Freeze marking, spoils horse cosmetically OR essential deterrent?

[CobSunshine]

Microchips don't offer the first line of visual deterrent freeze marking would

Hoof marking needs redoing regularly and isn't very visable

Leaving me debating weather i should get my pride and joy freezemarked?

I'd hate for her to be stolen.

Share your experiences of freezemarking/effectiveness and advice on best code to use, ie. horses name/postcode/etc

 

[Bosworth]

Freezemarking is the only secure way of marking. It does not detract at all from the horses look. I have mine under saddle so no one sees it when I ride. But if my horse were stolen then there is a highest chance I will get him back. I personally would prefer to see every horse with a freeze mark. Shows teh owner is responsible and putting their horses welfare ahead of looks.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

If they are your pride and joy, get them freezemarked, far less chance of being stolen and if they are, much better chance of recovery.

If its a mare or a coloured or minature, then would recommend freezemarking and microchipping since these are the favoured targets.

You wont even notice the freezemark after a few weeks. Promise! And imagine if you didnt do it and then your horse is stolen.

And a personalised one is good, but I think words are better than postcode or things personal to you that others might not find memorable. After all, if looking for a stolen horse it is strangers who will need to memorise the number/word they see.

 

[suestowford]

I have one who is freezemarked. He grows the most thick and woolly winter coat and when this starts growing (in August) the freezemark becomes unreadable. He doesn't lose his coat until June so the freezemark is illegible for most of the year.

Mind you no-one in their right mind would want to steal him...

 

[fatpiggy]

Run the clippers over it then. I'd rather be last in the line on my horse, than see someone else winning on it when it gets stolen and you can't prove its yours. As for "ruining its looks" so does the first scar that crops up so I would never be that precious about it.

 

[millimoo]

Get your horse done..... for me it's a no brainer, unless they have another breed brand that's unique.
My Shetland was done at 18 months of age by his breeder as theft was rife in her area.

He's 24yrs old now, and I had 2 of his numbers re-done about 7 years ago as two had virtually disapeared.
He now has 2 clear numbers, and 2 larger very faint numbers that are bigger as they stretched as he grew.

However the main point is, if he was stolen and was in a heard of Black Sheltands he has a unique mark on his back.

 

[DellaMoon]

My mare is branded but it's still not visible enough. We are getting ours freezemarked tomorrow. We have a trailer and tack stolen at our yard about a month ago and since then found two horses with the fronts of their rugs undone. We think they were being checked for freezemarks so we are desperate to get them done. It's not a nice feeling walking into your yard in the dark praying that the gate is still locked. Get it done, no brainer!!

 

[posie_honey]

essential detterant for me

 

[MHOL]

Freezemark, anyone can read it!An appaloosa was stolen near me, the police reported it as horse with a long brown face stolen! Whereas even the policeman that filed the report could type in a freezemark, the easiest horses we trace and recover are freezemarked. if its stolen and someone suspects they only have to google the freezemark and a poster will come up, if they google black horse, white star, 4 white socks it means nothing!

 

[quirky]

There are very few freezemarked on our yard, 6 out of about 40, mine being one of them.

I had mine done when she was at a yard that was left unattended at night and am really glad I got it done.

Agree with whoever said after a time you don't even notice it.

In the event of our yard being broken into, I hope it'd result in mine being left because she is easily identifiable.

 

[the watcher]

Does it spoil the horse cosmetically?

There is nothing so ugly as the empty space in the stable where your stolen horse used to stand.

All mine are done as soon as I get them, or at 6 months for the home bred horses, I wouldn't even consider not having them marked, and I have competed in national showing with a freezemarked horse (and been placed)

 

[ISHmad]

All my horses are freezemarked. I couldn't bear to think that if they were stolen we might never get them back, when a simple freezemark would have helped prevent their theft in the first place. And generally if freezemarked horses are stolen they get recovered, or abandoned once the tea leaf realises they are marked.

To me it's a no brainer. I love my horses too much not to have them freezemarked quite honestly.

 

[CobSunshine]

thanks guys i'm convinced!

Can anyone reccomend a good mobile freezemarker if these exist? and what would I expect to pay?

