Why Freeze Brand?

Freeze branding has become popular  because it is safe, economical and easy to do. The brand is legible, permanent and can be read from a distance. Branded horses are less likely to be targets of thieves, if stolen marked horses can be more easily traced by law enforcement officers. Brands can discourage fraudulent practices with registration papers. Some breeders freeze brand to distinguish horses they have bred. Freeze branding is relatively painless for the horse, especially compared to hot iron branding. Hot iron branding can result in a blotched, unreadable brand.

Freeze Branding:

To apply "super cooled" iron to a horse's hide resulting in an easily read, identifying mark or brand, can be applied to any age horse. Freeze branding destroys pigment-forming (color) cells of the hair follicle. Hair continues to grow, but will grow in white. With white, gray or roan horses the iron is applied longer resulting in destruction of the hair follicle, which results in a hairless or bald brand.

Brand Identification:

For those of you who want to create a special brand, L&H Branding Irons has a quick turnaround time.  Contact them at 800-437-8068 or visit their web site. We also have a set of numbers and letters which can be used to brand your horse.

Micro Chipping

Sapulpa Equine also offers a second form of permanent identification for your horses through the use of micro chips. Recording of horses with a microchip provides an easy and accurate method of identification. Insertion of the microchip is relatively simple and leaves the horse permanently and easily identified without any blemishes such as brands.

The microchipping program works by recording the following horse information: • Breeding and breeder of the horse • Age / Date of Birth • Sex • Color • Current owner and address This information is permanently linked to a microchip which is implanted in the horse by a veterinarian. It can also be recorded on your horses Coggins form.

The microchip used is the Destron Lifechip ® which is the same type of chip used on thoroughbreds in NZ and Australia. The microchip has a special coating which encourages binding to the surrounding tissue, it is a quality chip which remains in place and readable for many years.

The microchip is the size of a grain of rice. The electronic circuitry and antenna are sealed in an airtight, biocompatible capsule made of glass. The chip contains no battery and is only activated by a magnetic field when it is being scanned. How is the microchip inserted?

Horse is restrained, usually by sedation and the microchip is inserted once the skin has been surgically prepared.

The microchip is injected, in a similar way to a normal intra muscular injection, in to the nuchal ligament, a fibrous cordlike structure which runs from the withers to the poll. This site is used because there is a very small loss rate of the microchip (0.3% - 0.4%). The microchip cannot be removed once inserted.

Using a microchip reader the unique number of the microchip can be permanently read at any time.

Data on the horse will be stored on a central accessible database and will contain relevant information on the horse.

For more information and pricing or to schedule your horse/horses, call (918)-827-8000