What do you think of hot branding of horses?

Barbara F · Grand Prix

What do you think of hot branding of horses?

MagsNMe · Advanced

I have and continue to struggle with identifying my horses, which is a different thing. The assertion of a brand as a designer label just smacks of stupidity. My vet freeze brands hers with her brand, as a means of identification. I have less trouble with that, as it's much less destructive, and targets the hair follicle. The barn owner where we are also has hers freeze branded, again, identification purposes. Out here in AB, in some of the more remote areas branding really is useful when you're trying to keep someone from nabbing your horse from a field. I've pondered registering a brand, I still haven't and likely won't. My other vet up here (I have horses in two spots), wasn't encouraging about the microchip. One horse at the barn does have one, to no ill-effect. I have concern about slaughter, if that's where someone is taking your stolen horse, they only scan the ones that somewhat match the description of the stolen horse, and various means of disguise could be used, whereas a brand inspector is at the plant, and brands are quite obvious. I'm rambling, and obviously have paranoia issue eh?!

I can't justify hot branding a horse for the cachet of it. Some traditions need to die. I'll sign off before a rant on the chuckwagon racing gets going, speaking of traditions that need to die!

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

I'd have to agree with Mags. Hot branding seems to be a thing of the past that is more easily accepted for people "out in the sticks" who can't necessarily freeze brand or microchip out in the back 40. However, I would probably still stick with a brand over a microchip. Microchip technology may at some point fail, or perhaps scanners will become updated and the kind of chip put into your horse will become obsolete, thus new scanners may not be able to pick it up. As Mags said, a brand is plain evidence of who a critter belongs to. I think I'd rather stick with (improved) archaic methods that are hard to argue with.

NaturallyUnbridled · Well Schooled

The idea of hot branding turns my stomach.

Eventing101 · Well Schooled

i agree with NaturallyUnbridled too and theres other ways that people can identifiy horses like we put plastic tags on out horses legs and we replace them often because we don'
t want them fallinf off but some people just have too have it there way... tomato tohmato

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

Interesting topic, here is my 2 cents aww

I'm not for or against branding horses, if anything I am more for it than against it. Yes, hot branding does hurt briefly , but with educated care heals up fairly fast without much hassle (most likely less risky than having a horse gelded). Would I brand a horse just to brand it? No, but I do know that in many places they aren't scanning horses for microchips and unless somebody is going to volunteer to buy the scanner and go around to horse auctions this isn't going to change any time soon in some locations (by some locations, I mean locations that are smaller where somebody would want to offload a big time horse in hopes that small time people don't know who it is). A few things that are a down fall to microchipping a horse, is that the microchip can float to a new location (such as traveling to the chest or shoulder), and the fact that this can be over looked and missed if auctions were actually scanning horses consistantly for chips.

A hot brand or a freeze brand can be seen by pretty much everybody, the police in western Canada encourage the branding of horses as this not only deters theft, but if the horse goes missing it is easily identifable and the majority of auction houses have a brand book handy to look up the farm/ranch that the brand is associated with.

Like tattooing racehorses, sometimes branding (hot or freeze) is a nesscessary evil. Faced with the disturbing facts of where valuble horses can end up when stolen, I'd rather the temporary pain from a hot or freeze brand. Maybe in the future microchiping will become more affordable for both owners and those scanning horses and will wean out hot or freeze branding. End of 2 cents aww

justice · Grand Prix

Aw, that was more like 4 cents but I will give you a nickel : ) Well said, Nikki.

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

Thanks Justice, I in no way want to offend anybody with my ideas (ever). I know this can be a "hot" topic, pun intended aww

Pandora · Foal

This is an old thread, but I thought I might as well say my bit. In my experience microchipping has been pretty useless for all the reasons mentioned, but mostly because it is not readily visible to the observer.

I firebrand my horses if I do them at all. I do them myself and have never had a problem. It is certainly less stressful for the horse than many things we do to them, and we only need to do it once in their lifetime! I have had a problem with freezebranding and infection (not supposed to happen) and have seen many very ugly results from this method.

The main things with firebranding are, not to get the brand too hot (cherry, not yellow or white hot), to use a small brand, not a big cattle one, to do it fast and quietly and to hold a small, flat block of wood firmly against the horse's body just below the spot you are going to place the brand (seems to stop them jumping away suddenly). Of course, as with anything equestrian, you get a better result if you do it quietly and are not in a fluster!

For a good result you need a well made brand and it needs to be open at the back and not have the letters or numbers set on a plate - this just makes a big, blurry, burnt patch on your horse!

Done properly the result is a neat, indelible mark which does not stand out like a sore thumb but which can be readily seen.