Horse ID tattoos help horse owners keep track of their horses. They also serve as proof of ownership.
Reasons for identifying a horse
Horse ID tattoos play an integral role in horse identification. People use tattooing to identify their horses because it protects against theft and increases the likelihood that a lost horse will be returned to its owner. It also allows horse owners to separate their horses according to identification markings if two groups of horses get entertained.
Lip tattoos
Lip tattoos are common horse ID tattoos for racehorses. These "tattoos" literally are tattoos and they're placed on the inside of the horse's upper lip. These tattoos can be applied by the horse owner or by a veterinarian. These tattoos identify racing horses by their papers, which proves that the horse is a legitimate racing horse. The problem with these tattoos is that in order to see them, you have to lift the horse's lip. If you're a horse owner you know that horses don't always love to have fingers in their mouths! Also, these tattoos can fade with time, which makes identification more difficult.
Body tattoos
There are numerous horse ID tattoos an owner can choose from. Body tattoos actually go on the horse's body and can generally be seen from a distance. Now, horses don't have individual tattoos like humans do, but a group of horses will. Traditional forms of body tattooing require the horse owner to pick out a special marking and then either freeze brand or hot iron brand it into the horse's hide.
Freeze branding requires the horse owner, or the brander, to get the branding iron incredibly cold. The iron is then placed in the horse's hide. The cold temperature kills the pigmentation in the hair of the branded area, leaving the horse with a permanent bright white marking. Horse ID tattoos that are applied via freeze branding are permanent and distinguishable from a distance.
Hot iron branding requires the opposite of freeze branding. The brander has to get the iron scalding hot and then place it in the horse's hide. Hot iron branding prevents any hair from ever growing in the branded area. Horse ID tattoos that are hot iron branded are just as permanent as freeze branded IDs, but they can be harder to spot from a distance.
Remember, regardless of what horse ID tattoos or tattoo you decide to use, it's very important for the safety of your horse that you choose some kind of identification method.
