Freezemarking

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showjump2003

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Due to all the reports of horse theft ect I have decided it's time to get my horses freezemarked as a deterent. I tried last year but living in the middle of nowhere the companies wouldn't come to me for just 2 horses. Having tried again today it is possible I can get them done in three weeks time as there are other booking in my area. But now I'm starting to get cold feet, worrying it will hurt them ect! One horse is grey so I know that will have to go on her shoulder, the other is dun so not sure if I can get away with a normal mark. Both are 16+ and with me for good so I want to make sure they are protects.

So.... how did your horses react to being freezemarked? Was it traumatic? And how bad did the mark look before it healed? Scabs ect? Is it worth doing?
 
Good post - I am going through the exact same thoughts at the moment for my three (and two of them are dun).

Cheapest for me is Farmkey though not a lot in it - who are you using?
 
If your getting them done by farmkey the lady in our area (north wales) is absolutely lovely. i had 5 of mine done, 4 stood like donkies for it, one stood like a donkey for the 1st 2 letters then played up untill a feed bucket was shoved under his nose.
I got mine done last year when there was that large rash of horses going missing in the area.
 
My coloured mare only lifted her head out of her feed bucket once the 1st time (and she's not a piggy)!!! She didn't lift her head out at all when they had to remrk one number (which didn't take) 16 weeks later.
 
i was thinking about getting my boy done and he is a grey so would have to have it on his shoulder..
anyone had their horse done in this place.? does it affect them much at all.??
 
I always have horses marked on the shoulder irrespective of their colour - I WANT the freezemark to be seen.

Given a haynet or bucket of food most horses seem to cope well, I think it is the pressure of the irons more than the pain that they react to. The operators are very experienced and not much worries them.
 
My friends grey was done on his side just behind the saddle flat, so you can see it if he has a numnah under his saddle, but not if he has a square saddle cloth.
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He wasn't the least bit bothered about being marked, and it healed very quickly.
 
I agree and would have had my mare marked on her shoulder, but had to go on black coat under her saddle area, as shoulders are white with very pink skin, so it wouldn't have been that visible there and would hav been prone to sun burn.
 
Always have a horse freezemarked on it's shoulder so that the freezemark can be seen when it is being ridden.

All mine are done that way and it means that you can continue riding them as the saddle does not cover the area.

Freezemarking is the best way of protecting your horse as it can bee seen by anyone. Micro-chipping is a very bad second best as theer are too many systems many of the scanners of which do not read each other systems.
 
Doen't really matter with the two I'm getting done.. as one is white so will have to be done on the shoulder and the other is 17 and pretty much retired due to slight lameness so neither are really ridden. With her being lame it makes me worry more about her being stolen as she (dun in sig) is a very pretty pony, is only very slightly unlevel and doesn't look her age. Have awful visions of her being stolen and sold on as a riding pony (although no where near the point of getting a loss of use stamp).
 
I was quoted £47.95 each for three less £5 as member of NFU then the third pony was free on the following year's registration.

I'm going for mine on the shoulder as I want it visible though the mini shetlands never have saddles on anyway lol.

My dun pony is grey when clipped so not sure if that affects anything?

I'm just waiting for confirmation when my hardstanding will arrive (bit muddy in field ATM...) and then I'm booking it!

Hope your mind is set at ease by these replies and book it too
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My big boy just had his loss of use. He was fine with the first four digits but was visibly uncomfortable with the loss of use circle with L in the middle. He is too polite to do anything though. The very nice lady said he was the best behaved she had done that day so obviously some dont like it. Nothing to see yet just slightly raised where she did it. He is bay
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Well done for taking the plunge to get your horses done. Far better a few moments of discomfort on their part and then they are safe, than not having them done and running the possibility of losing them.

There is a lady who didn't have her coloured horse freezemarked because she was worried about how it would look. Her boy got stolen and she now bitterly regrets not having him done. I know she would also add her support for your decision.
 
I have had six done now, one grey, and not one of them has moved. I prefer Freezemark.biz and they have the bonus of being cheaper. For some unknown reason I had one done on the wither, but the rest I have had done on the shoulder.
All of ours seem to grow thick coats and during winter even the black one needs the mark clipped, and I don't like a clipped patch under the saddle.
 
Why do greys have to be done on the shoulder? (Might be a silly Q but I can't think of why.

Sparky was done when I got him. He has it on his shoulder and he is bay! It never bothers him
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i have recently had my boy done, he is usually a bit of a big girls blouse but he did not bat an eyelid. My friend also had her dun pony done at the same time, no problems at all, done like the rest of them
 
Definitely worth doing. IMO the microchip I had done was a waste of money. I had my boy freezemarked before he went on loan.

He stood their wild eyed and shivering like a girl, but he is a bit of a big girls' blouse!
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It was more the fact it was something different than it hurting him, as the minute the technician left he was back to normal again. His went a bit scabby but not very, and healed fully in about 6 weeks I think.

Looks brilliant now though, really clear. Very glad I had it done, def worth the money. I had to have his passport updated with the WPCS though...
 
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Why do greys have to be done on the shoulder?

[/ QUOTE ]

On light coloured and grey horses the irons are left on lnger so the hair follicle is killed, which results in a 'bald mark' as there will be no hair regrowth. Thus the skin (dark skin shows better) contrasts against the hair colour. It isn't on the saddle area incase the saddle tend rubs the bald patch.

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