What Does It Mean If A Horse Is Freeze Marked?

Freeze marking is a cold branding process, meaning that the letter and number shapes that make up the freeze mark are permanently tattooed into the coat using a cold iron. This kills the pigmentation in the hair, causing the hair that grows in that spot to turn white, and stand out against the rest of the coat.

What is Freeze marked horse?

Freeze marking
This involves a cold branding iron being held on the skin for 7-10 seconds in dark horses to make a white mark, or 12-15 in lighter horses to destroy the hair growth follicles and make a bald mark.

Does freeze branding a horse hurt them?

In the past few years freeze (cryogenic) branding has become extremely popular because it is safe, economi- cal and simple to do. Freeze branding can be done on horses of any age. It appears to be relatively painless and does not scar or damage the horse’s hide.

Why do people freeze brand horses?

There are many advantages to using freeze branding: 1) Less painful to the horse; 2) The brand is legible all year round and can be read from a distance; 3) There is little or no hide damage; 4) Usually there is little or no blotching of the brand; 5) It is definitely a deterrent to theft and the recovery of horses is

Is freeze branding better?

Freeze branding is relatively stress-free for the animal, and causes little or no damage to the hide. Unlike fire brands, freeze brands result in reduced incidences of blotching. However, compared to fire branding, freeze branding takes more time, can be more costly and the brands may not be as clear on all cattle.

How long do you leave a freeze brand on a horse?

Usually, the top layer of skin will shed in about one month following branding. If branding times were calibrated to allow for subsequent hair growth, the white hair should come in about two months. The white hair brand should be complete within three months post branding (Photograph 8).

How long does freeze branding last?

The brand raises a welt on the animal as soon as the hide thaws and can be read immediately after branding. It usually is readable until the white hair appears. This may be 20 days to several months.

How much does it cost to freeze brand a horse?

For anywhere between $35 (plus sedation costs at Countryside Vet) to $100 a horse ($50 per head for more than five with Young Dental) you can afford years of regular experience that most of us will never acquire. “There are so many different variables,” Young stated.

Is a freeze brand permanent?

Freeze-branding, recently developed by stockmen ( Farrell 1966), is both permanent and visible at a distance. It is the only mark- ing technique now available that combines permanence, visibility at a distance, and individual identification.

Is it better to freeze brand or hot brand?

Freeze Branding
Using a cold iron is less painful than the hot one for the animals because they react less to cooler temperatures on their skin. As a result, this technique has become the most popular for branding horses.

Who can freeze brand a horse?

A Freeze Brand can be applied by any one – owner, vet, farrier, friend, brander, etc. – and you only need clippers, alcohol, liquid nitrogen and a brass branding iron (you cannot use your grandfather’s iron ranch brand as it does not conduct cold the same as a brass brander.)

How do you read a horse’s freeze brand?

The large U shaped mark is the BLM code. The next two marks (one on top of the other) is the estimated year of the horses birth. The next six marks is the registration code. The registration code is made up of two digits identifying the region taken and the next four are the “tag number.”

Is freeze branding cruel?

There has been debate as to whether freeze branding is truly less painful than hot branding, but scientific studies conducted to compare the relative pain of the two methods have concluded that freeze branding is indeed less distressing to the animal being marked.

Do freeze brands peel?

A good brand will leave a frozen indentation on the skin. This brand should start to peel in 3 – 4 weeks and white hair will grow in over the next few months.

How much is it to freeze mark horse?

There is an annual fee of around £10 charged to keep the details of a freeze marked horse current and registered, and sometimes this lapses and is not renewed, which is one legitimate reason for there being no accompanying paperwork with a horse.

How do you read a horse’s freeze brand?

The large U shaped mark is the BLM code. The next two marks (one on top of the other) is the estimated year of the horses birth. The next six marks is the registration code. The registration code is made up of two digits identifying the region taken and the next four are the “tag number.”

What happens when you freeze brand a white horse?

A fairly new and less painful method, freeze branding uses irons chilled in liquid nitrogen. The hair that grows back where the brand was applied has no pigment, resulting in a white brand. Therefore, when freeze branding a gray or white horse, the brand must be kept on longer to give the appearance of a hot brand.