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Member
Posts: 28
| So I was thinking of getting my main barrel horses freeze branded with my personal brand I just got. However, a gal messaged me saying it has been proven that freezing branding doesn't just make it so a horse is sore at first, but can affect the horses muscle in that area for years and years after?
Saying it will make it hard for the horse to maintain muscle on that side or harder for them to pick up lead changes???
She said it's been proven by thermal imagining to make stiff muscles and inflamination.
I've seen tons of barrel horses branded and they didn't seem to have a problem.
Thoughts??? |
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | ArrowTRanch - 2017-04-28 7:02 PM So I was thinking of getting my main barrel horses freeze branded with my personal brand I just got. However, a gal messaged me saying it has been proven that freezing branding doesn't just make it so a horse is sore at first, but can affect the horses muscle in that area for years and years after? Saying it will make it hard for the horse to maintain muscle on that side or harder for them to pick up lead changes??? She said it's been proven by thermal imagining to make stiff muscles and inflamination. I've seen tons of barrel horses branded and they didn't seem to have a problem. Thoughts???
she is correct
it's science,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, |
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Member
Posts: 28
| I can see her point. Just wanted input on the "years after" part  |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
 
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | My horses are freeze branded, if I ever thought it would do them harm I would never brand mine.. Now if you got some ding dong doing the branding and leave it on a long time that dont know what the he** their doing, it could do some damage then. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| My sister's mare was freeze branded as we're all her siblings. Not one of them had any adverse muscle reactions then or later. All of them are futurity and/or WPRA money earners. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| My vet has never said anything to coberate that, I will have to ask. Never had a horse have issues due to the brand, had vet checks, including prepurchase nothing has flexed unsound on that limb, no muscle wasting, no lead changes, and no chiropractic, or massage comments related to the brand. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Southtxponygirl - 2017-04-28 5:41 PM My horses are freeze branded, if I ever thought it would do them harm I would never brand mine.. Now if you got some ding dong doing the branding and leave it on a long time that dont know what the he** their doing, it could do some damage then.
This!  |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I don't buy that.
First off, I would be willing to bet they do get a little sore in the immediate short time of getting a freeze brand... it just sounds like common sense to me. But you can always block the area before you brand it which will help a lot with any post branding pain.
Second, that brand isn't even going full thickness through the skin, so I doubt the muscle would be damaged. If it was, it was because someone seriously messed up bad.
Third, could you probably see some changes on a thermal camera? Yeah, probably so... A brand is a scar and blood flow to scars are different than normal tissue. But it doesn't mean that its painful or going to cause problems, its just going to be asymmetric if you look at blood flow in one spot over the other. I think people can get a little too excited over thermal cameras. Changes don't always mean clinical significance. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| Of course it might cause a little soreness but none of mine have ever shown an ounce of it. I do mine when they are sedated for teeth. If it was that big of an issue do you think big time breeders would use them? I mean look at victory farms and Jud Little. Hundreds and hundreds carrying those brands. |
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Member
Posts: 28
| Yes you're very right! Does anyone know of anything to put on them to help relieve any soreness or pain? Help heal a little faster? I'm new to branding (obviously) so would like the input of other barrel racers who've branded their horses :) |
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 Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | Of course there is going to be initial pain and soreness, possibly even stiffness. The only time you're going to run into issues further than normal are when it's done incorrectly. |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| ArrowTRanch - 2017-04-28 5:22 PM
Yes you're very right! Does anyone know of anything to put on them to help relieve any soreness or pain? Help heal a little faster? I'm new to branding (obviously) so would like the input of other barrel racers who've branded their horses :)
Get some lame away spray if you want a great simple topical. It works wonders on everything. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | Mine is freeze branded, and her half sibling before her, and I never noticed any soreness on either of them from that. I think I'd call her bluff. I can see it causing soreness initially for a while, but not years after the fact. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| It doesn't even destroy the hair follicles. It damages them slightly causing the hair to grow back white. Even if it did damage the muscle, living things continue to repair damaged cells. It would fix itself. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
Location: on the fine line between insanity and geniusness | I would say if whomever was branding your horse went deep enough to cause MUSCLE damage... they need a new job. Branding shouldn't even go that deep into the SKIN. I have had several horses with jaw brands, both freeze and fire branded that have never had an issue. My dads ranch horse came from a big ranch in west Texas and he had brands on his hip, jaw, shoulder and butt! Mind you they are all fire brands, and he's never shown any issues with it. I promise if you ride in in front of a cow you'll find out it didn't effect his muscles WHATSOEVER! |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | I call BS. My daughter branded her horse last fall and he's clocking faster now then he ever has. |
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 Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | 1DSoon - 2017-04-28 6:04 PM
ArrowTRanch - 2017-04-28 7:02 PM So I was thinking of getting my main barrel horses freeze branded with my personal brand I just got. However, a gal messaged me saying it has been proven that freezing branding doesn't just make it so a horse is sore at first, but can affect the horses muscle in that area for years and years after? Saying it will make it hard for the horse to maintain muscle on that side or harder for them to pick up lead changes??? She said it's been proven by thermal imagining to make stiff muscles and inflamination. I've seen tons of barrel horses branded and they didn't seem to have a problem. Thoughts???
she is correct
it's science,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 830
Location: Paradise , tx | I have had several horses freeze branded and none ever had any problems, even with soreness right after |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | I have tried to refrain from posting here but I have lost control. I have freeze branded a number of my horses and just plain old common sense tells you that it would not cause problems with a horses' muscles. It is not fire branding...it just causes the hair to turn white. I have owned five horses from the 6666's ranch and anyone that has seen any from there know they are fire branded from thier jaws to their butts. Not a one of them ever had a problem using their muscles. So I don't see how a freeze brand could hurt a horse's muscle. Having said that I have seen some huge huge freeze brands and mine were always small so maybe some that cover half the horse could cause some problems. But like I said in the beginning....using common sense it would tell you.... |
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 Goat Giver
Posts: 23166
| But if you brand between the ears, it will only affect mental function, not muscle function. |
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