what is your opinion on branding your warmbloods?

[grayarabpony]

[QUOTE=fish;3661123]
Funny, I have a friend breeding GOV horses (and hosting inspections) whose foundation mare was an Appendix QH, and daughters (and now grandkids and great grandkids) got and continue to get Premiums.

Personally, I think it a great mistake to exclude good horses from a Sport Horse breeding program because of “unconventional” bloodlines. Let us not forget that Galoubet was out of a Standardbred, and there have been many QH GP horses.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. But it’s still funny to literally hear the gasps of horror from some on this board when there is talk of approving warmbloods with QH blood in them.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

@Daydream Believer;3661238

If I did do them, it would be a freeze brand done under sedation.

I would never do a freeze brand. Yes, they don’t feel it when done, but it swells up and is painful and raw for weeks after. With a hot brand, the pain is only for a second when first applied, and you can approach and rub the brand 2 minutes later (or rebrand and they are not spooked - see above). They never get pain again unless you pick at it/pester it.

You COULD sedate for hot branding, and I did see one foal owner/vet try to do that for her foal. When she injected the foal, it reared, fell over, and smashed its head into the bumper of her truck, then flailed on the ground under my broodmare. My GOOD girl (maiden foaling mare) carefully stepped off the baby. I was afraid she would try to hurt a strange horse too close to her own. The foal did get up and was fine, and fine for the unsedated branding.

[NoDQhere]

[QUOTE=grayarabpony;3661282]
And what are you, besides rude and condescending? :lol: You’re always rude and condescending.[/QUOTE]

No, I am not. But I do disagree with people who make broad, sweeping and mostly untrue statements. I know your answer is always to attack. I guess you feel you can intimidate people that way so no one will disagree with you.
My advice to you…Don’t take a pea shooter to a gunfight ;).

@grayarabpony;3661282

Apparently you have some problems with reading comprehension. I said LIKELY. There is an approved Belgian stallion who has an Appendix QH dam. He’s already been discussed on this forum – Victory Gallop. In fact you yourself asked, where in the world is his pedigree? and tri told you why, in all of the usual places.

We all know about Victory Gallop. The % of QH blood is actually pretty low. The fact that the TB side of the dam’s pedigree is “Night Before Last” probably factored hugely into his Approval.

@grayarabpony;3661282

It’s time to put you on ignore and keep you there.

Please do. I find your constant attacks and side tracking of threads annoying.

[Ridge_Runner]

Daryln…I’ve seen freeze brands that were not swollen or painful. Perhaps the one you saw was not done correctly or got infected? I imagine that is true of any brand. At least a properly done freeze brand is visible and can be read.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

I have seen a couple done on Arabs. All had a swollen ridge, and the horse was raw on that area for quite a while. They did not appear to be infected. Funny, but they were done on gray horses, so only visable for a few years, and under a LOT of mane, so you did have to look.

[FriesianX]

In response to the initial question - I choose not to brand. I don’t think it is horrifically cruel - but it is frightening to the babies (on top of all the stress of being in a strange place, often for the first time), and it does sting. Vaccines sting too - but we do them! And I think more and more people are moving away from it - even in the Euro WB registries, many of them are making it an optional event. I’ve got one branded baby (RPSI) and simply because the breeders and the registry both really wanted him branded, I was under the impression I didn’t have a choice I have pics of the branding - it was quick, he flinched, a brief burst of flame (he had lain down to take a nap, so we didn’t get all the shavings dust off), and he quickly got over it.

But this year, at the AWS inspection, I decided to pass, although I did tell a client who was selling her foal to brand, I think it makes him just a bit more marketable. My stallion isn’t branded either - I LIKE that AWS gives us the option and has for years.

I attend at least 2 or 3 inspections each year (this year, it was AHA, Olden/ISR, and AWS), and I didn’t see anything that was overly traumatic or cruel. A few babies kicked, many flinched or jerked away - but I saw some that reacted that way simply to being held for conformation inspection - they are babies, they are flight animals, if something is scary, they fly!

I think YOU as the owner need to decide - will it help you market your horse if he/she is for sale? Does it make you feel better to ride a horse with a brand - seriously, I’m not asking this in jest, some people DO feel better knowing they have a branded horse, just as some people would rather use Kleenex rather than a different brand facial tissue, it’s OK, just consider whether this is something important to you, and if so, brand.

As for identification, I don’t really think a breed brand makes a huge difference - they are pretty generic. If you are worried about identification, microchip or tattoo your horse.

I don’t think it makes a huge difference later on in the competition ring - in fact, some brands disappear anyway, or become so faint, no one can really tell WHAT they are.

[FriesianX]

Oh, and as for comments about registries - everyone has their favorite registries. Many people love AWS, many love RPSI, many love ISR, many love KWNP - it is just a brand. And most of the WB registries will issue a COP or register in a 2nd book and brand a horse as long as ONE of the parents is approved for breeding, irregardless of what the other parent is (or isn’t). A brand doesn’t guarantee quality - it just lets you know which designer label you purchased. The proof comes later on, in performance - so let’s not bash any registries!

OP - if you are curious about how horses react, attend an inspection or two. You’ll see that some horses are drama queens, others would be more worried by a Bot fly than a brand. This year, one of my client’s foals had to be branded THREE times because the inspector didn’t get the brand quite hot enough. He still tolerated it on his butt on the 3rd try- it couldn’t have hurt THAT much :lol:

[BREEDINGMANIAC]

I have had many geldings- and that is the least of importance to me- I would rather have one that can win on the line, who cares if it is branded or registered!

[zack_sherman]

Just been using traditional branding, a metal one.