Page 97 - December2022

The Chip Link
System positively
identifies each
horse by first scanning their unique microchip
ID, and then cross-checking through photos, markings, and registration papers, ensuring greater transparency
and integrity.
Microchips placed in the lip migrate less than 1%, versus neck placement where they are not only more
difficult and time-consuming to scan but can migrate by up to 30%.
heart rates, and having Coggins and piro tests in digital form.”
The program’s health checks benefit honest horsemen as well. The Lip Chip System offers your choice of standard or thermal microchips, which veterinarians and certified Lip Chip identifiers implant in either the upper mandible (or lip) area, or in the nuchal ligament in the middle third of the horse’s neck. Microchips placed in the lip migrate less than 1%, versus neck placement, where they are not only more difficult and time-consuming to scan but can migrate by up to 30%, making them hard to find later on. Lip placement allows users to scan without entering the stall or sticking their arm in a trailer, thus saving time, eliminating disruption, and reducing risk of injury.
Once the horse is microchipped with its unique 15-digit number, authorized users enroll the horses by using the Chip Link System smart device app. Each horse’s data is stored on the Chip Link secure database in a matter of minutes. “Lip Chip staff did all that for us and with the help of the racing office and the Lip Chip team, we were able to get all 20 horses done in a few hours,” Marc says.
The Chip Link System positively identi- fies each horse by first scanning their unique microchip ID, and then cross-checking through photos, markings, and registration papers, ensuring greater transparency and integrity. “Unfortunately, not everyone is truthful about the horse they’re entering,”
says Jessica, Lip Chip LLC’s vice-president of operations. “It’s really easy to say, ‘This is a bay with a star, and he is this horse,’ and without
a microchip and the information stored in the Chip Link System, there’s no other method of identifying it unless you have a tattoo, which can fade or be altered.”
Chip Link also contains a current copy of Coggins and piroplasmosis test results and health certificates, along with emergency contact information for the owner and other responsible parties.
Jessica says that only authorized users such as veterinarians would be able to upload your Coggins and piroplasmosis test results, health certificates, breeding information and therapy certifications that need to be documented.
Although the microchip doesn’t track a horse’s location, it does record where a scan took place.
Brad’s daughter, co-founder and Vice-President of Operations Jessica Cummings.
“The microchip is a low-frequency RFID, and the only information the chip has is the horse’s unique 15-digit number,” Jessica says. “Thermal chips will also record a temperature.
“The chip has no power source—no beacon to constantly track the horse,” she con- tinues. “The chip is energized by our superior scanner, and the scanner’s energy reads the chip’s information. At that time, the scanner is linked by proprietary Bluetooth technology to the Chip Link System’s smartphone app, which is easily downloaded on any android
or Apple phone, tablet, or computer. The
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