# Freeze branding our horses. What is your opinion on freeze branding btw??



## Elizabeth Bowers

I like the idea of freeze branding, but its not popular in my area, and pretty much the only horses to have it are adopted mustangs. The rest some have old hot brand marks, and some are microchipped and lip tattooed. I considered getting my horses freeze branded in case of disaster or theft. But since two of my horses are white the freeze brand area will be hairless, which i get concerned about because of bugs and sunburn. But other than that i thought freeze branding was a good idea for id, microchipping is too. There is even this new thing called EyeD, where it scans the horses eye, because no horses eyes are the same, and they get registered in your name, even if they go blind, the eye structure stays the same. I think they do both eyes, just in case of an accident where the horse may lose one. Its pretty pricey though since its new. 
Just my OP on branding and a few other methods of ID


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## barrelbeginner

I think this is what I want to do with my horses My dad had a brand for cows its a hot brand though and I dont think that I want to to that with my horses. How expensive in your area was it to do this? did you guys have to buy your brand then have the vet come out and do it obviously?


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## HanginH

I think branding (hot or freeze) livestock is not only good but necessary to prevent theft and prove ownership if a horse or cow was ever stole. Branding is permanent where as I have heard that the microchips can sometimes fester out or be removed and tattooing all though permanent is not easily seen. If your horse is branded and you let everyone know that your bay horse with such and such a brand on the left hip was stole now if anyone sees them at a local show they can notify you. 
Seeing this post reminds me that I have a few horses at home that need to be done as well. Might have to organize to get them done this fall.

Have a good one guys!


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## Dappledbaybeauty

HanginH said:


> I think branding (hot or freeze) livestock is not only good but necessary to prevent theft and prove ownership if a horse or cow was ever stole. Branding is permanent where as I have heard that the microchips can sometimes fester out or be removed and tattooing all though permanent is not easily seen. If your horse is branded and you let everyone know that your bay horse with such and such a brand on the left hip was stole now if anyone sees them at a local show they can notify you.
> Seeing this post reminds me that I have a few horses at home that need to be done as well. Might have to organize to get them done this fall.
> 
> Have a good one guys!


Yes indeed it is a fantastic Idea to brand and I see it as a nessesity and to think some poeple still ask me why I branded my horse and actually leave hate mail on youtube about it astounds me !


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## Dappledbaybeauty

barrelbeginner said:


> I think this is what I want to do with my horses My dad had a brand for cows its a hot brand though and I dont think that I want to to that with my horses. How expensive in your area was it to do this? did you guys have to buy your brand then have the vet come out and do it obviously?



It was $320 for all four horses to be freeze branded and that included travel cost's and sedation. Yes our brand is registered and in our name.
You can brand them with liquid nitrogen your self but its much safer to just get someone experienced to do it. in our case (vet) and he was the cheapest around  Ones of ours had a hot brand and you can't even tell he is branded it serves no use as anti theft protection at all even in summer you can not tell he has a brand unless you clip the brand area. And he was all scard after the hot branding .
So we just got him freeze branded so we could actually see his brand. And we Bald branded all of ours I don't like the idea of white hairs on my horse.


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## Dappledbaybeauty

Elizabeth Bowers said:


> I like the idea of freeze branding, but its not popular in my area, and pretty much the only horses to have it are adopted mustangs. The rest some have old hot brand marks, and some are microchipped and lip tattooed. I considered getting my horses freeze branded in case of disaster or theft. But since two of my horses are white the freeze brand area will be hairless, which i get concerned about because of bugs and sunburn. But other than that i thought freeze branding was a good idea for id, microchipping is too. There is even this new thing called EyeD, where it scans the horses eye, because no horses eyes are the same, and they get registered in your name, even if they go blind, the eye structure stays the same. I think they do both eyes, just in case of an accident where the horse may lose one. Its pretty pricey though since its new.
> Just my OP on branding and a few other methods of ID


Wow that's incredibly interesting eye scaning I had never heard of that before thank you for the info.
And yes around my area lip tattoing is only used on tb's on the track and its apparently a bad form of Identifaction as the tattoos fade and the other disadvantage of having only a microchip and/or tattoo is that walking past a sale yard searching for your horse you won't just be able to pull up there top lip and prove there yours or take a portable microchip scanner with you everywhere, And anyone with the missing horse is not probably going to look under the top lip and search for a scanner where as a freeze brand is obvious and they can't not notice it.
In my area the brand can only be on the hip shoulder and rump we chose hip as we are with Querter ponies and that's where they tend to place them .

Hot brands we have found are so pathetic, 
They serve no theft protection at all as they are incredibly hard to see and hair grows over some of it, 
And some of them you can't even see the brand at all unless you shave the hair off shoulder right to the skin. 
And its so easy to over cook the horses brand where as its nearly impossible to do that with freeze branding.
So we personally find hot branding serves us no theft protection at all and is 100% and utterly useless to us .

