A new global commercial partnership between Boehringer Ingelheim and Sleip will expand access to artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance detection, diagnosis and treatment of lameness in horses.

Changes in gait and signs of lameness can be less pronounced at first and difficult to detect. The Sleip app can help make a difference. Veterinarians can record the horse in action using a smartphone – no sensors or complicated camera system is needed. Sleip’s AI-powered technology then analyzes the horse’s movements and displays the results in the app within minutes, including a stride-by-stride analysis video with synchronized biomechanical data. The veterinarian can follow up immediately, leading to better health outcomes for horses.

“Our aim is to better serve the equine veterinary community, and the Sleip app will help us drive awareness and improve diagnosis and treatment compliance rates for lameness in horses,” says Saskia Kley, Global Head of Equine at Boehringer Ingelheim. “With this innovative technology, we now have the opportunity to have an even greater positive impact on the lives of horses, and the people who care for them.”

Innovative Technology Increases Access to Care

The partnership, which includes Boehringer becoming a shareholder in Sleip, reinforces the value that each brings to the equine veterinary community.

While Boehringer is a global leader in equine health with a portfolio of market-leading treatments for various causes of lameness, Sleip uses AI to aid veterinarians in the detection of biomechanical asymmetries that can enhance their ability to diagnose and monitor lameness with greater sensitivity than the human eye alone.

Through this collaboration, Boehringer will support the introduction of the pioneering Sleip app to the veterinary community, making this technology even more accessible.

“Sleip draws on decades of equine biomechanical research and advances in artificial intelligence to aid in a better understanding of how and why horses move the way they do,” says Elin Hernlund, DVM, PhD and chief medical officer at Sleip. “Our vision is to improve horse welfare by making Sleip’s technology available for all those who care for horses – improving diagnostics and promoting collaboration around the health of each individual horse to support early detection and prevention. We are thrilled to partner with Boehringer deliver on this mission.”

Boehringer will begin promoting the Sleip app to veterinary customers in the U.S. and Canada later this year. Key equine markets in Europe will follow in 2025.