My filly was branded in September. It was kind of visible with her winter coat and very visible when she was shedding out, but now that she has her summer coat, it can’t be seen at all. Is that normal? She’s graying, if that makes a difference.
Yes. It is perfectly normal. Not all brands show a lot…
Yup, normal. I have one Hano mare (bay) whose brand is very obvious and yet my chestnut Hano mare’s barely shows, even with her slick summer coat.
I had an imported mare who’s brand was the same. Slightly visible in the right light with her winter coat. Visible when shedding out. And good luck finding it with her summer coat!
I know someone who had her horse branded twice, by two different branders. That particular horse’s brand NEVER stayed visible. They can vary a lot depending on the horse’s coat type and how they healed up. Doesn’t really matter much though in the end.
All three of my WB’s brands do not show unless you look really close.
So I suppose for me, it’s normal. I heard that if you do the Hunters they don’t want to see the brands anyway. I don’t know what the truth is to that but the only good thing for me on having the brands is for id purposes and resale. (if that ever happens.)
My filly’s brand is so hard to see I forgot it was there!
A well applied brand will show easily on a summer coat and be a little less visible on a winter coat. I have never had an imported horse with a brand that does not show up easily. Foals branded here can vary a lot depending on the experience of the person doing the branding.
I have a Hanoverian filly with an almost unreadable brand but for a different reason. The Hanoverian Verband dictates hot branding, something that is no longer common in NZ. In fact I think the Hanos are the only horses still branded in this way here.
My guess is the vet was not well practiced with hot branding. The brands were either too hot or left on too long or were applied with too much pressure, or perhaps all three! The H brand on the thigh is perfect but the heat from the numbers on the shoulder has bled together and the numbers are indistinct from each other. A real mess on her shoulder. Ugh.
My mare was branded in the US as a foal. The brand can be faintly seen in her summer coat. It’s all but invisible in her winter coat.
In my experience, horses branded here in the US rarely have very visible or sharp looking ones, but our ones from Europe and New Zealand are. Pretty normal, I think it must vary wildly based on experience (and maybe the wiggliness of the baby being branded, too!)
I have a 5yo whose AHHA brand is virtually impossible to see unless you just happen to be 2" away from his flank in the right light, right angle, and exactly the right coat length. It’s more visible in summer…or maybe I should reword that to say that it’s more INvisible in the winter than the summer. My guy is an incredible healer…it seems like every time he’s been wounded he’s healed three or four times faster than any of my other horses. My guess is that’s a big contributing factor to why his brand healed up so well.
[QUOTE=Kerole;6451664]
I have a Hanoverian filly with an almost unreadable brand but for a different reason. The Hanoverian Verband dictates hot branding, something that is no longer common in NZ. In fact I think the Hanos are the only horses still branded in this way here.
My guess is the vet was not well practiced with hot branding. The brands were either too hot or left on too long or were applied with too much pressure, or perhaps all three! The H brand on the thigh is perfect but the heat from the numbers on the shoulder has bled together and the numbers are indistinct from each other. A real mess on her shoulder. Ugh.[/QUOTE]
Why did they brand her on the shoulder? 
DownYonder - I’ve never really questioned it. Here in NZ our Hanos are branded with the H on the thigh and numbers (birth number over year) on the shoulder. Do you guys do something different?
