reasons to NOT freezemark?

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rforsyth1984

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Ok so there are plenty of good reasons to freezemark, but I notice some people dont like it.... so what are the reasons to not get it done, and what are the alternatives?
Obviously chipping, but Im not keen as its not always picked up and doesnt have the obvious deterrent that freezemarking does?
 
You can also hoofbrand, which is time consuming. You also have a small freezemark done when you microchip the horse, which IMO is a fab idea as it show's they've been chipped.

I think people don't like freezemarks purely from a cosmetic point of view, ie for show horses etc. I'd be interested to know if they did 'msall' freezemarking, as a normal size freezemark would take up most of my children's pony's body....
 
Personally, I can't think of a single reason not to Freezmark. There fore I will be watching this thread with interest.
 
After this morning - it might put someone off stealing him. Mind you they'd probably return him anyway!
 
What if you want your naughty, nappy horse who bites and kicks everyone stolen so you can claim off the insurance to buy a nice one???
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LOL
one of my mares[grey] is freezmarked on the shoulder. the flies tend to congregate there and "eat" at the skin. they also do this on any thinned skinned area, such as infrontof her udder. So i need to keep puting something like sudcreme on to put a barrier between the mark and the flies as they make it bleed.
all my other horses are absolutely fine though, but they are darker and so have white hair freeze brand rather than it having been frozen to the skin, as they have to with greys.
 
I have a friend who unfortunately lives in an area renowned for horse theft. t's so bad there, she regularly sees the thieves watching her yard, they have even been seen parked outside her house. She has a very nice show pony, it's twice been to HOYS, and she knows it would be a prime target for thieves. She was considering getting the pony freezemarked, and spoke to a HOYS judge for advice. His reply? 'Don't get the pony freeze-marked, if you do you will be marked down and unplaced at every show you enter'.

Poor woman, she's now so terrified of her pony getting swiped that it's practically living in her house with her.
 
I have to say I would rather be marked down at a show than loose my beloved horse to some horror of a person that will not treat him very nicely! I cannot think of any reason to not freezemark.
 
Judges are not allowed, and generally do not, mark down for Freezemarks. My pony has been placed at P(UK) and won many M&M championships, and he is Freezemarked - and blue-eyed!!!
I have just had three freezemarked and one is extraodinarily thin skinned. She was not meant to have the hair follicle killed, just the colou, but it completely killed it. There has been absolutely no problems with flies though.
We had a crowd of 'those' people move into a field opposite us two months ago, and I couldn't sleep until they had gone, as it was pre-freezemarking. They have just returned and I feel so much happier that my animals are now traceable, but unlikely to be stolen in the first place.
 
i have heard of it causing muscle damage to some horses... and of one in particular who was unrideable after freezemarking, having been fine before. however, that's one in a million i guess. i was told if i ever got another done, to have it done on its neck, not in the saddle area, just in case. also, neck is visible if the horse has a stable rug on, so more of a deterrent.... not if it has a neck-protector on though, obviously!
i have mine microchipped instead now.
 
I dont like it and wouldnt have my others freezemarked. Had it done to one of mine years ago and it was awful. My pony went ballistic as she put the freeze iron things on his back. The end result was dreadful, Ive never been able to read what the mark actually says! Im sure the woman did it badly in the first place but its put me right off it.

I think it looks horrid as well, especially if showing etc. Ive had the odd horse with a brand instead, which looks better but thats bloody painful for them to have.

Mine currently dont have any marks. But I am thinking about microchipping them. If I do, Ill make sure to put up those signs round the yard saying they've been done. I think it depends where the horses are kept - mine are all right beside my house in the countryside. We dont get many stolen cases round here. If mine were on a yard or something then I would.
 
I had the opportunity to have mine freezemarked and I declined. I know it's the best method of protection against theft and the most effective way of retracing a stolen horse but I just couldn't do it. B is jet black and it would stand out horribly on her - I felt it would be sacrilege to put a big blurry white mark on her otherwise black coat! And what if it went wrong and looked a mess?

I also do a lot of showing with her and although a freezemark should never affect placings - in fact I think judges should give preference to freezemarked horses to encourage the practice - it is a sad fact that it does attract the eye and some judges don't like them.

Instead I just do everything I can to keep her safe - gates padlocked both ends, microchip, photocopies of her passport and chip number in safe places, and an engraved tag on her bridle in case we ever part company on a hack :P
 
can i slightly hijack the post.

