Does anyone have a way of branding a horse that they can recomend? Does lip tatooing hurt the horse at all?

-- Lizabeth (evelynv@ipa.net), January 17, 2001

Answers

I don't imagine lip tatooing feels good, but it seems to be the way most people are doing it these days. I understand it's harder to change and easier to follow than a hip brand. I suspect it's far less painful than the old hot brand method.

As far as doing a hip brand without it hurting the horse, some people use an acid brand. You put a black, tar-looking stuff on the brand and stick it on. But, I think the lip tatoo is the best way to go.

-- Joe (jcole@apha.com), January 17, 2001.

I know zip about branding except that my sister's horses have a chip implanted in their neck with their info on it. I think she said they put them in with a needle, like a shot. It doesn't show but I would think you'd have to have some kind of special tool to read it. These are Freisens that are registered in some world wide organization. Just a thought.

-- Betsy K (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), January 17, 2001.

Unless you have a registry that the horse is in that uses lip tatooing, it's not a very reliable source of identification. Thoroughbreds do it, as do Standardbreds, perhaps some others, but it's not a common thing, and it makes it hard to spot your horse visually in a herd. Judging by the horses I've seen lip tatooed, getting a bunch of sharp needles rammed into your mouth hurts quite a bit. Does it cause long term damage? Well, probably not, altho it could make some horses headshy thereafter.

Hot branding isn't a picnic either. If you are going with hot branding, get someone to show you how to do it right, I've seen lots of botched hot brands done by people who didn't get the iron hot enough, or hold it on long enough, or held it on too long. If you go with hot branding, make up a solution of Willard Water to spray on afterward, as it aids in healing cleanly.

The easiest for the horse is freeze marking. This is done with super- cold, dipping the metal irons into liquid nitrogen (I believe) and applying to the shaved areas. This is the common form of marking done by the Arabian and partArabian associations, as well as the BLM on mustangs (they mark on the neck), and it is much less painful to the animal. However, you have to take precautions with this method as it can be botched as well, and if you accidentally get any of the liquid onto your skin, it will freeze it irretrieveably, so it isn't something to undertake lightly. If your breed association does freezemarking, they usually have organized events where horses are trucked in, papers checked, and the marking done by a professional and duly registered as such so that there's no hanky panky with switching horses.

If you are just looking to mark your own horses with a farm or ranch brand, hot branding and freezemarking leave behind white or black marks easily seen from a distance. If you are looking for identification in case of theft, also think about microchipping any animal you value. It's not visible, and you may have a hard time proving it in a dispute, but in the long run if you have a horse registered in your name with corresponding chip, it's hard for anyone to say it's not yours.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 17, 2001.

I have been considering having my horses freeze branded. After considering several ID methods I think it is the kindest, easiest to see, and hardest to change. There is a special organization that does freeze branding with geometric symbols that cannot be altered (or it will be noticable). Lip tatoos, hot brands, and regular freeze bands can be altered and can be registered by different owners in each state. Microchips cannot be seen and are relatively uncommon so horses can easily be stolen and resold or slaughtered without the new buyer knowing anything is even there. The symbol freeze brands are copyrighted and cannot be used by anyone not authorized. They record ownership info in their own system and send it to any breed registry your horse is registered with. They had a web site, but I can't remember what it was.

-- elle (eagle-quest@juno.com), January 17, 2001.

Here's that web site. www.horseweb.com/client/kka/kka1.htm

-- elle (eagle-quest@juno.com), January 17, 2001.

I once read where some folks were simply "bleaching" the hair on their cows and other livestock with a regular salon-quality hair bleach (apply, wait a few min, rinse) Appearently worked fine, although it had to be redone as it grew out (I think they did it every year when they had to count and whatever anyway. Seems to me that they used a sponge-tipped "brand", but I imagine a brush would do. I would think the newer "gel" bleaching creams would work best - no running. Any thoughts?

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 18, 2001.

Thanks for all the info so far. Both freeze branding and lip tatooing sound good. I've never heard of the bleach deal before,Soni, it's a good idea. The microchip is also good sounding, but it's probably very expensive. I guess it depends on how much money you are willing to spend. :) Thanks again.

-- Lizabeth (evelynv@ipa.net), January 18, 2001.

Nasco Farm and Ranch sells freeze branding supplies (800-558-9595). It can be as simple as a stencil which is placed on an area on which the hair has been clipped. Freeze solution is then strayed on from a can. It permanently kills the hair roots. Will not, of course, work on a light-colored animal very well.