 

[yeeharider]

are you for real cosmetics does not come into it I judge at county level and would certainly never judge a horse by where its freeze mark was. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kirstyl]

Mine is freezemarked on his shoulder having raced in Hong Kong as a 2 and a half yr old. I wouldn't have chosen to have him freezemarked there but it is very clear and obvious. He is also microchipped with weatherby's

 

[Ebenezer_Scrooge]

Er no brainer...freeze mark everytime!!! My boy is marked on his black patch on his hip so visible even if saddle on! It is clipped all year round so visible, only 2 other horses on yard [out of 20] are freezemarked, I can sleep at night knowing that he is protected x

 

[BuBbleMooJim]

I registered on here to reply to this! It's a no brainer I have my horse, freezemarked, she is already microchipped by wetherby's, as she is an ex racer, my last horse was freezemarked in a group session twenty odd years ago, stolen on loan, and I only got her back because she was freezemarked, my only proof of ownership in the days before passports, so my thoughts, MARK IT OR RISK LOSING IT!!!!

 

[MHOL]

I also paint his freezemark on his rugs and mark that he is freezemarked, 1. in an instant they can tell he is freezemarked and 2 no one will want to steal my rug (alot of that going on at the moment)

 

[LynnWalker]

If you want to learn from my mistake, you'll get your horse freezemarked. I didnt, thought they were 'ugly' and he was stolen. My biggest regret, the most stupid decision I ever made.
He is microchipped, so a small consolation, but if he were f/m'd, finding him would be 100% easier.
Get them done! Please.x

 

[DellaMoon]

We are getting ours done by Farmkey today. It's around £45 depending on how many you have done and if you are a member of the BHS or insured with NFU. Will let you know how good they are tomorrow!!

 

[posie_honey]

for anyone worried about freezemarks and showing....

 

[CobSunshine]

thanks guys,

still looking for a reputable freezemarker in manchester area if anyone has any suggestions.

So is the usual spot around the withers and then backwards, or would the top of leg be better?

 

[quirky]

I am in Lancashire and had Farmkey do mine. There is also Freezemark.biz but they wait until they have a few in the area before they come out to you. In my case, it was going to be months. Farmkey was within 2 weeks.

Have a chat with whoever comes out to do it, they will advise where best to put it (if a coloured).

 

[DellaMoon]

Farmkey did ours on Tuesday and they were great! No fuss, took about 15 minutes per horse including paper work. Really easy and definitely recommend.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Another vote for Farmkey. They were very good as my mare is very thin-skinned and they adjusted/shortened the time the markers were held on her to take this into account.

 

[The_snoopster]

I have used both companies freezemark and farmkey, I found them to be both very good, must add that the lady from freezemark was very understanding if you had a nervous horse. I had my coloured mare done just above her tail due to the fact she was in foal and all her other coloured patches were right where the foal would be lying. So it does seem she has number plates on her backside, would much prefer to have the freezemark than an empty field and an empty space by the gate where my mare stands waiting for me to arrive.

 

[thinlizzy]

Would highly recommend freezemarking its a visual deterrent it dosnt guarantee your horse wont be stolen but would give you a better chance of recovery or being dumped or not taken for a unfreezemarked horse , i have found people think horses are worth more if marked , some anyway

 

[JenniferS]

for anyone worried about freezemarks and showing....

What show was that? I know the judge

 

[hairycob]

I have used Farmkey & Freezemark & been happy with both.
Used Farmkey for my first & only changed to Freezemark with the 2nd as it was the height of the Eastern European photography scare & Freezemark could get to me first - still had to wait 6 weeks such was the (positive) impact of that scare. I used Freezemark this time as they have 3 letter marks (Farmkey are 4) & Jason needed a bald mark so I thought 3 would be easier on him.

 

[ihatework]

Can I ask a silly question?
None of my horses are freeze marked, it has crossed my mind a couple of times but to be honest, in terms of nick-ability types they would not be top of the list in terms of type.

The reason I have put it off, is that one of my horses is so ultra sensitive over his back that I am quite concerned that it may make him even more sensitive! If I was going to mark him now would be the time to do it as he is off work until after Christmas so won't need a saddle on for a while. (Sorry, for cosmetic reasons really would only consider a freeze mark under saddle, not on shoulder).

Has anyone had any adverse reaction following a FM? (The horse is grey, does that make a difference as I presume they will need to be bald rather than white)