Some frequently asked questions.
“Does it hurt?”
Technically no, the ice cold iron has a numbing effect on the skin. However they do appear to be aware of it, so I think it would be fair to say it’s much more a question of what do they think of it. In my 20 years of experience in doing it, it’s generally not as interesting as a bucket of food, and I always advise owners to have a supply of suitable bribery to hand. We mark horses for several well known equine charities and they wouldn’t have horses marked if it was going to cause them distress or pain.
“I’ve got a grey / light coloured horse will it show?”
Yes, it’s just a longer process holding the iron on to kill the hair and reveal the skin underneath, rather than just damage the hair to make it grow back white. Bald marks cannot go directly under the saddle, as this risks rubbing, but can be sited on other areas of the body like the shoulder or barrel, as long as they are away from the load bearing area of the saddle, or driving harness.
“How long before I can see it?”
Freeze marks take time to develop due to the nature of the process. They swell approximately 20 minutes after marking, this lasts about 48 hours, then subsides. 2-3 weeks later the skin starts to scab up, the horse then either grows back white hair, if a dark horse, or will remain bald if a pale horse.
“Can they be removed?”
Lots of people think it’s very easy to alter or remove freeze marks, the simple answer is it’s not. The only way to remove a freeze mark is to skin the horse, as it goes all the way through the skin, exactly the same was as a horse’s natural colouring does. If they were easy to alter or remove, it wouldn’t deter a thief as he’d take it anyway, but freeze marking has been proven over and over again to be the ultimate in theft deterrent.
“How long to get a booking and will you come for just one horse?”
In England and Wales waiting times are approximately 2-3 weeks. Waiting times in Scotland are longer due to a lack of demand, but we do go every 8-10 weeks throughout the year. As for just 1 horse, we are happy to attend for just one horse, and will not ask you to find other bookings in the area, or charge you extra.
“How soon can I ride afterwards?”
We recommend 4 – 7 days off when marked under the saddle and 2 – 3 days when marked anywhere else. This is a rule of thumb, and some may take more and some less, as they are as individual as we are.
“Will it affect me in the show ring?”
People think freeze marks will affect them in the show ring, but there have been horses winning at county level and above with freeze marks for years. If the horse is good enough to win without a mark, it’s good enough to win with one.
“I have a loss of use horse to be marked?”
We do the loss of use marking in the UK for all the main insurers, although we carry out the marking all instructions have to come directly from the insurers to make sure we are marking the correct horses.
“Does it hurt?”
Technically no, the ice cold iron has a numbing effect on the skin. However they do appear to be aware of it, so I think it would be fair to say it’s much more a question of what do they think of it. In my 20 years of experience in doing it, it’s generally not as interesting as a bucket of food, and I always advise owners to have a supply of suitable bribery to hand. We mark horses for several well known equine charities and they wouldn’t have horses marked if it was going to cause them distress or pain.
“I’ve got a grey / light coloured horse will it show?”
Yes, it’s just a longer process holding the iron on to kill the hair and reveal the skin underneath, rather than just damage the hair to make it grow back white. Bald marks cannot go directly under the saddle, as this risks rubbing, but can be sited on other areas of the body like the shoulder or barrel, as long as they are away from the load bearing area of the saddle, or driving harness.
“How long before I can see it?”
Freeze marks take time to develop due to the nature of the process. They swell approximately 20 minutes after marking, this lasts about 48 hours, then subsides. 2-3 weeks later the skin starts to scab up, the horse then either grows back white hair, if a dark horse, or will remain bald if a pale horse.
“Can they be removed?”
Lots of people think it’s very easy to alter or remove freeze marks, the simple answer is it’s not. The only way to remove a freeze mark is to skin the horse, as it goes all the way through the skin, exactly the same was as a horse’s natural colouring does. If they were easy to alter or remove, it wouldn’t deter a thief as he’d take it anyway, but freeze marking has been proven over and over again to be the ultimate in theft deterrent.
“How long to get a booking and will you come for just one horse?”
In England and Wales waiting times are approximately 2-3 weeks. Waiting times in Scotland are longer due to a lack of demand, but we do go every 8-10 weeks throughout the year. As for just 1 horse, we are happy to attend for just one horse, and will not ask you to find other bookings in the area, or charge you extra.
“How soon can I ride afterwards?”
We recommend 4 – 7 days off when marked under the saddle and 2 – 3 days when marked anywhere else. This is a rule of thumb, and some may take more and some less, as they are as individual as we are.
“Will it affect me in the show ring?”
People think freeze marks will affect them in the show ring, but there have been horses winning at county level and above with freeze marks for years. If the horse is good enough to win without a mark, it’s good enough to win with one.
“I have a loss of use horse to be marked?”
We do the loss of use marking in the UK for all the main insurers, although we carry out the marking all instructions have to come directly from the insurers to make sure we are marking the correct horses.