And I hate the idea of white hairs growing on our horses, (I think it looks very un professional and Quite ugly) 
Hence why we got all our horses none of which where grey.
All bald branded and there colors where Bay, Chestnut, Apaloosa, & Dunalino.

And Its only a relativity small area If you put it on the lower hip or shoulder rather then high on the rump it will be mostly out of the sun and unless there paints they will have dark skin and I doubt very much that there would be any risk of sunburn or any ill effects and it would also be the best in the long run and it looks neat .

Best wishes x


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## barrelbeginner

I dont think that I could do branding with the white hairs on my horses because they are paints.. so like it wouldnt show up very well. I want to talk to my dad about freeze branding though. It seems like a great idea. even if the horses were to get escape.


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## COWCHICK77

Dappledbaybeauty said:


> Yes indeed it is a fantastic Idea to brand and I see it as a nessesity and to think some poeple still ask me why I branded my horse and actually leave hate mail on youtube about it astounds me !


Really???
You get hate mail for freeze branding? I find that ridiculous! How being a responsible horse owner qualifies you for hate mail just is beyond my comprehension.

I am for branding.


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## smrobs

I am a firm supporter of freeze branding horses. I haven't had any of mine done yet mostly because it just isn't in my budget at this time...plus, we don't have much trouble with animal theft in this area.

IMHO, freeze branding is so much better than hot branding on horses because their skin is so thin, it is really easy to overdo the hot brand and end up with a nasty gobbed up mess instead of a nice, clean brand. Plus, it's a ton less painful, freezing causes a bit of discomfort at most.

Barrelbeginner, you can freeze brand a paint horse the same way you freeze brand a gray one, you just hold the iron on there for a longer time and instead of just damaging the follicle and turning the hair white, it kills the follicle so that the hair falls out and won't grow back. So, the brand would actually be visible pink skin (or black skin on a gray horse) instead of white hair. I honestly don't know how it looks on a paint because I can't find a picture, but that's the way that they do it.


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## Joe4d

I am fixing to do a group brand. A lady outside raliegh charges $50 per horse. discounts for multi horses and she will travel She can do about 3 or 4 an hour.

I think this is much better than miccro chipping or tatoos, simply because you can positively ID your horse from a distance and public road. Where as I feel microchipping is pretty worthless. If your horse gets loose, pretty much everyone in the area will know its yours and wont be any need to scan it. If it is stolen the thieves arnt gonna scan it and there is noway for anyone else to ID your horse if they do see it.
A net posse and web postings of stolen or lost horses with a brand is easy for anyone to understand and positively identified.

What would be better , LOST BROWN HORSE WITH A "4d" BRAND ON SHOULDER.
LOST, BROWN HORSE WITH A MICROCHIPP.


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## Dappledbaybeauty

barrelbeginner said:


> I dont think that I could do branding with the white hairs on my horses because they are paints.. so like it wouldnt show up very well. I want to talk to my dad about freeze branding though. It seems like a great idea. even if the horses were to get escape.


My Mums horse was done and he is a Appaloosa and we where concerned about it too.
but it turned out great and he has white and chestnut hairs I might be able to upload a photo sometime soon of it.
You could also just do a bald brand that makes the hair where they got branded go bald 
hope this helped xxx


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## Dappledbaybeauty

Joe4d said:


> I am fixing to do a group brand. A lady outside raliegh charges $50 per horse. discounts for multi horses and she will travel She can do about 3 or 4 an hour.
> 
> I think this is much better than miccro chipping or tatoos, simply because you can positively ID your horse from a distance and public road. Where as I feel microchipping is pretty worthless. If your horse gets loose, pretty much everyone in the area will know its yours and wont be any need to scan it. If it is stolen the thieves arnt gonna scan it and there is noway for anyone else to ID your horse if they do see it.
> A net posse and web postings of stolen or lost horses with a brand is easy for anyone to understand and positively identified.
> 
> What would be better , LOST BROWN HORSE WITH A "4d" BRAND ON SHOULDER.
> LOST, BROWN HORSE WITH A MICROCHIPP.


Yes Exaclty ! And something that is visible is much better theft prevention in my opinion and you can always prove it rather then get a vet out to scan a horses neck lol!
Plus brands don't move around like chips sometimes can .


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## Dappledbaybeauty

COWCHICK77 said:


> Really???
> You get hate mail for freeze branding? I find that ridiculous! How being a responsible horse owner qualifies you for hate mail just is beyond my comprehension.
> 
> I am for branding.


Yeah its pretty incredible what people can get upset about now days.
I don't understand it what would they rather my horse get freeze branded or not get her freeze branded and she gets stolen :/


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## Chessie

I like my mustang's brand. It shows up well with the white hairs on her dark red neck. I like stroking her there, and feeling connected to her past that way. She's a good girl.


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