Germany and Hot Branding/animal welfare

SpottedCat

SpottedCat

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So just seen the HHO news story that Germany is 'moving towards' hot branding being banned.

Can anyone explain to me how/why it is illegal to trim a horse's whiskers in Germany on animal welfare grounds, but hot branding is still ok? That strikes me as all about face!

Or do they anaesthetise for hot branding? But surely it is still sore when the anaesthetic wears off?

I've posted this in here because I know some people based in Germany/who have been based in Germany read it.
 
I imagine that it is the strength of tradition of the various (state) studbooks who have always branded that has kept it going. For what it's worth, my British bred and born Hanoverian is branded too. I don't feel massively strongly about it either way, although I do think the way the KWPN do it is better - every foal is microchipped and not branded. A microchip is a much better identifier anyway. But I've seen foals being branded, and really, it doesn't seem to bother them too much.

Is it really "illegal" to trim whiskers in Germany? I didn't' know that! I thought it was just that they don't have the same background in showing that we have here, so trimming whiskers just isn't the done thing.
 
It really is illegal! Under the animal welfare act (whatever the German for that is). Which was why I was surprised hot branding was still legal - seems really odd to me.

I don't have a strong opinion on branding, was just bemused that a country as organised and keen on rules as Germany won't let you trim your horse's whiskers on welfare grounds, but burning a brand into its skin is ok?!
 
It is tradition and business, like having a swoosh on your shoes or a little polo player on your shirt. It's not just about identifying the individual, it's about brand ;) recognition. The approach to welfare issues is very different on the Continent (trying even discussing culling with anyone here. . .) and I'm sure the whiskers thing is probably tied to other similar laws on management, plus the argument would be it serves no purpose at all, whereas branding does. Anyway, I'm sure they'll be following the Dutch soon anyway.
 
On a similar point but not horse related however just as bizarre You can Bullfight in spain but not use a ferret for rabitting.
I think although microchips are a better identifier there is still a lot of competition between the societies on the continent and it is not so easy to just see the difference between some of them.The brand at least tells you about its registration.I am not saying this justifies it but I can see why they mark them
 
TiddlyPups said:
For the horse, is there more pain involved in hot branding than freeze marking?
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This isn't relevant to the banning of hot branding. The freeze mark is to prevent theft and needs to be seen to do that. The brand is simply an ID, and as the KWPN gradings show, it is completely unnecessary to hot brand, because no KWPN is branded even though it is one of the toughest gradings in Europe.

I do believe that there is more pain in hot branding though. A freeze brand can be held for 30 seconds or more to make sure it does the job. No horse would stand unsedated for 30 seconds with a hot brand.
 
i have a holsteiner who was born in germany and is breed branded. I do think its a bit pointless really, and when i think of him as a foal getting it down it does make me feel a bit sad for him.

i can understand decades ago it was probably more used to identify the breeding of a horse, but with passports and microchips now it is much easier to know the breeding of a particular horse.
 
Blonde question ....my horse is imported and branded with a HUGE brand, but he is a HUGE +17hh horse. If he was , for arguments sake, 1/3 of the size he is now when he was a foal was the branding iron 1/3 of the size of his brand ie has it grown with him or was the branding iron the same size his brand is now?
 
cptrayes said:
This isn't relevant to the banning of hot branding. The freeze mark is to prevent theft and needs to be seen to do that. The brand is simply an ID, and as the KWPN gradings show, it is completely unnecessary to hot brand, because no KWPN is branded even though it is one of the toughest gradings in Europe.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, sorry that was me confusing things in my mind

cptrayes said:
I do believe that there is more pain in hot branding though. A freeze brand can be held for 30 seconds or more to make sure it does the job. No horse would stand unsedated for 30 seconds with a hot brand.
Click to expand...

This was my thinking, as a sort of example people have moles frozen off which is uncomfortable but there is no way you would withstand being burned for that time period.
 
Re the size of the original brand, yes, it's to scale. :)

I don't think it's necessary and have no problem with banning it but I've also seen lots of foals done and if it's done properly it's surprisingly low drama.
 
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