What do mustang brands mean?
A branding iron is supercooled using liquid nitrogen and held onto the shaved and prepped skin of the now formerly wild horse. The brand is comprised of a large “U” indicating that the horse is now “federally-owned” and symbols that record estimated year of birth and capture location.
Why do Mustangs get branded?
When a wild horse is rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), they are given a freeze brand on their neck. This marking indicates that the horse is federally owned. Each one is unique and has identifying information like birth date and capture location.
Where are Mustangs branded?
When wild horses are gathered by the BLM and processed, they are given a unique brand on the left side of their neck. This brand utilizes the Alpha Angle system developed by Dr. Keith Farrell of Washington State University.
Do all Mustangs have brands?
No. Mustangs are a specific breed of horse. They are feral, but they are also a breed. I once came across a young woman who said this: “To put it simply, any old horse wrangled from the wild in the west can be branded a mustang even if it was a horse that escaped from a neighboring farm.” This is simply not true.
How do you read freeze brand?
Both types of brands are read from the top line starting on the left hand side, working across the line before moving onto the left hand side of the second line. Australian freeze brands use the “alpha angle” symbols – with two lines of four symbols each.
How do you read horse brands?
Brands are read from left to right, top to bottom, or outside to inside. Brands that contain letters, numbers or characters having rafters, quarter circles, or bars above or below are listed under the letter, number or character category.
How do you read a freeze brand?
What do the numbers mean on a horse brand?
Identification Number The identifying number signifies the order in which horses born in the same foaling season were branded with the same stock brand. If a number of horses are being branded with the same Stock Brand and Foaling Season Number “3”, the horses would be branded 1 over 3, 2 over 3, 3 over 3, etc.
How do you read a brand?
Brands are read from left to right, from the top down or from the outside to the inside. If a letter or symbol is made backwards from its normal position, it’s read as a reverse. A letter partially over on its face or back is said to be tumbling.
How do you read brand symbols?
How do you read a wild mustang brand?
The large U shaped mark is the BLM code. The next two marks (one on top of the other) is the estimated year of the horses birth. The next six marks is the registration code. The registration code is made up of two digits identifying the region taken and the next four are the “tag number.”
How do you read a horse’s freeze brand?
In addition to the freeze mark on the left side of the neck, sanctuary wild horses are marked on the left croup with 4 inch high Arabic numerals that correspond with the last four digits of the freeze mark on the neck….How to Read a Freezemark.
| Arizona | 80001-160000 |
|---|---|
| Wyoming | 800001-880000 |
| Eastern States | 880001-880100 |