FREEZE BRANDING
General Info Sheet (PDF)

"The only visible return address for lost or stolen livestock."

MAKE YOUR MARK ...  Secure the ownership of your horse with a unique brand.  There are ear tags. There are tattoos.  In the brave new world of electronics, there are even microchips embedded under the hide. But to help lost or stolen livestock get back to their rightful owners, there's nothing quite as effective as the good, old-fashioned brand. Freeze Branding is the process of using a super cold branding iron to alter the color pigment producing cells. The result is that white or colorless hair, instead of colored hair, grows at the brand site. Brands are used to identify horses and cattle in Farm Management and as Theft Deterrents. Freeze Branding is quick, painless and permanent identification.  Branded horses are less likely to be stolen since Law Enforcement can trace them easily.  Also, specific identification of horses discourages fraudulent practices with registration papers. Ranch Brands are used to increase marketability of horses based on the ranch's reputation.  Many ranches or owners simply want to personalize horses they've bred, owned, or those of which they are extremely proud. In the past few years, Freeze (cryogenic) Branding has become very popular because it is safe, economical and easy to do.  Freeze Branding can be done on horses of any age, however when done on a colt who is still growing, the brand should be smaller as it will grow with the colt as he matures.  Freeze Brands are legible, permanent and difficult to alter.

Year brands can also be applied to a horse in order to give a quick visual reminder as well as verification of the age of the horse. Year brands usually consist of one digit representing the last number in the horses’ birth year. A single digit year brand in conjunction with other physical signs of age are usually enough to correctly identify the horses year of birth.

Cattle can also benefit from the freeze branding process. A freeze brand usually provides a much cleaner brand that does not blot and is useful for identity verification or just to look cool on your club calf!

Don't be fooled by Mother Nature:  Be Prepared! Mother Nature can dish out some of the most terrifying weather and natural disasters... ARE YOU PREPARED?  Finding and claiming your animals, should the worst happen, can be another traumatic event unless you can positively identify yourself as the owner of the animal.  Prepare ahead by Freeze Branding your horses!

Equine Registry:  In addition to branding your horse, membership in a law enforcement based association is the key to making sure your horse is recoverable, as these associations have the knowledge and resources to recover missing horses.  Texas Cattle Raiser's Horse Identification Program (HIP) consists of dozens of trained, certified peace officers that help recover stolen horses. Their extensive, central database records and maintains information on individual horses, which is their best chance of being recovered if they are stolen. They can get immediate help all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and can immediately get the word out to slaughter plants or wherever else needed. This program enables the horse owner to make one call for help. It may be your horse's only chance of being recovered. For more information on TSCRA's HIP program or The Branded Horse Registry, check out the following Internet sites:

Texas Cattle Raisers Association http://www.texascattleraisers.org

The Branded Horse Registry http://brandedhorseregistry.com

Please contact you local or state law enforcement or brand registry officials for information on Brand Laws and requirements for registering your brand in the state in which you reside. In Oklahoma , brands are registered through the Oklahoma Cattleman’s Association.

For prices, scheduling an appointment, or more information on freeze branding your livestock…

CONTACT:

Howell Grayson
Grayson Freeze Branding
Noble, OK
405-872-9042
405-831-1201
www.crosshillranch.com

Although the goal is to achieve a white mark on each horse we brand (except for light colored horses where a bald brand is obtained), the hide of each horse varies greatly and therefore, each brand will vary from horse to horse. Most brands WILL be white. Others may be void of color or hairless. The purpose of a brand is to have an identifying mark, which serves as proof of ownership in the event of theft or loss. We guarantee our brands to be legible identification. In the event one of our brands is not legible, we will, at our discretion, touch it up after 90 days at no charge