Horse hoof and skin branding are two fantastic methods of identifying your horse and protecting it from theft.
Why do I need to brand my horse?
Branding is most commonly used to protect horses from theft and allow the horse's owners to identify his or her horse. It's especially effective for horse owners that have several horses because these horses, particularly when they're out to pasture, can get lost or intertwined with horses from another ranch. Horse hoof and skin branding are two different, but effective methods used to identify horses.
Freeze branding vs. hot iron branding
How you brand your horse is a personal decision and there are advantages and disadvantages to all branding methods. Horse hoof and skin branding are just two ways to brand a horse. Skin branding can generally be broken down into two categories: freeze branding and hot iron branding.
Freeze branding uses an incredibly cold iron to kill the color pigmentation of your horse's hair. The area of the horse that's freeze branded turns bright white and stays that way forever. The advantage to this type of branding over other horse hoof and skin branding is that the brand is extremely visible from a distance. This type of branding is also permanent, which is a featured that's preferred by many horse owners.
Hot iron branding requires the brander to put an extremely hot iron on the horse's hide. This method of branding actually kills the hair on the branded area so it never grows back. This method is also permanent, but isn't quite as visible as freeze branding. Choosing horse hoof and skin branding is really a personal choice.
Hoof branding
Horse hoof and skin branding have different qualities and are preferred by different horse owners. Hoof branding requires the brander to impress a scalding hot iron on the hoof of the horse. Though the iron is hot, the horse can't feel the heat because it's being applied to its hooves. For this reason, many people like this type of branding because they think it's a more humane way to identify a horse. However, hoof branding is not nearly as visible as other branding methods. For example, if your horse runs in mud or is too far away for you to see it's hooves, it's impossible to see the brand.
Hoof branding also isn't permanent. Horses' hooves grow and because they grow, they need to be wording. Eventually the horse's hoof brand will be cut off and will have to be reapplied. This usually takes place every six months or so. Horse hoof and skin branding is a great way to identify your horse, but you should assess both methods before choosing which one's right for you.
