Freeze Brand

Since I got Sign, lots of people have wondered about her freeze brand and how to read it. I found this great diagram which explains what the symbols mean. By reading Sign's "signs", her freeze brand tell us she is registered by the US Government, born in 2004 and her number is 597069.

The registration numbers for mustang brands fall into these number ranges depending on the state where the horse was gathered. Sign is from the Twin Peaks Horse Management Area (HMA) in Nevada, which the 59 of her registration number tells us.

Arizona 80,001 - 160,000 (08-16)

California 160,001 - 240,000 (16-24)

Colorado 240,001 - 320,000 (24-32)

Idaho 320,001 - 400,000 (32-40)

Montana 400,000 - 480,000 (40-48)

Nevada 480,001 - 640,000 (48-64)

New Mexico 640,001 - 720,000 (64-72)

Oregon 0 - 80,000 (00-08)

Utah 720,001 - 800,000 (72-80)

Wyoming 800,001 - 880,000 (80-88)

Eastern States 880,001 - 880,100

How does freeze branding work?

Freeze branding kills the pigment-producing cells in the hair follicle. Therefore, when the hair regrows where the brand was applied, it is white. Freeze branding is done with special copper or bronze irons cooled to -100° to -300° F. The area must be prepared so the iron touches the skin, freezing it during the branding process. The first day after branding, the skin swells producing a welt in an outline of the brand. In two to three weeks, the brand will form a scab and peel. Six to eight weeks after branding, healthy unpigmented hair (white in color) will replace the scab.
Freeze brands work best on black, dark red, or red animals. However, satisfactory results on lighter colored animals can be achieved by leaving the irons in place for a longer period of time which will completely kill the hair follicle. This results in a brand similar to a hot brand with more hide damage than normal freeze branding.

More information here: http://www.lhbrandingirons.com/freeze_instructions.pdf