If you are interested in horse breeding or simply own such an animal, you have surely heard about the concept of tagging horses more than once. In the context of these animals this kind of action has been taken for some time now.
Their main purpose is to facilitate accurate identification of the horse, as well as to speed up the process of searching for the horse in case the animal is stolen or lost for other reasons. There are at least several ways of marking a horse. These are mainly: chips, firing, freezing, tattooing and scanning the iris and retina of the horse’s eye.
What is horse-breeding smoking?
The most popular way to mark horses is to smoke them. Burning a specific numerical or graphic symbol on the horse’s skin allows to identify its breed or herd from which it comes. This makes it easier to identify the horse. Such marking with a logotype can also indicate who is the owner of such an animal or its breeder. Firing consists in applying a piece of iron to the body of the horse, warmed up to redness.
As a result of burning, a scar forms on the body of the horse, which remains there permanently. It is usually located on the neck, left thigh or horse’s thigh. The stigma pressed in this way is both discreet and visible to the person who wants to identify the horse. However smoking is quite a controversial way of signing horses. Because the main disadvantage of such ways of marking these animals is their pain.
Freezing horses
A similar effect as in the case of burning a mark typical of a horse can be obtained using a method known as freezing. In this case, however, the mark is not made with a hot metal, but with this object, but cooled even to minus eighty degrees Celsius, using also liquid nitrogen. As a result, the outer cells of the horse skin are destroyed.
In the place where such marking will be made a white fragment remains, so if the symbol is engraved on a horse that has dark hair it will be very noticeable. In turn for horses with grey hair it will be almost invisible. A big advantage of this method of signing horses is its painlessness.
Chiping a horse
The marking of a horse with a chip is currently one of the most frequently used methods of electronic animal identification. Above all, because it is practically one hundred percent effective and allows you to be certain of the specific identification of a particular horse.
The chip can therefore effectively protect your horse from many dangers. In order to perform such a procedure you should use the service of a qualified person who has the skills necessary to perform such a procedure.
Simply put, the chip’s assumptions resembles performing a simple injection. As a result, the chip is placed in the muscles, at a depth of about four centimetres.
Tattooing
Another way to mark horses is to tattoo them. However, such a tattoo is quite difficult to see. Because the place where it is done is practically invisible at first sight. Horses are usually tattooed on mucous membranes, usually such a tattoo is placed on the inside of the upper lip.
Smoking on the hoof
The horse can also be marked on its hoof. This kind of treatment is performed similarly to the stigma on the skin. The stamp on the hoof is created by applying a heated sailor to it. However, this is a method used quite rarely. All this is mainly because such a signature of the animal is very impermanent and is quickly destroyed.
On average once every six months you would have to repeat such a procedure if you wanted to maintain the effect for as long as possible.
Scanning the iris and retina
In the case of horse tagging, a method that is based on scanning the horse’s eye can also be found. The iris and retina of the horse’s eye are considered, which are different for each individual. There are no two horses that have identical eyes. This is quite a professional method, therefore it is used only during competitions.
The associated restrictions also apply to the high costs that have to be incurred if you want to buy specialized equipment for scanning the horse’s eyes. It is also worth noting that this kind of checking is not possible in all horses.
Finally, the process of signing your horse will make it easier and faster to identify it in the future, as well as directly indicate the origin, owner and breed affiliation of the animal. In addition, by learning about the characteristics of the different methods of signing these animals, you can judge for yourself which of them will be the best for your horse.
During the tagging process the horse should not feel any pain or any other discomfort. Therefore nowadays there are some controversies connected with it. Because people who value the protection of animal rights indicate that marking horses can lead to suffering. So before starting the process of signing a horse it is worth to check if it will not be painful.
After all, the comfort of the animal should be a priority in this case. At the same time it is good for you to remember that marking a horse is not only a kind of selfish whim of its owners. Above all, it is a form of protection for the horse and an expression of care for its safety.