I was thinking of having mine freeze marked but once you have had it done.... do you have to pay a fee every year? if so how much does this cost?

sorry
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I'm not sure, but I think you do! But i never have! Mind you when I had mine done it was a register for life as only a few people were having it done. I suspect I am no longer registered! And mine have never been stolen. The freezemark is such a good deterrent in itself.
 
I wouldn't have mine done - I wouldn't risk it under the saddle and don't really want it on the shoulder. I can see the point, but don't see the need to put mine through it at the moment.

I've microchipped mine, which was a fraction of the price of freemarking.
 
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I have to say I would rather be marked down at a show than loose my beloved horse to some horror of a person that will not treat him very nicely! I cannot think of any reason to not freezemark.

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Same here. Freezemarking has practically a 100% success rate at recovering stolen horses, microchipping doesn't. And after a friend had a "tea leaf" actually caught in her field scanning her horses to see if they were chipped she got them freezemarked pronto.

I would much rather know my beloved horses are safe than worry about people considering them disfigured in any way. Time and again it has been proven that freezemarking is the only way to truly safeguard your horse. To me it is a no brainer.
 
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Quote " 'Don't get the pony freeze-marked, if you do you will be marked down and unplaced at every show you enter'.

Bstd judge and I have to say typical of showing.
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didn't do mine any harm at the Royal Show..maybe that isn't prestigious enough to count though
 
ISH_mad, I totally agree, I think EVERY horse should be freezemarked - all mine are, they are all too precious to me to ever risk them being stolen (and yes, one of them is black and it really stands out, I'm glad it does)
 
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Freezemarking has practically a 100% success rate at recovering stolen horses, microchipping doesn't.

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Out of interest where did you get that statistic from? I know horses that were freeze marked, stolen and didn't get recovered

If they get slaughtered, go abroad or have the mark changed, there is very little chance of recovery

Bottom line is like everything - if somebody really wants to steal something, nothing is going to stop them.
 
It is commonly used in their advertising, and since Farmkey maintain the stolen horse register they would have access to the statistics I guess. Freezemarked horse are not always recovered straight away, sometimes the freezemark is coloured for sale but it grows out, sometimes a bald mark is revealed by clipping. It may be that a horse may end up sold for meat, even so it could still be identified by the freezemark.
 
Ah ha - Farmkey say 95%, Freezemark say 100% and Northern Star don't quote

Out of interest if you get your horse freeze marked, but you don't keep up the annual membership, can you rejoined if they are stolen?
 
Just wondering whether its like breakdown cover with the car - technically you can rejoin if broken down, but they charge you more!!

Now thinking of asking local dairy farmer if he gets his cows done- Northern only charge £3 for a cow, maybe I could sneak mine in....
 
My horse has a microchip and we have recently had him freeze marked with a horse shoe shaped mark done by Farmkey that is used to show he is microchipped. This is on his shoulder (you can have the mark put anywhere) and is about an 5cm in size.

The only thing is not many people know what the mark is for?? In fact we use the RVC vets and when the horse had his inoculations recently the vet asked what the mark was???

Its a great idea but needs more publicity l think
 
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The only thing is not many people know what the mark is for?? In fact we use the RVC vets and when the horse had his inoculations recently the vet asked what the mark was???

Its a great idea but needs more publicity l think



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I totally agree, when I took Herbie to Liphook Equine Hospital, none of the vets and staff knew what that mark ment.
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I'm not sure, but I think you do! But i never have! Mind you when I had mine done it was a register for life as only a few people were having it done. I suspect I am no longer registered!

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same here dozziesmum, i had mine done in about 87
 
Answers from Freezemark;

Yes you can renew a lapsed membership and still receive the support from the company if your horse is stolen, although it is better to keep you membership current to assist them in acting straight away on your behalf. You can register with Freezemark even if your mark was originally done with a different company.

Freezemark can claim 100% recovery as they have had only 10 confirmed thefts and all these horses have been recovered.

Horses can be marked on their quarters, and this is sometimes done with coloured horses. However it isn't the easiest place to mark and if a horse plays up during the procedure it is more difficult to keep the irons on if marking here.

For Katy - Freezemark usually use 3 digits in the mark, Farmkey usually use 4, so the 3 digit mark may occupy less space on your pony's body
 
I really dont like the look of freezemarks, I know it's shallow, but I dont want my horses markings ruined by big letters. I want to have him microchipped but obviously am put off by people not recognising the horseshoe mark
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