I use to hot brand my cattle. Purpose was to be able to identify them if mine and my neighbors herd ever joined. However, ear tags work just as well.

I doubt branding would be very helpful in case of theft. There have been many cases of horses being stolen out of the barn while no one was home. They can be at a livestock auction in another state within hours. I have never had the local livestock auctions ask for proof of ownership when dropping of my or anyone else's cattle. They just want to know who to make the check out to.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 19, 2001.

Yes, you're right. Locally it might not work. Most of the horses I'm interested in 'branding' are paint so the brand might work on a spot. Thanks!

-- Lizabeth (evelynv@ipa.net), January 19, 2001.

Dry ice can be used for freeze branding. I'm looking into freeze branding for my "herd"; will have 15 horses by June, buying 3 more, expecting 2 babies (finally living my dream). The club I'm in is going to get people who do this professionally. The more horses we can get together at one time, the cheaper it is. Since Texas requires that all horses be branded by the year 2002 (due to theft), others that live in this state should start thinking about how they want to go about getting their horses taken care of. I have some information on freeze branding, but can't locate the papers at the moment. I do remember that it was mentioned that freeze branding doesn't show up very good on some colors & is more difficult to see when the winter coat is heavy.

-- Darlene Balli (DMBPegasus@aol.com), January 23, 2001.

Lizabeth, I don't think it's a very good idea. Sure go ahead if you want to but my advice is DON'T DO IT!

-- Julie Froelich (firefly 1 @nnex.net), March 28, 2001.

Some brand a front hoof. It needs to be re-done, of course, as the hoof grows out. Some alternate the hooves so the brand is always visible.

Freeze branding is practically invisible in the winter with the longer hair. If you want it visible, keep the hair clipped in that area.

The chip implant, about the size of a piece of rice, is almost useless, due to so few of the 'guns' around to take a reading. Altho this has been done to many species, I'm leary about putting a foreign object into my critter's body.

The original purpose of branding was to know which critters belonged to you and to be able to see them from a distance. No sense chasing down a cow that isn't yours! The tatoo has worked for the racing industry due to their hands-on exam and testing before/after races. It's not always easy on a horse who's escaped and is loose.

Whatever means you use, take pictures for proof. It may/may not help your case. If the winter coat is different than the summer coat, take pictures of both seasons. I had a horse who was chestnut in the winter and a dark liver in the summer. You'd think it would've been reversed, with the lighter color in the summer, but it wasn't.

A brand that isn't registered might get you in trouble in most states and/or not be recognized.

We have 2 slaughter plants in Texas. I'm not sure, but I think these are now the only plants in the country. Chances of recovery of stolen stock here is slim to none.

My riding mount was hot branded by the breeder when the mount was a colt. We had ID papers in the state I used to live in. There's nothing like that in Texas. I can 'find' a horse here, toss him in the pasture, and he's mine. Amazing, 'specially with the 2 slaughter plants here.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), March 28, 2001.

Hi Lizabeth, My name is Rhonda and I'm an Animal Health Technologist student that is graduating this June up in Manitoba,Canada. I am doing a project on freeze branding and i have looked into other identification systems such as tattoos and I found that freeze- branding is the best method. I recommend you get a freeze brand done on your horse. It would depend on the color though of course. When freeze branding is performed the color pigment follicle is killed and the hair will grow back white if the brand is done properly. I don't entirely recommend lip tattoos because they can fade in 4-5 years, while the freeze- brand mark will last a lifetime and cannot be altered.

-- Rhonda (lyn3212@hotmail.com), April 08, 2001.

On the subject of Freeze Brands... they are permanent, easy to read from a distance and relatively painless. I say this because I am a Freeze Branding Tech from Tampa, Florida. View our web page at http://hometown.aol.com/dragginh/index.html for more info on Freeze Branding. :)

-- Draggin H Livestock Services (DragginH@aol.com), April 18, 2001.

Hi, Just going through old meassages and felt a need to respond. Freeze brands are great but many horses that are freeze branded are also chipped because after about 10 yrs. more or less. Where the brand was branded will lose some of its potency and the hair will start turning back to the horses original color and something also happens to the branded skin were it is difficult to read it if you can. So the chip comes in real handy then. The brand is always there and you can see it some what but it fads and even if you shave the hair to look at the skin it warps and becomes difficult to read. I have had these on many of my horses.

Mt

-- Montana Storm (storm@rconnect.com), August 25, 2001.