Laminitis app - bit strange!!

[Christmas Crumpet]

My Laminitis app shows high risk/danger as it is right at the red end. It's not got above 8 degrees here for a couple of weeks and the grass doesn't look like its growing. It isn't frosty either.

Doormouse who lives about 7 miles away said last night that the needle on hers had gone to half way. We were unsure as to how there could be such a difference.

Of course I am going to use common sense but it's quite interesting using it too. Well if it was really accurate but I'm not sure it is. Anyone else think this?

 

[charlie76]

I have to say that I have never believed this app to be something anyone should be planning their horses life to. Think about it, there are too many variables for an app to decide the risk , the temp, the type of grass, the type of horse, hours of grazing etc etc.

Its an easy thing to just make up for an app.

Sorry to sound cynical.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I have to say that I have never believed this app to be something anyone should be planning their horses life to. Think about it, there are too many variables for an app to decide the risk , the temp, the type of grass, the type of horse, hours of grazing etc etc.

Its an easy thing to just make up for an app.

Agreed - regardless of what it says, to me it's fairly apparent that the mud paddock my horse is in at the moment poses little risk. However when he moves into the one next to it tomorrow, he will go out at night and with his grazing muzzle on as it has been rested for a month or so and there is a fair bit of grass in it!!!

 

[Merlod]

Mine’s been quite high, and it seems about right given the weather where i am at the mo – lots of intermittent rain and then sunshine, even though it’s not been that warm it’s still sunshine and although the grass hasn't rocketed everything is looking greener!

Obviously I don’t plan my horses life to this, it is a helpful guide and makes the guesswork a little less for me as he is part muzzled in the summer - It means I don’t have to remember past weather and temperatures to decide when is good for him to have his time out of the muzzle and obviously it’s up to me as an owner to see the type of grass he’s on a decide the amount of time he can be out of the muzzle for

 

[catkin]

You have to use your own local knowledge about horse grass etc as any app can only work out risk according to what it knows. I presume that weather data features prominently in the algorithm.

The app flips to 100% red rapidly here too - I wonder if it is when some data is missing - and the app goes to 'fail safe' rather than miscalculating too low.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Mine is the high end of the middle.

Reading the bumpf about it it calculates on the changes in temp as it works on if the temp drops rapidly the grass won't be able to use up the energy it has created leaving higher sugar levels in grass. So even though we haven't be getting much higher that 8 degrees at night it's dropping to 1 or 2 so quite drop to non growing temp.

It doesn't seem to take into account rain or sun 😕