 products commonly used in horses. When you need to add a treatment for a horse to be given you can either scan the barcode and the App will immediately recognise the product or if you do not have the product to hand you can type in the name. The App recognises both brand names or generic product names. The App will present commonly used doses to speed up data entry but these can obviously be changed to the exact dose required.

Whether you are working with natural cover, AI, embryo transfer or oocyte collection and ICSI the correct templates will be there to record all the data you need. Being able to securely record information at the side of the horse, immediately back this up into a digital record means you eliminate human error, save time and maximise your farms performance. The App allows all members of a team working with a mare to know her status up to the minute.

Yes. The App is suitable for all reproduction veterinarians from ambulatory vets managing a small number of mares for natural cover to specialist centres managing a large number of recipients. The App provides an excellent recording system for studs but also for ambulatory veterinarians working across several farms. The quality of data recording available has more than enough detail for even the most specialist veterinarians. Yet the simple touch of a button interface makes it very simple and fast to record this data. The specialist forms in the App are designed to include large recipient

Features included in the App include a daily list of mares to check which is automatically updated, a clear display of expected foaling dates, next recheck, details of pregnancy scans, heartbeat scans, foaling details, treatment records, maps of uterine cysts, recording of photos of cysts and pregnancies, automatic updating of medical records kept on the standard EquiTrace platform, embryo flush, embryo transfer and oocyte collection records.

Yes. EquiTrace reproduction has the correct forms to record data or schedule all forms of equine reproduction including AI, ICSI, embryo transfer or oocyte collection.

To use EquiTrace reproduction all you need is a mare with any standard microchip, a Merck microchip scanner and a smart phone. The App is available in Apple or Android format and can be purchased via the Apple or Google app stores. A one month free trial is available. The App has specifically been designed to be easy to use and most users can pick it up without any special training.