freemarking... pros and cons. and other numpty Qs

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amycamycamyc

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The other thread about the blank cheque for Piper got me thinking about freezemarking. My mare isn't freezemarked and I was discussing it with another livery on the yard the other day (who has the most generic looking horse ever- completely brown, no markings, features, whorls, nothing!).I know very little about it though, had always had microchips previously.
Are there any downsides to getting it done?how much is it? and who actually does it? Does a horse need time off afterwards?
 
Are there any downsides to getting it done?
some people don't like the look of it - some feel its cruel - personally i don't care - i'd rather my horse have a visual detterant

how much is it?
umm i can't remember :o but i did pay extra to have her freezemarked M4DM because she is a madam tehehe

and who actually does it?
farmkey did mine - great service etc

Does a horse need time off afterwards?
if done under saddle then i think yes... HRH has hers on her shoulder as she's had a lot of saddle/back issues so i didn't want to give her another excuse to be paranoid about her back :rolleyes:
 
I had Mason done as soon as I got him, even thought he was already microchipped. I had him marked on the shoulder so it's visible even when I'm riding him.
I haven't seen any downsides to it, it wasn't painful, and I gave him 3 days off afterwards. (I think it's 5 days if you have it done under the saddle area, but every horse is different) It looked a bit scabby for a while, but the hair soon grew back.
We've been in-hand showing, and it's never been commented on, so I think that is a myth.
With a freezemark, if your horse gets stolen, all you need to identify the horse is a working pair of eyes (even 1 would do) and the ability to recognise all 26 letters of the alphabet, and numbers 0-9! Much easier than having to go find someone with the right type of microchip scanner!
Farmkey charge about £55 a horse, but it's cheaper if you get more than 1 horse done. You could see about organising a freezemarking day with a local riding club or horsewatch scheme to reduce the cost
 
My horse is freezemarked and as he's grey they keep the irons on longer and kill the hair follicles altogether so the brand is bald. This has proved to be a nightmare as it gets sunburnt every single sunny day of the year! I have to put blinking suncream on it and if I forget even one day it weeps and swells. Had I known this I'd have had it done under his mane, as it is, its on his shoulder. He's not even especially delicate skinned and I have tried to toughen if up by exposing it to a bit of sun but it won't have it. It was done 7 years ago!

I had it done with Freezemark Ltd and wouldn't use them again as they are impossble to contact and when I moved I was unable to change my address with them so now my details held on their database are way out of date.

Go with Farmkey and if your horse is grey get it done under his mane!!
 
had my boy done when i bought him under saddle every one thought i was mad and then a horse got stolen down the road and was never recovered and every one wanted it done ,i have been on yard when not the people you would want drove on yard, looking round ,etc mine was one of two freezemarked , the other horses owners never slept much ive never regretted wish i had it done on shoulder though ! Cost me around fifty pounds my three yo muched away his chaff and carrots never so much as blinked an eyelid it dosnt guarantee he wont be stolen, but more likely hell be left somewere or made hard to pass on or will be left in favour of unmarked horses .
Any others i ever buy i would freezemark too.
 
Mine is both freezemarked and microchipped.

My horse, who is normally such a well behaved boy, went crazy while getting his done, it seemed like it really hurt him. Tried twitching, he went even crazier. Bucket of sugar beet was the only thing that worked.

If I had realised how he was to react I would have got a micro-mark which is a really small one to show he is micro-chipped.

Will still always get future horses done - it's so worth it for piece of mind.
 
To add - if you get it done in the saddle area they need a few days off. Google farmkey, they have a really good website. If you have more than one horse done you get a discount, it's about £50ish.
 
I had my boy done with Farmkey last year - think it cost about £55. I had his mark under the saddle and gave him a week off - they recommend 5 days but he can be a bit funny with his back so I waited until I was truly happy it wasn't sore before I rode again although I did lunge him.

The lady who did Taff was lovely - he can be a bit of a tit so I was expecting minor hysterics but he was fine, turned round to look at her when the first iron went on and then went back to munching his feed!
 
But surely you can just dye over a freezemark if its a bay/grey/chestnut? :confused:

Neither of mine are freezemarked but both have unusual markings that could be recognized by someone non-horsey easily :) Plus Honey wont be caught by someone she doesnt know and boy does she kick up a fuss if anyone she doesnt know tries to take her out of her field ;)
 
To my mind there are no downsides to freezemarking. I couldn't care less if people don't like the look of the mark on my horses, it helps to keep them safe and where they belong - at home with us.

I've used both Farmkey and Freezemark and personally preferred Freezemark. Very personal customer service and highly efficient. The technicians from both companies were excellent, it was just I found Farmkey more of a nightmare re appointments.
 
According to my EDT, who was working for some time at a top horse abbatoir, he was quite concerned that none of the freezebranded horses were checked as belonging to the customer who brought them for slaughter and no questions were asked about their legitimacy.

Not sure if this has changed in the interim.
 
But surely you can just dye over a freezemark if its a bay/grey/chestnut?

Neither of mine are freezemarked but both have unusual markings that could be recognized by someone non-horsey easily Plus Honey wont be caught by someone she doesnt know and boy does she kick up a fuss if anyone she doesnt know tries to take her out of her field
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Yep, they can be dyed over but it fades and anyone buying a horse that 'develops' a freezemark will be supsicious - they are usually stolen to be sold on.

I obviously have my boy freezemarked ;) He has very distinctive markings, easily described but many many horses have 'distinctive markings' and noone remembers them all when 'keeping and eye out'. A freezemark can be registered and traced.

It cost just under £50. It's not painful but I supect it's uncomfortable.
 
Kallibear said:
Yep, they can be dyed over but it fades and anyone buying a horse that 'develops' a freezemark will be supsicious - they are usually stolen to be sold on.

I obviously have my boy freezemarked ;) He has very distinctive markings, easily described but many many horses have 'distinctive markings' and noone remembers them all when 'keeping and eye out'. A freezemark can be registered and traced.

It cost just under £50. It's not painful but I supect it's uncomfortable.
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I see the point but its not going to deter a theif knowing they can just dye over it and sell horse. But yeah it would get the horse back to you eventually :)
 
I was wondering about the micro-mark as my horse is already chipped. I haven't noticed any horses with them though so was a bit worried nobody would know what it meant. I do like the idea of not having a big mark if it isn't necessary. Also I just can't decide whether to have him marked under the saddle or on the shoulder. Either way it would be covered when he is rugged. Does anyone mark their rugs to make up for this, or do you rely on "these horses are freezemarked" notices on your gates/fences?
 
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