# How can I find out what my horse's brand means?



## rookie (May 14, 2012)

Most states have a brand registry so, I would start with the state you purchased him in. That said are you certain its a brand and not a scar? Most brands are a little more elaborate than a simple circle. This looks almost like a scar where he poked himself with something round and hollow (fence post, pvc pipe etc).


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

I second the scar. It's too far towards the flank and uneven..the bottom is whiter than the top. 
Of course, one never knows.....


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

A scar? I've never thought about that. The marking is white hair, not skin so I had assumed it was a freeze brand.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Of course it is possible that this is a brand. But I doubt it's a registered one. 
Any injury to the hair follicle causes white regrowth or complete loss, branding, hot or cold, is technically an injury.


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## bhamlyn (May 17, 2013)

Looks like a brand to me. My mare has a brand, yes it is more elaborate than the O but it has the same look to it. I tried to search for my mare's brand also but no luck.


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

I had so many dead ends when trying to search for my horses two brands. Definitely go to the brand registry where you live or got him. If there is a match they can actually give you a name/ number attached to the brand.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

I was lucky. Found out everything about my mare, when identifying brand. So it's worth searching.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

I know one HF member who's horses come from a farm which brands the birth year on the horse - perhaps it indicates he's a 2000 vintage


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

I found the California brand book online and have been browsing through it. So far, everything is a lot more elaborate than just a circle. 

Right after I got him I actually ran into a brand inspector and asked him a couple of questions. He told me that sometimes these types of brands come from the midwest off huge ranches that raise horses and aren't registered. They're just for use on that ranch to help identify groups of horses among the thousands. Who knows if that's the case here, but it was kind of interesting to hear about.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

It looks more like a brand to me. I've never seen a non-burning injury that grew in white hair.

HOWEVER, most places in the US are able to register their brand with their county, not the state. Here in Texas, I can register a brand in my county, and someone else can register an identical brand in the next county over. Doesn't make a ton of sense to me, but that's the way it is.

Also, some folks don't even bother to register their brand.

So, I seriously doubt that you'll be able to find anything about him just based on that.


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## littleamy76 (Jun 30, 2011)

I just did a quick Google search and I found this. Standing O Ranch - Ranchpony.com - Horses and ponies with Ranch Experience - Horses for Sale. The last paragraph talks about branding the horses. Maybe trying contacting them and sending them in your picture to see if they recognize it.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

smrobs said:


> It looks more like a brand to me. I've never seen a non-burning injury that grew in white hair.


I've seen plenty of horses with white hairs on their withers from ill-fitting saddles. OP's horse's mark isn't where tack would go, obviously, but just wanted to point out that you can easily get white hairs from a non-burn injury.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I have also seen saddle and girth sores that left white hairs. I also saw a horse that got hit by a car who had a big old white scar down his hind end. The location, right in that crux of the hind leg struck me as a strange place to brand. Brands are usually over a large muscle group (neck, shoulder, gaskin or gluteals).


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

Littleamy, thanks for that link! That was a very interesting read. 

I've learned a lot from this thread, thanks to everyone who's posted.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

certainely looks like a brand to me.

haven't done freezebrand but I know from personal experience its very easy to botch a brand or get it in the wrong spot on the hip especially if they're young and have any amount of space to move so it being farther up towards his flank isn't a big deal.
Here's my mares on her hip...almost the same placing as your guys


















imo its more than likely a brand from a bigger ranch. some of the big QH ranches around us have 3-4 different ones (usually a circle/ square/ triangle) for different yr crops of babies. or for different reasons. like one has their broodmares with a circle, their riding stock with a triangle and their sell stock with a Lazy A. 

so finding much about his isn't too likely but you can always see if you can find out where he was bred and search that county.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

verona1016 said:


> I've seen plenty of horses with white hairs on their withers from ill-fitting saddles. OP's horse's mark isn't where tack would go, obviously, but just wanted to point out that you can easily get white hairs from a non-burn injury.


Yes, but scarring from a saddle scald is not something that would have happened on the horse's flank. 


About the only option for a scar like that _there_ is a) a brand or b) a puncture/cut of some kind. While it's not impossible for a puncture/cut to grow in _some_ white hairs, there are far too many and they are too uniform to be anything but a brand IMHO.


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