just thought i,d get some opinions on this as where i live we have had a few horses stolen as my forester already as a brand from the forest i consider that as a permanent mark can they be easily be changed or should i have him freezed marked too, i have booked the freezemark people out to do my others but not sure about him he is chipped i know nothing is reliable to stop the thieves but brands seem to be the only deterrent i also dont know anyone else with a nf pony that as the breeders enitials on up here as there are no forest breds near me i suppose what i,m trying to say is his breeders brand enough security as i,m not sure he needs 2 brands it might look like someone as doodled on him

The hot brand is permanent, but would only give the name of the owner when it was on the forest. It should help to identify the animal, bit isnt a unique mark like the freeze brand which should give immediate identification.
The hot brands can be difficult to see under a winter coat, you often have to cut the hair back to see it.


It's always worth getting plenty of good photos in summer & winter coat just in case the worst happens.

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I'd definitely have him freezemarked. I always think it would act as a visible deterrent as the thieves would know the horse is easier to identify. My forest mare has both a branding and a freezemark and i don't think she looks particularly untidy, you get used to it after a while!

i have booked farmkey out to do him in two weeks as another horse as been stolen at the weekend shropshire seems to be a hot spot for the thieves at the moment, its never been like this by me and must admit i,m worried one was taken from the next field to me so i have moved mine to a private field out of sight