Page 1118 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

If the horse goes missing, its details are passed on to a nationwide network of contacts

including the police, vets, sale rings, ports, abattoirs and Trading Standards Officers.
VetBooks.ir Freeze marking

Freeze marking is one method of giving your horse a clear and permanent identification mark

(Figure 25.3). The characters (letters and numbers) are marked on the left side of the saddle
region or the left shoulder, using a very cold instrument. The pigment cells in the skin are

killed and the new hair growth is white. Grey and coloured horses are identified using the
same technique but a bald mark is created on the shoulder. There is an initial charge for
freeze marking and then you have the option of taking out an annual membership fee to an

equine security register e.g. Farmkey (www.farmkey.co.uk).

Figure 25.3 A freeze mark

THE PROCEDURE

The horse should be held in a stable or enclosed space by an experienced adult. The area to